Your PUD
News Release
Commissioners review preliminary rate design
Chelan County PUD
News Release
6/23/2008
PUD commissioners will take a week to consider changes and alternatives to a draft electricity rate design for 2009. At Monday’s board meeting, staff presented a first draft that would increase total local electric revenues by 3.4 percent. That’s a little less than half of the projected electric revenue requirement of 8.2 percent for 2010. Commissioners also directed staff to calculate the impacts of an April 1, 2009, implementation instead of Jan. 1.
The draft is a work in progress, said Kelly Boyd, director of strategic financial planning. Rate increases in the draft range from zero to 4.8 percent, depending on the type of customer, such as residential or commercial.
Rates for residential customers would increase an average of 4.6 percent, but under the draft design, about 64 percent of residential customers would actually see their average bill decrease though winter bills could be higher. Customers with high usage would likely experience an increase larger than 4.6 percent. The draft uses a tiered rate structure with the highest rates being charged for electric use of more than 3,000 kilowatt hours per month. The average residential use per month is about 2,000 kilowatt hours. The tiered structure is designed to promote conservation and assist a broader range of low-income customers.
Commissioners will make recommendations at their next meeting for changes to the electric draft, and for additional options they would like to see. If decided upon by the board, rate changes would go through an additional public hearing process in August. A rate increase is being analyzed as an option to bring the utility a step closer to covering the cost of providing electrical service.
Draft rates for PUD water and sewer customers are also in the works and will be discussed soon.
Commissioners to urge protection of park integrity
Commissioners said they hope the PUD and the city of Wenatchee can work closely in the future to protect riverfront parks as development moves forward. They expressed concern over moves to reduce landscape buffers for properties next to the parks and asked board secretary, Dennis Bolz, to draft a letter supporting a 20-foot landscape buffer and asking for coordinated efforts between the two agencies going forward.
The letter will be reviewed by the commissioners at their next meeting and sent to the city by July 13 to meet a deadline for comments on recent zone changes. Staff is also sending a letter asking for changes to assure a 20-foot landscape buffer.
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The next regular meeting of the PUD commission will begin at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 30, 2008, in the boardroom at PUD headquarters, 327. N. Wenatchee Ave.
Public comment is welcome at board meetings, by e-mail at board2@chelanpud.org and by phone at 661-4212. The results of the cost-of-service analysis are posted on the PUD’s Web site.
Most PUD commission meetings are recorded, and a link to the audio is available on the PUD’s home page at http://www.chelanpud.org.
Jeri Freimuth
Chelan County PUD
(509) 661-4504
(509) 668-0267 cell
Jeri.freimuth@chelanpud.org