Facing staunch public opposition, and mounting questions from City Council, Austin Energy is redrafting their proposed rate increases to customers' electricity bills.
A second public hearing was scheduled for this week’s City Council meeting, on Thursday, Feb. 2. But instead, representatives from the city-owned utility will be presenting “suggested changes” to their previously proposed increases at the meeting.
The briefing is scheduled to start at 10:30am. Public comment is not allowed on briefings, and a new public hearing hasn’t been scheduled yet.
We noted earlier this week that council members were individually voicing concerns about the increases, specifically questioning the reserves Austin Energy needed to maintain, and the equity of proposed increases in energy delivery fees. The rate hikes were the main topic of discussion at a City Council work session earlier today. Council members had several questions for Austin Energy officials, including whether taking longer to replenish the utility’s reserve funds could help lessen the rate increase.
You can read more about the rate increases as currently drafted here.