SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The votes are in for CPS Energy’s rate advisory committee on the utility’s proposed rate hike.
The rate increase means about an extra $5.10 could be tacked onto the average monthly power bill for San Antonians. The increase includes both a base rate increase and an extra fuel charge to pay for the February winter storm.
The Rate Advisory Committee made its recommendation on if the rate hike should move forward. Each member voted twice, once on a 3.85% base-rate increase and once on the .8% fuel charge increase.
The vote was anything but unanimous on the base rate increase.
“I regret I will vote no for a rate increase. I cannot in good faith vote for money to an organization that I believe to be in a state of deep destress of management capability and financial oversight,” said John Agather, a member of the Rate Advisory Committee.
“I vote yes. I think CPS had taken a reasonable approach, switched to a reasonable approach, you might say, by focusing on short term priorities like the staffing, technology needs and so forth,” said Curtis Anastasio, a Rate Advisory Committee member.
The vote on the base rate increase was very close at times but it ultimately passed 12 to 6.
The fuel increase vote was unanimous. That increase would be an extra $1.26 on an average bill for 25 years.
The recommendation now goes to both the CPS Energy Board and San Antonio City Council, who each will vote on the possible rate hike in January. The Rate Advisory Committee vote is nonbinding, but city councilmembers will take it into consideration as it votes.