Ordinarily, the city of Winfield spends about $1.5 million a year on natural gas for customers of its public utility department. During the brutal cold spell a week ago, Winfield had to buy $10 million worth of gas in six days. “It’s incredible,” said City Manager Taggart Wall. “It’s devastating financial impacts to our customers. A normal bill would be in the $100 range, just natural gas. We’re estimating $2,500 for this event, for one month, if we were just to straight pass that on.” Winfield is one of dozens of municipal utilities with thousands of customers spread across Kansas, all of which are facing similar dire straits.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle
