VIDALIA &8212; Utility bills turned a few heads and emptied a few pocketbooks in Vidalia this month.

The electric bill is to blame. City Manager Kenneth Davis said prices have been up all year. &8220;Vidalia&8217;s cost for electricity went up substantially this year,&8221; he said. &8220;We&8217;re trying to do something about it here, but these things just take time.&8221;

Residents are paying higher prices to the city so the city can in turn pay its bills to Louisiana Energy and Power Authority, Davis said.

Utility money collected by the city helps fund things like police, fire and sanitation departments.

When electric rates went up from 5.9 cents per kilowatt hour in September 2004 to 9.4 per kwh cents this year, the city had no choice, Davis said.

Now, the Vidalia rates are the highest in the state, according to the Louisiana Public Service Commissioner&8217;s Web site.

A resident living in a home that uses 1,000 kilowatts per hour pays an average of $122.40 a month.

For Jay Hamilton and his wife Tamara electric costs for their house on Cedar Street are reason enough to complain.

&8220;It seems like every year from about July or August our utility bill jumps from about $200 to over $300,&8221; Hamilton said.

Hamilton&8217;s bill for the month August was $348.60 of which $264.10 was his electricity cost.

Hamilton used 2,333 kilowatts in August.

&8220;We&8217;re usually pretty good about turning the air conditioner up and turning off the lights when we go to work so this doesn&8217;t make a lot of sense,&8221; Hamilton said.

Betty Renfro of Oak Street noticed the change too.

Renfro&8217;s total utility cost for September was $231.56; the electric portion was $168.11.

&8220;I&8217;m a widowed woman and don&8217;t cook or clean much, so I don&8217;t think my bill should be that high,&8221; Renfro said.

And Davis agrees. The high rates are not something the city wants to continue, especially after fairly stable rates in years past, he said.

To lower utility costs in the future, Davis said the city is exploring three options.

The city of Vidalia is looking for another energy provider, talking to LEPA to see if rates will decrease and talking to independent energy producers, Davis said.