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Phone: (509) 826-0100
1-800-725-KOMW
Email: info@komw.net
Okanogan County PUD commissioners continued their discussions regarding rates and costs at their Feb. 24 meeting, presenting proposed rate changes that could be effective April 1.
The district has worked with FCS Group on a cost of service analysis for all rate classes (residential, industrial, etc.) to determine the actual costs of providing services to each class. Some were determined to be recovering less than their costs, so those classes could see rate increases higher than others to move to a more equitable structure.
The proposed rate changes reflect an overall 2 percent revenue increase for the district, driven largely by the district’s need to replace aging infrastructure. Overall increases proposed per class (averages are not easily factored in all classes):
Residential: 2.9 percent increase (average of $2.50 per month)
Small general service: 1.8 percent increase, (average of $3.30 per month)
Large general service: 0.5 percent increase, (average of $16.42 per month)
Irrigation: 1.5 percent increase (average of $7.18 per month)
Industrial: 0.5 percent increase
Frost control: 10 percent increase
Area lighting: 2 percent increase
Street lighting: 2 percent increase
This proposed increase affects base charges, energy charges and, where applicable, demand charges to reach the overall percentage increase. The last rate increase was April 1, 2019.
The cost of power adjustment, usually indicated on a separate line from the kilowatt-hour energy charge, will be folded into the energy charge, currently at $.00600 per kWh, which could make the rate increase look higher, but is actually just a change in designation.
More details on the proposed rate changes are available on the district’s website.
Commissioners will discuss the proposed rates at a March 2 special meeting at 6 p.m. at the district’s Okanogan headquarters building. The discussion will also continue at the March 9 regular meeting of the board at 3 p.m.
In other business, the board: