Council agrees to suspend effective date for Encore retail rate change while staff researches customer impact

The Lewisville City Council approved a resolution to suspend the July 31 effective date for retail service changes proposed by Encore while the city researches whether any of its customers are served by Encore and coordinates strategy with the Encore steering committee.

City staff and council discussed uncertainty around how many Lewisville customers — if any — are served by Encore. City staff attorney told the council the Public Utility Commission’s mapping has insufficient resolution to identify individual customers, and the city’s legal review suggested the city may still have a small number of customers within Encore’s original jurisdiction list.

"I did talk to the attorney ... and he believes that we do have a handful of Encore customers," staff member Aaron (last name not specified in the record) said during the council discussion. Council members asked whether the suspension would prevent increases for Encore customers; staff explained the suspension preserves local options to develop strategies and encourages negotiation through the steering committee. Staff also noted attorney and steering committee costs are reimbursable by Encore and not borne by the city.

Council noted the city is one member among many in the steering committee and that each jurisdiction will still independently decide whether to approve suspensions for customers in their boundaries. Staff recommended the suspension so the city can protect any potentially affected customers while the steering committee and the Public Utility Commission process proceed.

The resolution was considered on the consent agenda and passed as presented.