Kaplan La. - Kaplan Native Rockel O’Brien says she’s demanding answers after seeing her electricity bill nearly double after not living in her home for five months.
O’Brien moved out of her property in mid-October of last year after receiving a grant from Louisiana to remodel and rebuild her home. She tells KATC she only left solar lights on while she was away.
In January and February, her electricity bills looked almost identical totaling roughly $187 but in March it spiked to $489.
“Nobody is staying there, there’s nothing running, I sold everything out of the house, there’s absolutely nothing in the house and my bills are this high with no one staying there,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien says she reached out to the Kaplan Mayor Kloesel numerous times, attended last week’s city council meeting and nothing was done to mitigate this issue.
“I’m really frustrated with them because it’s lack of answers, they really don’t want to take accountability for what’s going on,” she said.
O’Brien says this bill was crippling and without an extension or aid, she would reconsider living in Kaplan.
SLEMCO, the electric provider for the town, says they provide Kaplan with wholesale power but the city bills the customers.
KATC reached out to Kaplan Mayor Kloesel for answers on Monday, March 25th and he gave a written response to why some residents may experience a higher electrical bill. Mayor Kloesel attributed higher bills to possible cold spells or other spikes in usage, that are not considered. On March 25th, the mayor did not give a specific answer to why O'Brien's bill increased.
On Wednesday, March 27th, Mayor Kloesel responded saying "I don't monitor every residence in the city to see if there is activity or someone living there or not, that I can't do. However, after speaking to neighbors in the area, I can tell you that according to them, there was activity in and around the house during this period, and still is. I can't and won't speculate on how the electricity and water was used because there are many ways that is possible, even with someone not living in a house. Re-reading the meters proved the accuracy of the first reading."
The electricity is monitored by an electrical meter.
