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If you’ve looked at your utility bill lately and thought, “Whew… that’s a little higher than normal!” — you’re not alone!

With this extended stretch of hot Kansas temperatures, your air conditioner has been working harder and running longer to keep your home cool. The hotter it is outside, the harder your A/C has to work to maintain that comfortable temperature inside — and that can mean higher-than-normal electricity usage.

And unfortunately, it looks like the heat isn’t planning on leaving anytime soon! 🥵 We’re expecting these hot temperatures to stick around for at least another 10 days, so keep in mind that the extra A/C usage you have over the next week or two will likely show up on next month’s utility bill.

A few things that can help:

🌡️ Bump your thermostat up a few degrees when you’re away or sleeping.
🌀 Keep those A/C filters clean — a dirty filter makes your system work harder.
☀️ Close blinds and curtains during the hottest part of the day to keep the sun from heating things up.
🚪 Keep doors and windows closed while your A/C is running.
💡 Turn off lights and electronics you aren’t using — every little bit helps!
🔥 Avoid using the oven during the hottest part of the day when possible. Try the grill, slow cooker, or an easy no-cook meal instead!

Remember, one of the biggest factors in your electric bill is simply how long your A/C is running. When temperatures stay in the 90s day after day, that equipment is putting in some serious overtime. 😅

So if your bill is looking a little warmer than usual, it may just be your A/C saying, “I’m doing my best!” 😂

Stay cool, Oxford! ❤️🖤

The City of Oxford Office and Oxford Public Library will be closed on Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day.

Both offices will reopen with normal hours on Tuesday, September 8th.

Utility Emergency?
For utility emergencies while the City Office is closed, please call 911.

We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

September is a busy month in Oxford! 🍉 Here are a few highlights:

🍉 Watermelon Feed – September 12 — Come celebrate Oxford’s 78th Annual Watermelon Feed with food, fun, vendors, music and FREE watermelon!

📡 Cox Expansion — Cox Communications will soon begin expanding services throughout Oxford. Watch for updates as work begins in different areas.

🛠️ City Updates — Our crews have been busy with street repairs, hydrant flushing, park maintenance and getting Napawalla Park ready for Watermelon Feed.

🏛️ Museum & Library Updates — See the latest progress at the Oxford Museum and check out the Oxford Public Library’s successful Summer Reading recap.

🛍️ City-Wide Garage Sale – September 19 — Get your garage sale ready and stop by the City Office if you’d like to be included on the official map!

Check out this month’s newsletter for all the details and upcoming events!

Evergy has finished their repairs and was able to switch the City of Oxford back over to full power without having to turn off any electricity.

There will be no interruption to power for the City of Oxford.

Thank you again for your patience and understanding while we navigated this unexpected electrical outage. We truly appreciate everyone’s cooperation while the issue was being resolved.

Last night, the City of Oxford experienced a power outage at approximately 9:30 PM. Our Utility Crew was immediately dispatched to investigate the cause and determine what needed to be done to restore power.

The crew discovered that a raccoon had caused a fuse to blow at the Evergy substation west of town on Highway 160. The incident also caused a power line to burn and require replacement.

Our Utility Crew reported the issue to Evergy and was instructed to wait for an Evergy crew to arrive, assess the damage, and provide a timeline for repairs. That information was needed before our crew could make the decision to bring the City's generators online.

While waiting for the Evergy crew, another utility emergency occurred east of Oxford involving contractors burying lines. Our Utility Crew was dispatched to assist with that emergency. Once that situation was addressed, our crew returned to town and began the process of bringing the generators online.

Because Evergy was able to reroute partial power to Oxford while repairs were being made, our crew had to bring the town back online in sections. Once the generators were operating, our Utility Crew remained with them throughout the night and into this morning to keep power available to the community. The generators allowed the City of Oxford to have full amperage of power since Evergy could only provide partial power. 

We are currently waiting for Evergy to complete the repairs at the substation. Once we receive word that repairs are complete and Evergy is ready to restore Oxford to their system, our crew will shut down the generators and Evergy will bring the town back online.

⚠️ Please be aware: The transition from generator power back to Evergy power is expected to cause another brief outage. We wanted to give everyone advance notice so you aren't caught off guard when that transition happens.

We sincerely appreciate everyone's patience and understanding throughout this outage. Our Utility Crew has worked hard all night long to keep the lights on and provide power to our community while this issue is being resolved.

Thank you to our Utility Crew for their dedication and hard work!