Proposed Electricity Rate Hike Triggers Intervention

Local County and City Officials want to join voices in questioning a proposed rate hike from Rocky Mountain Power...Ktwo Radio's Karen Snyder has this..

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Both the Natrona County Commission and the Casper City Council at their general meetings Tuesday evening will look to authorize participation in an intervention that would include other neighboring municipalities.

Rocky Mountain Power has proposed an overall average rate increase of about 17 percent.

County Commission Chair Rob Hendry says they want to know what benefits will come our way if that increase were to go through.  "The main thing, I think is, we're having some power outages,  and I know they are around the City of Casper; Where is that money gonna go?  And we need to see a plan."

Both the city and county are working on a document spelling out their questions and concerns that will go to the Public Service Commission.

Hendry says the bottom line is they want the power company to serve the electrical needs of the community.  He says persistent outages and problems with wildly inaccurate cost estimates are keeping potential business away from the area.  Hendry sites the big jump in the cost of getting electrical power to the new county courthouse.   "It was almost 500 percent more and that's not acceptable.  And, when we have a rate increase like that, what are we paying for?"

Hendry says the Public Service Commission's public hearing on the rate increase proposed from Rocky Mountain Power has yet to be scheduled.