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

Morton village
Morton, IL Village Government

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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Tim is the News Director at WCBU Peoria Public Radio.