We aren’t reporters, but we will pass on what we can about proposed electric rate increases.  Here are the slides that were presented to the public on Monday, Jan. 9th in a public meeting in city hall.  It is an outline of the reasons for a 2.75% increase in electric rate.

feb-2017-electric-rate-action-presentation-presented-monday-jan-9

The upshot of that meeting was people were questioning whether the increase was actually going toward install of Google Fiber.  That was flatly denied. Personally, I didn’t know they could be related.

This evening, the staff of Hsv Utilities addressed city council formally.  ( They met with individual members of city council last fall, according to the presentation.) We didn’t tune in on Hsv TV; if you did, please fill us in.

The topic of increased rates is critical for some people.  Every neighbor can contribute one dollar a month for a fund to offset costs for residents.  And people over 62 can apply for assistance.  If there is hardship, please don’t hesitate to call the Utility Company:

http://www.utilitybillassistance.com/html/huntsville_utilities_assistanc.html

This topic leads me to wonder if anyone in our service area is playing Sim City.  How do we set up a NE Hsv simulation?  It may be a fun way to understand what city council, mayor, and utility companies negotiate.