1 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Wichita mayor and some members of the Wichita City Council are concerned about an Evergy proposal to raise electric rates by 9.77%.
Evergy says the increase would cost the average residential customer in the green area on the map $14.24 more monthly. The mayor and the Council want to know what it could cost the City.
The Council has recently been holding hearings over the proposed 2024-2025 city budget.
“I think, if I remember seeing the budget proposal for ’24, we’re only budgeting about a $700,000 to $800,000 increase in energy rates, and I’m concerned that that’s not enough considering the rate increase,” Council Member Bryan Frye said at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
City Manager Bob Layton told Frye that City staff has been working on an update, but he did not have the updated number yet.
Evergy’s rate hike request has not been approved yet. Evergy says it needs the increase because of improvements it made. The Kansas Corporation Commission makes the final decision and has been holding public hearings about it, including one last week in Wichita.
Frye, Mayor Brandon Whipple and Council Member Brandon Johnson attended the meeting.
“They mentioned that the government could submit a response to their rate hike increase request, and I wanted to know if this governing body, one, was interested and if so, how could we do so?” Johnson asked.
The City’s legal department said the governing body can direct staff to prepare appropriate comments.
Johnson said he would like staff to write and present the letter to the Council for review.
The mayor agreed.
“This will have its toll on the entirety of the City, and it’s probably important that we get on the record somehow with our feelings about it,” Whipple said.
Next, City staff will begin working on the letter.
If you could not attend the KCC public hearing over the Evergy rate hike request, you can click here to watch it on the KCC’s YouTube channel.
The KCC still wants to hear from people before October. Options for commenting are to:
Click here to submit a comment on the KCC website.
Mail a comment to:
Kansas Corporation Commission Office
1500 SW Arrowhead Road
Topeka, KS 66604-4027
Call the KCC’s Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 785-271-3140 or 800-662-0027.
The deadline to submit a comment is 5 p.m. on Sept. 29.