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Independence utility director proposes $5 residential customer-charge increase, schedules 2026 rate study
Summary
At the Independence City Council study session on Aug. 25, 2025, Joe Hegendefer, director of Independence Power and Light, proposed increasing the residential customer charge on utility bills from $10 to $15 effective Jan. 1, 2026, and conducting a full rate study in summer 2026.
INDependence — At the Independence City Council study session on Aug. 25, 2025, Joe Hegendefer, director of Independence Power and Light, proposed increasing the residential customer charge on utility bills from $10 to $15 effective Jan. 1, 2026, and said staff will conduct a full cost-of-service and rate study in summer 2026 to inform any additional changes.
Hegendefer said the customer charge covers fixed costs — transformers, lines, equipment and personnel — that do not vary with how many kilowatt hours a household uses. “The customer charge is meant to kinda flatten that out, and then high energy users will pay more of what we call our variable costs,” Hegendefer said.
The utility has maintained an effective customer charge equal…
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