Illinois

Amid Polar Vortex, Morton's February Natural Gas Costs Exceeded Usual Total Winter Tab

WCBU | By Tim Shelley

Published March 2, 2021 at 12:36 PM CST

The Morton Village Board Monday night named a new police chief.

The February gas bill for the village of Morton is coming due later this week--and it's expected to be a big one.

Village President Jeff Kaufman said the village-owned utility typically spends $4.3 million on natural gas for the entire winter. But due to the recent polar vortex and resulting supply chain issues, the bill came out to $4.5 million for the month of February alone.

"We intend to come back next week to offset financial impact to the Morton customers," said Kaufman. "So I plan to talk to each of the six trustees individually, and see if we can come up with a plan to help the Morton citizens."

Kaufman said without local conservation efforts, February's bill could have been as high as $7 million.

The village currently has $13 .8 million in its gas fund that can be used to provide relief for customers.

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