Lewis County PUD commissioners will hold a pair of public hearings this month to garner feedback on a proposal to raise rates across the utility by less than 1%. The raise would go into effect next year, if approved by PUD commissioners.
The public utility will host these meetings publicly via the video conferencing application Zoom. The meetings will take place at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 5, and 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 19. PUD commissioners will host a workshop at 9 a.m. prior to both meetings.
The public can opt to provide public comment either by attending the online meeting, calling in to the meeting or writing the board of commissioners.
“Despite the challenges of holding in-person meetings during the pandemic, the PUD strongly encourages public participation in these hearings,” said PUD Commissioner Tim Cournyer, president of the board.
More information and details on the proposed rate increase will be available on Lewis County PUD’s website prior to the first public hearing.
The proposed rate increase stems from a cost-of-service analysis Lewis County PUD commissioned and completed this year to review current customer rate classifications and identify the ratio of utility bill revenue to what it costs to provide electric service to each customer classification, according to the utility.
The study identified several areas of adjustment, including; creating a separate customer classification for residential customers with more than one meter, which may result in more savings; transitioning irrigation accounts away from current horsepower charges to a more equitable cost rate; and reclassifying current commercial customers based on size for more equitable billing.
More information can be found online soon at www.lcpud.org.
