Some local Georgia Power offices will close later this year.
A spokesman for the utility company said Tuesday that offices in Chickamauga, Ringgold and Trenton will be out of operation by mid-October, meaning some residents will have to find new places to pay their bills. This is part of a larger movement by Georgia Power. Across the state, 100 offices are going to close around the same time, costing about 270 of the company's 8,000 employees their jobs.
Georgia Power will still keep 27 offices open throughout the state. In northwest Georgia, the closest available offices will be in Cartersville and Rome. In addition, the company is expanding the number of stores such as grocers and pharmacies where payments may be made.
Right now, customers can make payments at 2,700 such shops across the state. Georgia Power hopes to boost that number to 5,300.
John Craft, a spokesman for Georgia Power, said the company is closing so many offices because the majority of customers don't use them anymore. He said more than half of customers pay their bills online or through automatic withdrawals.
"We are continually evaluating our business model to make sure we are responding to our changing needs of customers," Craft said.
Dade County Executive Ted Rumley said Georgia Power's move makes sense, though people in his community don't know where they can make new payments. He said county officials haven't heard from Georgia Power about where they will be able to pay their bills in the fall.
"As far as I know, there isn't anywhere they've made arrangements (for power bills to get paid)," Rumley said. "Unless they're working on it. There's no place you can go except for the Georgia Power office, as far as I know, unless you do automatic withdrawal. And a lot of people here don't have checking accounts."
Craft said the company will still be present in Georgia communities, as they are keeping their 75 operating centers open throughout the state. These are the offices where linesmen work.
Craft said the company will also maintain its 24/7 customer service line at 1-888-660-5890.
A subsidiary of Southern Co., Georgia Power is an investor-owned electric utility with about 2.5 million customers.
Contact Staff Writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.