The Trenton City Council recently voted to keep winter electric rates throughout the summer months which was done after a five percent reduction in rates a few months ago.
City Administrator Ron Urton says the electric rates for June, July, August, and September are usually twelve and a half cents per kilowatt hour, and the rest of the year is ten point four cents. The electric rates will be reduced by about seven and a half percent annually by keeping them at the winter rates through the summer.
Urton says Trenton’s electric fund reserve is “very healthy”, and the council wanted to bring it down closer to the minimum level and said several things led to the reserves building up. Those included not having an electric rate study and the council adjusting the rates on its own and money is collected but not used for projects put on hold when ConAgra announced it would close.
Urton says, fortunately, Nestle bought the plant, and the company uses more electricity than was anticipated, which also helped increase revenue.
The Trenton City Council has approved getting proposals for an electric rate study to make sure electric rates are where they should be. A rate study would just make recommendations, and it will be up to the city council to make the final decision on implementing the recommendations.
It has been several years since the city’s last electric rate study.
