MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson will be hosting an informational meeting on Tuesday, August 22, at the Mohave County Library in Lake Havasu City regarding the upcoming Unisource rate increase. The meeting will be an opportunity for concerned community members to come voice their opinions regarding Unisource’s upcoming rate increase that currently is in front of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) for approval. Unisource has been invited to this event, and they are trying to rearrange their schedule to be available on Tuesday. If they cannot attend, they will attempt to participate at a later date. At the meeting Supervisor Johnson will have petition/comment forms for community members to fill out on the proposed 14% rate hike. Those in attendance can either send the filled-out forms into the ACC themselves, or Supervisor Johnson’s office will gather and send those forms to Unisource and the Arizona Corporation Commission before the September 14th ACC hearing.
Unisource applied for a rate increase in November of 2022 with the ACC. According to Unisource, the reason for the rate increase is related to inflation and to help cover the costs of investments made since 2014 that went to supporting a stronger, more secure energy grid. Unisource estimates the average increase for residential customers will be around $18.52 a month. Johnson’s concerns with the increase stem from the most recent surcharge that showed up on resident’s bills these past few months. “They claimed the surcharge would only be around $11 per month for the average customer. I am finding that estimate to be bluntly underestimated. I have received numerous phone calls over the past two weeks with folks finding their bills going up $100-300 while using the same electricity that they used in prior years,” Johnson stated. “With a rate increase on top of the recently approved surcharge, my constituents are not going to be to afford their electric bills. Some constituents have seen their bills as high as $700 with the new surcharge alone,” Johnson continued.
The informational meeting will take place Tuesday, August 22, at the Mohave County Library in rooms A/B located at 1770 McCulloch Blvd from 4-6pm.
Johnson urges anyone who cannot attend the meeting to submit their concerns regarding the upcoming rate increase to contact the Corporation Commission. While the website says that public comments ended on August 10th, the Corporation Commission will continue to accept comments up until the September 14th hearing. The September 14th hearing at 10am will be held in the Phoenix/Tucson area; however, the Commission will has set up a public telephone line for anyone wishing to submit comments during the hearing. The call in number and access code will be: 1 (877) 309-3457 Passcode to Speak 24601833204##
For those wishing to submit comments electronically, you can do so @ https://efiling.azcc.gov/online-services/utilities-public-comment-external
You will need the docket number: E-04204A-22-0251.
Or call ACC Utilities Division, (602) 542-4251 or (800) 222-7000.
