The St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a resolution urging Ameren to pause disconnections in the wake of the May tornado as the utility reported its shutoffs had spiked in August.
Ameren disconnections almost tripled from July to August, the first month after a tornado-prompted disconnection pause ended, according to numbers filed with Missouri Public Service Commission on Thursday.
Ameren disconnected 14,375 households in August. The previous month, 5,173 people had their electricity shut off for nonpayment.
On Friday, the the board unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution calling on Ameren to do more to protect its customers who live in areas affected by the tornado.
The resolution urged Ameren to pause disconnections through the end of the year and forgive utility debt for people harmed by the May 16 storm.
In a statement, a spokesperson said Ameren is acutely aware of the challenges facing the community after the May tornado.
In August, Connie Taylor, Ameren director of community engagement and impact, told St. Louis Public Radio she knew there would be a lot of financial need after the tornado.
“I’ve seen firsthand that combining direct financial assistance, along with flexible payment options really provides the most impactful and direct way to help customers in need,” Taylor said.
Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier, who represents the 7th Ward, sponsored the measure.
“In our city, we have thousands of people who are having to relocate and figure out their housing situation and one of the barriers in place is that Ameren has resumed disconnections,” Sonnier said in a floor speech.
Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard of Ward 10 also supported the measure and thanked Ameren for putting an additional $4 million into utility assistance. She said the utility has been easy to work with in the response to the storm.
“Every time I called Ameren on the ground for my constituents during this tornado relief, during this now almost 120 days, they have always answered the call and responded,” Clark Hubbard said.
Advocates have been calling on Ameren to extend the disconnection pause in the area of the tornado, including the Sierra Club’s Jenn DeRose.
“What's really needed is for these folks to have a break,” DeRose said. “They're trying to rebuild their lives, and they can't do that with a threat of disconnection hanging over their head.”
Utility disconnection data is not broken down by location, so it is not possible to know if the customers were in the path of the tornado. DeRose said she would like to see more transparency around disconnections.
“I know for a fact that some people in that area are being disconnected because I've heard from them, but it's impossible for us to know, as outsiders, where exactly those are,” DeRose said. “If we knew exactly where they were, we could provide more targeted assistance.”
The spike in disconnections in August reflected a similar pattern in how the utility cut customers off last year. In August 2024, Ameren disconnected about 12,400 customers, which was about double the number in July 2024.
Missouri’s hot weather rule prevents utilities from disconnecting their customers during extreme heat. Last year, October, September and August were the months with the highest disconnections, according to a compilation of PSC data by the Energy and Policy Institute.
State law recently changed and will now prevent disconnections for a greater period time before extreme weather.
Ameren has told STLPR in the past that if a customers are struggling with a bill, they should reach out to the company. There is information about multiple assistance programs available on Ameren’s website.
Ameren will also hold three in-person bill assistance events in the area affected by the tornado this month. Those are on Sept. 16 at the Urban League–Peter Bunce Gymnasium, Sept. 17 at the Bayer YMCA and Sept. 23 at the O'Fallon Park Rec Complex.
