Lewis County Herald - Serving Hohenwald, Lewis County Tennessee Since 1898

As COVID-19 precautions continue, communication is a key component to essential service organizations such as Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative.

“We continue a 24/7 response to our members’ electric needs, and although adjusted to the drive-thru only, our offices are open to serve,” says MLEC President and CEO Keith Carnahan. “We also understand the financial impact of current events and want to put our members at ease.”

Late fees are being waived for all accounts. Anyone experiencing a financial hardship and unable to make payment should contact their local office prior to the due date for personal assistance.

Drive-thru windows remain open during regular business hours; however, office lobbies are closed. When receiving service, please alert the MLEC team member if you do not feel well, or have been in contact with someone who is sick, so that extra precautions can be taken. This may lead to longer than usual lines, so please be patient and take extra care concerning surrounding traffic, not blocking roads, etc. For convenience, payment by phone, online, mobile app, kiosk and more are available.

We continue to respond to outages 24/7. To report an outage during regular business hours, contact your local office. Outside of 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday, reach out to our call center at 1-888-879-6038. With business taking place primarily by phone, please be aware hold times may be longer than usual.

Members should be on the lookout for suspicious emails, phone calls, or persons impersonating business employees or charitable organizations. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of opportunities such as this when households are otherwise preoccupied. MLEC and MLConnect will NOT call and threaten disconnection or demand immediate payment via a pre-paid card.

“In these uncertain times, one thing we don’t want our members to worry about is the reliability of their electric or broadband service,” says Carnahan. “We are focused on maintaining a healthy workforce, and keeping key personnel—such as lineworkers and member service representatives— available so that we can continue to provide the excellent service our members expect.”