This podcast is a visit with the city of College Station's chief financial officer Mary Ellen Leonard and WTAW's Bill Oliver.

The electric providers in College Station and Bryan are telling customers to expect higher bills. Both College Station Utilities (CSU) and BTU (Bryan Texas Utilities) say that's due to using more power to stay warm.

College Station Utilities has suspended delinquent disconnections and late fees through March 1. Additionally, CSU never disconnects during freezing weather.

The city of College Station's chief financial officer, Mary Ellen Leonard, says before CSU sends the next round of billing statements, they will compare how much electricity was used during the winter storm for heating to how much was used last August for air conditioning.

Both CSU and BTU also charge an electric rate that is determined by their city councils.

BTU's executive director of business and customer operations David Werley says their electric rate will not change. Werley says that's because "BTU did not suffer a financial impact that would cause any reason to necessitate a rate change at this time."