Ohio American Water customers in the area will have the opportunity to testify at a public hearing scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, at 6:00pm, regarding the utility’s request to increase rates by over 20 percent.
The hearing will be held on the second floor of Marion City Hall.
City officials have urged local residents to speak at the hearing. They say the local feedback has been essential in previous battles against rate increases.
Consumers can provide testimony to the PUCO about the impact this proposed rate increase will have on them. At the hearing, consumers can testify about the quality of water, the adequacy of service, the proposed rate increase requested by the company, or any other issues they feel are pertinent to the case.
Ohio American Water has asked the PUCO to raise its rates in order to increase its revenue by $8.3 million. The main reasons for the request, according to OAW, are increased costs related to water and sewer infrastructure investments, property taxes and depreciation, not earning a return on new in-service plant additions, reduced sales because of fewer customers and decreased usage among current customers.
As part of the request, OAW wants to increase its monthly customer charge from $9.51 to $11.50. The utility also proposes to adjust its softening and reverse osmosis surcharges. Softening for Marion customers would cost 43 cents per hundred cubic feet (Ccf), an increase of 9 cents. Softening for Lake Darby and Worthington Hills customers would increase to 80 cents per Ccf, a change of 23 cents. The reverse osmosis charge for Huber Ridge customers would decrease 8 cents to $1.42 per Ccf.
An agreement approved by the PUCO in February that allows OAW to be acquired by Aqua America Inc. calls for OAW’s rate increase request to be decreased by about $2.2 million. In addition to the two utilities, the agreement was signed by the OCC and the PUCO Staff.
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