The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) will not increase customer rates next year, officially carrying out a two-year budget plan adopted by the Board of Commissioners that a former commissioner argued could leave the PUD ill-equipped.
The move fulfills the campaign promises of two commissioners — Mike Hadaller and Michael Kelly — who vowed to stabilize rates and argued the PUD previously spent beyond its means.
In a Thursday news release, the PUD announced the three commissioners opted to maintain current rates for 2023 during their Tuesday, Nov. 21, regular meeting. Community-owned, the PUD provides infrastructure, power and telecommunication services to roughly 35,000 customers in Lewis County and surrounding areas.
“When we talk to our ratepayers, keeping rates low is always a top priority,” Board President Ed Rothlin said at the meeting. “With all the costs around us going up, we are pleased that we are able to keep ours steady.”
While 2024 is the second year the board has kept rates even, the decision has not been without disagreement.
In October 2022, the board voted 2-1 on a two-year budget proposal that didn’t include rate increases for either 2023 or 2024, with now-former commissioner Tim Cournyer the lone dissent. When voting no, Cournyer argued the move would impact PUD training, maintenance and equipment purchases, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
Cournyer lost in the 2022 primary, and Commissioner Mike Hadaller now occupies the board seat.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Hadeller said he was happy the PUD was doing its part “to keep the pressures of the rising costs away from our community.”
“We are doing our best to serve our neighbors and this is a great way to accomplish that,” said Hadeller, who argued in the 2022 election cycle the PUD had overspent.
During his first meeting as a commissioner on Jan. 3, Hadeller voted with seatmate Kelly — who has also argued the PUD overspent — to fire General Manager Chris Roden without cause.
On Tuesday, Kelly echoed the sentiments of his fellow commissioners and maintained that keeping rates low has been a priority since he was elected.
“We know how much it means to our ratepayers that our service is not only safe and reliable but affordable as well,” Kelly said.
Now in the role for nearly a year, current General Manager David Plotz credited the rate stability to the “lean, efficient work and reprioritization of capital investments” of the PUD.
“We found opportunities to cut expenses and save, but inflation pressure continues,” said Plotz. “When increases are needed, our goal is to have them be small and gradual rather than steep spikes.”
When hired in January, Plotz wrote in a statement to the board that keeping rates for families and businesses as low as possible was among his priorities, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
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