Dear Harrisonville Utility Customers,
The City of Harrisonville would like to update you about the current electric utility billing and usage situation.
Following what meteorologists have called a “polar vortex” in late February, the City saw incredible cost increases to power purchased by our energy provider (Missouri Public Utility Alliance), causing the City’s electric invoice to jump by nearly $1 million for the month.
On March 15, the Harrisonville Board of Aldermen voted to pay the overage cost of the increased invoice out of the reserves in the City’s Electric Fund, without taking on any new financed debt; and to subsidize a portion of the cost affecting City of Harrisonville utility customers.
During their meeting on April 19, the Board voted to subsidize the cost affecting utility customers by $500,000. The funds will be made available by delaying electric fund projects that were scheduled for this year. This effectively splits the total increase in half, with the other portion of the funds to be collected as a supply-cost adjustment, based upon usage over a period of eight months.
This new cost will appear as a separate line on each customer’s monthly utility bill, beginning with the May bill that should arrive at the end of May and is due on June 1.
As an estimate for what this cost will look like, please see the scenarios below reflecting approximate billing for a low-usage customer, a medium-usage customer and a high-usage customer. The additional supply cost adjustment will be based on usage at a rate of $0.0083 per kilowatt consumed. So just less than a penny.
- A usage of 1000 KW would see an increase to the bill of $8.30.
- A usage of 2000 KW would see an increase to the bill of $16.60.
- A usage of 3000 KW would see an increase to the bill of $24.90.
These estimates are above the standard rate and energy charges that you will normally see. (Please understand that these numbers are estimates and are not guarantees of the exact cost that will appear on your bill.)
Once the cost is fully recovered, the extra supply-cost adjustment will stop being collected.
We have appreciated your patience during this time and your dedication to a strong and exciting future for the City of Harrisonville.
To watch Harrisonville Board of Aldermen meetings, click on the “Watch City Meetings” link in the “Government” section of www.harrisonville.com.
Sincerely,
City of Harrisonville