Letter to the Editor
The proposed rate increase by Liberty Utilities is an egregious attempt to pay more funds for a ratepayer grab & profit for the company, which appears solvent per the financials. With a 19-20% increase, this is unacceptable for the residents in the Tahoe community for electricity.
In a recent increase for NV Energy (Sept decision), the PUCN (Nevada) increased the rates by a mere 2%, who also happens to be a contractor provider to Liberty in this service area. From what I saw on the application, the administration is receiving millions of dollars in pay raises, benefits/bonuses with no infrastructure or upgrades for the Tahoe residents. I urge the PUC California to do some fact-finding & deny this outrageous proposal. We are struggling to make ends meet in the Tahoe community, & experiencing increased homeowner premiums for our fire insurance.
For example, our property on the West Shore was dropped from our insurance provider after 28 years of dedicated service and no claims submitted by us. Hence, our rates tripled, and the deductible went from $1000 to $20,000 per the policy.
Please support the working class in the area, retirees, such as myself, and others struggling with inflation. Vote “NO” as this is a greedy cash grab with no real improvements for ratepayers. It is difficult to understand what the average ratepayer will see in this report, but $35.71 monthly comes to over $450 annually per household before we even turn the lights on with no opportunity to conserve energy in terms of incentives. Per the Shareholder report (June 4, 2024), the compensation to the staff, board, & shareholders is more than adequate for minimal effort on their part.
Why put the burden on the ratepayers so out-of-country shareholders & investors profit? Please put the local people in Tahoe and the surrounding areas over profits from out-of-town shareholders. I urge you to look at the Free/ Reduced Lunch data service area & offer a reasonable COLA for the staff to keep up with inflation. Please choose people over profits! Deny this request!
Rose Wolterbeek
Tahoe City
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