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| They keep on Hitting us from all sides. |
For the third time in less than a year City of Kelowna power users are facing a rate hike, with the promise of more increases to come. Kelowna Council reluctantly rubber-stamped a 6.6% rate hike Monday. This on the heals of two increases in 2010, 6% in February and 2.9% in November. The latest increase will be felt beginning with the first billing cycle in March. The increase was made necessary after FortisBC was granted a similar increase January 1. Electrical Administration Manager, Cindy McNeely, says the average single family homeowner using 1,000 kwh of power from the city will pay about $6.33 extra per month. McNeely says those rates will probably go up again before summer. "I would like to make council aware of the fact that we will be coming back when the BCUC (BC Utilities Commission) has reached a decision on the flow-through rate increase from BC Hydro which should be the end of March or the beginning of April," says McNeely. Mayor Sharon Shepherd reminded her colleagues that the city is forced to pass on all power increases it incurs back to the user. If not, she says additional costs, in this case an extra $1.2 million, would have to come from the general taxpayer. Shepherd adds that people unhappy with the increasing cost of power can take advantage of programs such as Power Sense to reduce their monthly usage.
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