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Austin Energy Rewriting Rate Hikes

Austin Energy is resetting the meter, announcing it will present "suggested changes" to proposed rate increases this Thursday.
courtesy flickr.com/hubgoat
Austin Energy is resetting the meter, announcing it will present "suggested changes" to proposed rate increases this Thursday.

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.

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
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