The recent increases in electric and utility rates implemented by Dover City Council and the city manager are going to have a direct and troubling impact on many of our families, particularly those who are already facing financial strain due to inflation and other ongoing challenges.
The City Council members who were present at the meeting and who voted in favor of the rises (David Anderson, Andre Boggerty, Tricia Arndt, Fred Neil, Dr. Julia Pillsbury, Gerald Rocha and Donyale Hall) dubiously attempted to make the rate increases look appetizing to the citizens.
I believe there should be more transparency in the pricing process and that the Delaware Public Service Commission and the attorney general’s office need to investigate these rate increases. I believe that the rises people will experience may be a result of an unauthorized rate increase. How else can the Electric Department’s director explain charging customers more this year for using the same amount of energy they used last year? I’m going to write and ask both the PSC and the attorney general’s office to investigate the legitimacy of this move.
It’s important to note that, even if customers do not raise their thermostats, more energy is used to maintain the same temperature settings in colder weather.
I read back in February that the Delaware Senate’s Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee held a hearing and questioned Delmarva Power about raising energy bills. Disagreements over the root cause ensued. Maybe we need to have a hearing regarding the city’s skyrocketing electricity cost. If Dover is supposed to have one of the lowest in the state, then why are people hurting, plus what happened to the electric reserve fund the city used to have?
When comparing usage and rates, city residents also need to look only at the electricity portion of their utility bills. I have found that many of my neighbors compare their overall utility bills — which include water, sewer, trash and recycling — to that of out-of-city resident bills that list electricity only. Electricity is just one portion of Dover citizens’ monthly utility bills.
City Council and the city manager did this in the past, and they’re doing it again. It’s the same old playbook. We, as taxpayers, really need to fight this rate increase. It’s unjust.
Tyron Scott
Dover
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
