The number of customers whose gas service was cut off for nonpayment dropped despite bills last month that were nearly twice as much as a year earlier.

&#8220It’s actually a little lower,” said Tammye Christmas, director of the city’s Water & Gas Administration.

Christmas said the number of cutoffs in the first billing cycle was 22. The normal rate of cutoffs per cycle, which includes 110 customers, is 30 to 40.

The department has five billing cycles, and the cutoff date for the first one was Wednesday. The next one is Monday.

Following the increase – one of four since October – the department offered payment assistance to customers whose bills jumped when temperatures fell in December.

Christmas said every customer who asked for assistance received something, such as being placed on a partial payment plan.

&#8220The 22 that went out were people we haven’t heard from,” Christmas said. &#8220They didn’t call or make any arrangements to pay.”

Mayor Laurence Leyens attributed a lower February cutoff rate to warm weather in January and an effort by city employees to assist residents in need.

&#8220We’re trying to work with everybody, but if they don’t respond to the bill at all we don’t have any choice” but to cut their gas off, Leyens said. &#8220When people make an effort we try to work with them.”

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said he thinks residents knew the rates were increased, so they scaled back on their usage.

&#8220I think the people acted responsibly,” Mayfield said. &#8220People scaled back tremendously. As much as I didn’t want to, in my own home, I had to scale back tremendously.”

South Ward Alderman Sid Beauman said he thinks the city has done a good job at helping residents who need utility payment assistance.