Gardner forgives many March electric bills for residents, businesses

With many residents and business owners hurting financially because of the new coronavirus, the city of Gardner is forgiving many of the electricity charges it billed during March.
The move, which will cost Gardner about $790,000 in lost revenue, eliminates the entire monthly bill for residential customers and will grant credit for the first 5,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity used by businesses.
“We know we have residents who are financially struggling with bills and other obligations due to the impacts of COVID-19,” Gardner Mayor Steve Shute said in a news release. “We are fortunate that we own our utilities, so we can authorize these changes and provide this much-welcome relief for all in our community while they wait for federal government assistance.”
(Read more: Joco 913 News)