A Russellville city councilman is extending a helping hand to some Russellville Electric Board ratepayers desperate to keep their electricity from being cut off in advance of severe winter weather set to hit Northwest Alabama later this week.
And ironically, the money he'll use has its roots with the Russellville Electric Board.
On Tuesday, Woodruff was contacted by a representative from Great Western Life Insurance, who was calling to see if he wanted to renew his $20,000 life insurance policy.
“I didn't know anything about this policy, until she reminded me it was issued through the Russellville Electric Board,” Woodruff said.
Woodruff's tenure on the Russellville Electric Board ended in January 2019, when he was not reappointed to another term. Woodruff said he recalled the REB providing board members life insurance, but he assumed the policy was canceled when he was no longer on the board.
“Apparently, the REB continued to pay the premium for more than three years after I left the board, at a cost of $1,300 annually,” Woodruff said. “The representative asked me if I wanted to renew the policy, and I said I did not. Then she asked me to hold on while she figured the cash value of the policy.
“Apparently, this was a policy that built a cash value. She told me the policy has a $2,058 cash value and if I was canceling it, then Great Western Life would issue me a check for $2,058,” he added.
Woodruff decided he will donate the $2,058 to ratepayers whose electricity is about to be disconnected with temperatures later in the week forecast as low as three degrees.
He made a post Tuesday afternoon inviting any Russellville Electric Board customer whose service is scheduled for disconnect this week to contact him by Facebook Messenger. While he won't be able to help every ratepayer in this difficult situation, Woodruff said the assistance will be on a case-by-case basis as long as funds remain.
Within one hour, the Facebook post had been shared 55 times. Woodruff said there were already three ratepayers he would be assisting. The only criteria is that the person or family must be a REB ratepayer.
“Friday night the temperature will be three degrees. I have had people contact me worried about their power being turned off this week,” Woodruff said. “They have asked for a two-day extension but were denied by the Russellville Electric Board.”
Woodruff questioned why REB Manager Charles Canida would continue to pay insurance premiums for a policy on a former REB member. Additionally, he wonders how many other former board members' policies are being paid well after their tenure on the board.
“It's yet another example of gross mismanagement of money, but in this case, at least the ratepayers are going to get these funds back,” Woodruff said.
At Monday's Russellville City Council meeting, Woodruff asked the city attorney to research whether the city could pass an ordinance preventing any utility from turning off the power, gas or water to any citizen in Russellville during extreme weather conditions.
“If this can be done legally, it would give the ratepayer a short extension and hopefully enough time to get their bill paid,” Woodruff said.
City Attorney Danny McDowell said he would research the issue and contact Woodruff with an answer.
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