Associated Press - July 30, 2010 5:24 AM ET

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - The Hancock County Utility Authority is looking for options other than raising customers bills to pay off a $10.6 million debt.

However, the authority's board of directors say a $10 per household per month increase may be the only way to deal with debt.

The authority owes more than $10.6 million. Payments were deferred in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. Payments of more than $87,000 each, mostly for utility construction projects, are scheduled to resume on Oct. 1.

Information from: Sea Coast Echo, http://www.seacoastecho.com

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