Other utilities also passing higher fuel costs on to customers
BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — City Clerk Jimmy Crosby told Starke city commissioners that the cost of fuel has driven electric bills up more than 40% over a year ago.
Last October, the fuel charge on customers’ bills was around 0.039 cents per kilowatt-hour. This month the fuel charge amounted to nearly 0.094 cents.
That means for a residential customer using 1,500 kWh of electricity, the total bill was up 46%, from $180 to $264. At nearly $187, the fuel charge alone is higher than last year’s total bill.
Commercial customers using the same amount of electricity will see a 41% increase in their bill, from $202 to $285, with the cost of fuel nearly matching the cost of the electricity.
This hasn’t resulted from any change in electric rates on the city’s part. The variable is the cost of the fuel needed to produce the electricity the city purchases through its ownership stake in the Florida Municipal Power Association.
“The rates have not changed. We’re not charging anymore for distribution or any other purpose. It’s simply fuel,” said Crosby, who also pointed to inflation driving up the cost of everything including a hamburger and a Coke.
Mayor Scott Roberts all of the energy providers nationwide have been affected and adjusted their billing to pass the fuel costs on to customers.
“It doesn’t make it any easier to try to explain,” he said.
The city has tried to help customers, including allowing customers to put off fully paying their bills in high usage months so they can catch up later. Crosby said the problem is that some get so far behind that they can’t catch up. It might be different if prices stabilized, but they continue to increase.
Crosby said they still work with customers one-on-one, awarding leniency to those with a positive payment record. They also point customers to utility payment assistance programs offered through the Suwannee River Economic Council (1210 Andrews Circle in Starke, 904-964-6696). Eligibility for assistance is income based.
The city will invite FMPA to a meeting where citizens can address questions about electric costs directly to the experts.
