Marshfield Utilities Suspends Late Fees, Cautions Against Scammers

(OnFocus) The Marshfield Utilities office remains closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s still working to address the needs of its customers.

The winter moratorium on disconnection, which normally ends mid-April, was extended by Governor Evers indefinitely for the duration of the public health emergency. However, customers are still encouraged to pay their bill to avoid stress in the future.

“While the moratorium is extended right now, we are still encouraging customers to try and pay what they can and to not let the bills add up to where it will be even harder to come back from,” said Melissa Barnes, Human Resources Manager.

The utility encourages customers to reserve part of their coronavirus stimulus checks being distributed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) toward any balance remaining on their account, and to call the office if they have any concerns or to work out a payment plan.

Bills are not able to be forgiven, but the Utility has taken measures to lessen customers’ burdens, including suspending late fees temporarily.

“We are encouraging customers to pay as much as they are able to during this time. This will make it easier to get caught up in the future,” Marshfield Utility said in a statement. “We are also encouraging customers to call us to set up payment arrangements if they have fallen behind on their payments.”

Small business owners may be assisted by the forgivable loan program offered through the CARES Act in paying utilities during the public emergency period.

“It may be beneficial for your business to pay your utility bill now (with funds obtained through a forgivable loan) rather than to defer payment of your bills until a later date,” Marshfield Utilities stated.

Marshfield Utilities also cautions its customers against scammers who may pose as employees, demand immediate payment of bills using cash or prepaid debit cards, or request personal information such as bank account numbers and social security numbers.

While the utility does make reminder calls for overdue bills and offers the ability to make a payment at the end of the call, it will not demand immediate payment or require customers to pay with cash or prepaid debit cards.

For any questions or concerns, call the Marshfield Utilities office at 715-387-1195, or visit www.marshfieldutilities.org for payment options.