VIDALIA — Beginning with this next utility bill, Vidalia municipality customers will see some savings on electric bills over the next two months at a cost to the town of approximately $150,000.

Mayor Buz Craft said during the summer, Vidalia residents had some of the highest utility bills in the area thanks to an approximately $75,000 expense from the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority, of which the town is one of 17 members. The cost is Vidalia’s share of the construction costs of a new power plant at Morgan City.

“Some of you saw the highest bills you have ever seen,” Craft said. “A lot of residents are on a fixed income and will not be able to survive another month with an outrageous utility bill.”

Craft said he has overseen spending freezes in town departments and he feels making these payments to help residents is something the town can afford.

After the two-months of savings, Craft said town leaders would reevaluate continuing subsidizing residents’ utility bills..

Craft said now that the new plant is online, electricity costs should go down.

Craft said Friday he did not have an example of how high the utility bills were, other than to say they were outrageous.

To say what the approximately $75,000 per month would save residents was complicated, Craft said, and he said he could not provide an example.

During the town’s regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, Craft said the town had spent approximately $2 million of the $3.5 million line of credit taken out in August. Most of the line of credit was used to pay vendors that were not paid during the previous administration.

Craft said the town could use some of the line of credit to help residents.

“We felt like we could handle taking costs off of customers,” Craft said. “I felt like it was in the best interest of the town and the utility customers to give them a little break.

“We can tighten our belt even tighter in the city. We have been working hard to get things financially sound in the city.”