The Washington City Council approved a onetime electric utility rate reduction of 30 percent for residential and commercial customers for the November billing cycle. The City of Washington bills in four cycles per billing period with the first cycle of adjusted billing being received this week. This adjustment is given as a result of damage caused by Hurricane Florence, and will hopefully provide some financial relief to customers. The impact will be regional as Washington Electric serves customers in the City of Washington, Beaufort, Martin and Pitt counties. Some customers will see the November billing reduced while others will see the savings at the beginning of December. This is determined by when the meters are read. The savings begin with meter reads following the Nov. 5 council meeting. The City of Washington includes other items on monthly bills – water, wastewater, and garbage, for example. Those rates are not changing.