COLUMBUS, Ind. —
Columbus City Utilities is close to reaching a formal settlement in its water rate case. Under a recently proposed agreement, customers would see an overall rate increase of almost 75% over the next three years.
On Jan. 13, the CCU filed a stipulation and settlement agreement as part of the rate case. The proposed settlement is an agreement between the utility, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) and the Southwestern Bartholomew Water Corp. (who is an intervenor in the case and one of the city’s wholesale customers).
“We’re very pleased,” said CCU executive director Scott Dompke. “We got most of what we asked for, and they agreed with most of our assumptions and our testimony. And it came together more quickly than we had anticipated.”
According to the OUCC’s website, the settlement is pending before the IURC, which can approve, deny or modify any agreement.
The settlement proposes an overall rate increase of 74.85% in the following phases:
- Phase 1: 44.30% increase (which would go into effect once the IURC issues an order in the case)
- Phase 2: 12.99% increase (which would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023)
- Phase 3: 7.21% increase (which would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024)
In earlier testimony, the OUCC had previously recommended a 43.66% increase for Phase 1, a 12.99% increase for Phase 2 and a 7.21% increase for Phase 3, for an overall revenue increase of 74.02%. The city utilities initially requested a 79.46% increase over three phases.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
