But that has not staved off attacks from critics, both in and outside the election campaign trail, who assert the utility is leaning on residents to prop up city expenditures.
City Council candidate Aram Kazazian has repeatedly vilified the electric rates for causing “thousands of people to pack up their bags and leave town.”
And in March, more than a hundred people gathered at City Hall on a Sunday to protest their rising bills.
A group of City Hall critics have also latched onto the relatively high electric rates to hammer on the annual transfer of money from Glendale Water & Power-based revenues to the city’s general fund to pay for city services and employee salaries.
A report in January to the Glendale Water & Power Commission showed default customer accounts had spiked 61% in the first half of fiscal year 2008-09 to $219,324.
The city-owned utility was also forced to write off $69,365 due to accounts left behind by bankrupt business customers within the same period, the report found.
But those figures have remained relatively flat in the months since, said Ned Bassin, power management administrator for the utility.
The new numbers weren’t available as of Friday, but Bassin said the total amount of money was relatively small when compared to millions generated through the utility each month.
“Some people don’t have a financial problem, they have a payment problem,” he said.
About 80% of all customers who have their service disconnected not only pay their balance, but an extra $25 fee to have it reinstated the same day, Bassin said.
