.png)
NEWPORT – Following a public hearing last week Pend Oreille Public Utility District commissioners will consider changes to the Neighbors in Need program and the meter opt out program, as well as the line extension fees at their April 1 meeting.
PUD staff recommends a one-time fee of $100 to opt out of the smart meter program. Customers would be charged $30 each time the meter is read manually, four times a year. Billing will be estimated when a manual read is not performed.
Staff recommended that the Neighbors In Need low-income program do away with the requirement for a disconnect notice to receive $250 applied towards the electric bill twice a year. Customers whose household income is at or below 80% of the area median income or 200% of the federal poverty level could apply.
The PUD owns and operates two EV charging stations – one in Newport and one in Metaline Falls. The Newport Chamber of Commerce covers the electricity costs for the Newport location, while the Metaline Falls station does not currently have a sponsor.
A proposed rate for drivers to use the Metaline Falls facility includes a $1 per session fee and a $0.47 per kWh energy charge.
Staff recommends line extension changes as well. These fees, which are updated annually to reflect current material and labor costs, apply to new customer connections and do not affect existing customer electric usage rates.
For primary service single and three phase connection fees, staff recommends rates rise to $2,200 from $1,700 for overhead lines and from $1,600 to $2,200 for underground lines. There are other changes proposed as well. For more information people can email Sarah Holderman, Director of Customer Services at [email protected] or Joe Hathaway, Public Information Officer, at [email protected]. People can also phone PUD staff at 509-447-3137.
