Local group files petition asking state to look into electric rates - kjas.com
Local group files petition asking state to look into electric rates | Local News | kjas.com
If all goes as planned, the Public Utilities Commission of Texas may soon investigate the way electric rates are calculated by the City of Jasper.
The move comes after the successful filing of a petition by longtime power company executive Bill Grant, a former resident of the Texas Panhandle, who recently moved to Jasper and immediately began to question the way the City of Jasper calculates the cost of electricity and sets the rates for it’s customers.
According to Grant, there are large discrepancies in not only the way the calculations are made but also the lack of transparency in doing so.
In reality, Grant says there are two issues at hand; the first being the way the rates are set for customers within the City of Jasper and the second being the way the rates are set for customers outside the City.
In doing so, Grant was instrumental in forming a group known as the “Citizens of Jasper for Fair and Equitable Rates.” Grant says the group is a grass roots effort with one goal in mind and that is seeing that the rates are not inflated, calculated correctly and in the time frame and parameters as set by the State of Texas.
Grant said Thursday that over the last few weeks, he and his volunteers worked to obtain the number of names required for such action on a petition that was turned in on Thursday, well within the time frame as set forth by the State.
Grant said that in addition, a similar group of citizens of Livingston are also working on a petition which they hope to be filed shortly, calling for the same investigation or hearing into the matters of electricity and billing within their city.
Jasper, Livingston and Liberty are all members of the Sam Rayburn Municipal Power Agency, which is owned by the three cities and provides power to them. However, there is no word at this time whether a similar action will be taken by the citizens there.
Even though it is not addressed in the petition and filing with the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, word is that the group will also be asking that the issue of the monies received from the Sam Rayburn Municipal Power Agency should be figured into the cost of electricity to the customers of the city’s electric service. It is estimated that over the last few years, the City of Jasper has received over $60 million in refunds from the electric supplier without passing any of those savings on to the end users of the electric service.
There is no word at this time when the investigation or hearings into the matter will begin.
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