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Public Service Commission outlines FY2027 budget; commission highlights assessments and rising rate‑case workload
Summary
PSC Chair Charlotte Lane told the Senate Finance Committee the agency’s FY2027 appropriation request totals about $29.6 million and that assessments on regulated utilities fund most of the commission; she noted heightened rate‑case activity and described e911 pass‑throughs to homeland security, state police, tower funds and counties.
Charlotte Lane, chair of the West Virginia Public Service Commission, told the Senate Finance Committee the PSC’s FY2027 budget request totals roughly $29.6 million in state and federal funds and that assessments on regulated utilities provide most of the agency’s revenue.
"By statute, we do intrastate revenue assessment, and we are allowed to assess 40¢ per $100 of interstate revenue. Right now, we are doing 24¢ or 60% of the maximum," Lane said, explaining the commission’s assessment practice and the timing of receipts early and later in the fiscal year.
Lane reviewed the PSC’s management summary report — filed as required at the start of the session — which compares West Virginia utility rates to other states and provides 10‑year averages for electric and gas rates. She also described e911 revenue distributions for fiscal 2007–2025 and said that homeland security, state police, wireless tower funds and counties receive specific per‑subscriber allocations.
Committee members asked about the PSC’s staffing and rate‑case workload. Lane said the commission has roughly 220 employees and that about one‑third of the workforce is currently eligible for retirement, creating hiring and retention challenges for staff with specialized skills such as accountants, lawyers and analysts. She said the PSC has had an "extraordinary amount of rate cases" this year and that the agency reviews both gas and electric utility forecasts.
The PSC presentation and answer session were informational; the committee did not adopt any new policy or appropriation during Lane’s appearance.
