On Feb. 21, the city of San Marcos said in a news release its customers should not be concerned about a hike in electric rates at this time. Spikes in electric rates for service during last week's winter weather have been reported in other parts of the state due to a surge in wholesale power prices.

San Marcos Electric Utility, which is owned by the city, has its rates set by ordinance as a part of the annual budget process.

However, customers may still receive an elevated bill due to higher than normal power consumption after nearly two weeks of severe cold weather.

Residents using Customer Connect to view their usage may see electric consumption during service interruptions, but this is because the system estimates daily usage during these times, the city said.

Customer Connect is separate from the city's billing system, which the release said would not actually charge for electric usage during outages because billing is based on meter readings.

The city also announced SMEU had wrapped up the last of its customer repairs from last week's storm, with power restored to all its customers.

The city's winter weather call center will close Feb. 21 at 8 p.m. Any power outages can still be reported by email or by calling 512-393-8313.