SUB did not bill customers for electricity they could not use during the outage. We are asking for automatic, no-fault credits when outages last 72+ hours (or during declared Major Event Days), with reasonable caps and full transparency.

To the Springfield Utility Board (SUB):

We, the undersigned residents of Springfield, call on SUB to adopt a clear, automatic Storm‑Outage Goodwill Credit Policy so customers are fairly recognized when electric or water service is disrupted for extended periods.

A severe ice storm caused widespread, multi‑day outages and a citywide boil‑water response. SUB has explained that customers were not billed for electricity they could not use during outage hours; however, the fixed monthly Basic Charges still applied and there was no automatic outage‑credit policy in place. Many families faced hotel costs, generator fuel, lost food, medical risks, and freezing conditions. A simple, automatic goodwill credit for extended outages is a reasonable, transparent way to acknowledge that hardship while maintaining investments in reliability.

What we are asking SUB to adopt going forward

1. Automatic, no‑fault outage credits for extended outages.

Trigger: when a customer experiences a continuous outage of 72 hours or more for electric or water service, or when SUB declares an industry‑standard Major Event Day.

Amount: a base credit for meeting the trigger, plus a per‑day credit for each additional 24 hours until service is restored.

Purpose: a goodwill acknowledgment of hardship, not an admission of liability, and separate from usage billing rules.

2. Objective administration with caps.

No application required. SUB’s outage records determine eligibility; credits post automatically on the next bill.

Cost guardrails: reasonable per‑event and annual caps to protect ongoing reliability investments, with an annual public review.

3. Standing Emergency Customer Relief Fund.

In partnership with Catholic Community Services or similar, maintain a pre‑authorized relief fund that can be activated during declared disasters to help residents with documented storm expenses, using clear eligibility tables and rapid processing.

4. Transparency after every major event.

Within 60 days, publish: (a) customer counts by outage‑duration buckets (≤24h, >24–48h, >48–72h, >72h); (b) total credits and relief dollars issued; (c) restoration timelines; and (d) boil‑water notice areas and clearance timing.

5. Preparedness measures with customer co‑benefits.

Continue and scale safe backup‑power financing (e.g., generator and transfer‑switch loans) and expand communications tools (outage map, text alerts), with regular public metrics.

Public power exists to serve the community. An automatic, capped, no‑fault credit for prolonged outages is a modest, predictable mechanism that shares hardship more fairly, rebuilds trust after severe events, and makes expectations clear for everyone before the next storm hits.

We respectfully urge the Springfield Utility Board to open a work session, take public comment, and adopt this policy.

FAQ

1. Does this demand a refund of kWh not used? No. Credits are goodwill, separate from metering.

2. Will this raise rates? We propose per-event and annual caps and use of external aid first.

3. Is this liability? No. No-fault wording, objective triggers.

4. Why 72 hours? Targets prolonged hardship, avoids noise from short outages, aligns with other jurisdictions’ thresholds.