By Ben Rappaport
Danny Parsley and his family were excited to move from northern Virginia to Lumberton, where they appreciate the small-town charm and more affordable housing prices.
Shortly after they arrived in April and settled in a quaint neighborhood on the north end of town, however, they quickly realized there was a factor they had not accounted for in their house hunting: the cost of utilities. Parsley’s electric and water bills have increased three-fold or more since they moved.
After receiving a few monthly electric and water bills of about $250, the family’s August bill skyrocketed to $950. According to the bill, the home had used 6,600-kilowatt hours of electricity, seven times the family’s normal usage and higher than the average small business.
Rural southeastern North Carolina matters. That’s why we dig deep into the power and people of Bladen, Columbus, Robeson and Scotland counties. Sign up for our free newsletter.
Parsley isn’t alone in his frustration. Many Lumberton residents have experienced similarly high utility bills in the past six months.
The city issued a statement Friday saying it was aware of “what appear to be excessive utility bills.” It attributed the problem to a city employee who incorrectly estimated electricity meter readings, recording less power than was actually used. Recent bills are higher as the city tries to recoup what it lost from the “underestimated usage.”
“The high bill is high to exactly the same degree that prior bills were artificially low,” the city said. It is offering customers payment plans.
Unsatisfied with the city’s response, Parsley started an online petition demanding the city conduct an internal review of its utility department, adjust overpriced bills and waive the increased costs. The petition had nearly 500 signatures as of Thursday morning.
“I just have no confidence in the city of Lumberton,” Parsley said. “It doesn’t spark much trust to me that the city has our back.”
Parsley said he plans to bring the petition before the City Council on Monday.
Lumberton Attorney Holt Moore said the employee who read meters incorrectly was hired in October and is no longer a town employee as of a few weeks ago. Moore declined to name the employee.
Residents say this is not the first time they’ve had issues with their utility bills. Lumberton is one of about 70 cities and towns across the state that are members of ElectriCities North Carolina, which manages the power supply and provides technical services.
Lumberton provides electricity, which is supplied by Duke Energy, and customers do not have a choice to get power from another provider. The city’s electricity rates are beholden to Duke’s prices, which partly explains the price hike in the recent budget cycle.
Who’s at fault?
After receiving his August bill, Parsley filed a complaint with the city’s utilities department, which insisted the meter reading was correct. The city agreed to split the cost into 12 monthly payments, meaning about $80 will be added to each bill for the next year.
Parsley said his family turns off lights and appliances to save energy.
“The city wants to say something happened that wasn’t their fault, but they still want to hold us responsible,” Parsley said. “That just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Owen Thomas, the Lumberton City Councilman who represents Parsley’s district, said he understands people’s frustrations with the bill increases — he also had a bill that was three times higher last month. He said, however, the city needs the money to maintain its budget and can’t “eat the cost” because residents have been underpaying for months due to the meter reading error.
“The fact is the power was used,” Thomas told the Border Belt Independent. “We still have to pay for that usage.”
Mary Ledwell, who also lives in Thomas’ district in north Lumberton, said her utility bills are typically about $300 per month. In August, it was $600.
“For them to say they undercharged us? No. There’s no way,” Ledwell said. “Anybody that can keep up with their bill from month to month, and anybody that pays their bill knows what their charge is going to be.”
Lumberton City Manager Wayne Horne said the town intends to implement automatic meter readings within the next 12 to 14 months to avoid issues in the future. The project would cost up to $8 million, but Horne said it’s worthwhile to prove to citizens the city takes the problem seriously.
The town has wanted to implement automatic readers for years but struggled to find funding until now, Horne said.
He also said the town has consistently struggled to keep to hire meter readers, and there are currently five openings for the job.
South Lumberton
Starr Cooper, 31, says her family has been dealing with utility issues in town since before she was born. Her grandmother has made several renovations to their home in south Lumberton to make it more energy-efficient. They changed light bulbs and got new appliances, but nothing has eased the financial burden.
Cooper said the southern part of town, which has more Black residents and a higher poverty rate, has borne the brunt of high utilities over the years. Several of her neighbors regularly receive $700 bills, even if their homes are smaller, she said.
“They’re saying we were undercharged,” Cooper said. “But that would mean that when we received these $500 bills it should’ve been more? That’s just crazy.”
Last year, Cooper said she installed security cameras on her home and did not see city employees checking the meters at her house. She stuck a string on top of the meter to see if it was getting checked consistently; it rotted into the surrounding soil.
Some members of Cooper’s family have moved to more northern parts of Lumberton to avoid the high utility costs in the southern part of town.
“In some ways I’m glad to see other people complaining about it,” she said of the recent utility bill prices. “Because typically it’s just people on this side of the tracks, and they don’t care about us here.”
Solar solution?
One solution for those who have been dealing with high electricity costs is switching to local solar power. Adrienne Kennedy, a community organizer with Seeds of H.O.P.E. in Lumberton, has been on the front lines of pushing for solar revolution in her hometown.
She says that switching more Lumberton residents to solar power would lower utility costs and help minimize fossil fuel use.
“Transitioning to programs that attest to local solar energy presents a unique opportunity to address these challenges and create a more equitable energy landscape for all residents,” she said.
She advocated for an energy shift through “Sharing Solar,” an initiative by NC WARN that would provide customers with a solar battery to power their homes and transition away from Duke Energy’s utility monopoly. Under this proposal, Duke ratepayers cover the cost of solar and battery installations for any interested homeowner, business or organization, as they do with large-scale energy generation projects.
“It’s simply not feasible to power North Carolina’s growing economy with rooftop solar and 4-hour batteries alone,” said Bill Norton, Duke Energy spokesperson. “Renewables and storage play a major role in our proposed long-range plan, but they can’t meet our customers’ needs by themselves. We are focused on a diverse, all-of-the-above approach that protects reliability and affordability while reducing emissions and continuing to attract jobs and investment to our state.”
Kennedy said Duke Energy continues to push for fossil fuel expansion and expand its control of the local electric grid, which is part of why utility costs remain high. It is also why Lumberton lacks power to take necessary cost-lowering measures.
“We have to demonstrate how high costs of power contribute to the perpetuation of poverty, especially in communities like south Lumberton,” Kennedy said.
