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North Richland Hills suspends Encore Electric rate change, seeks review with steering committee
Summary
Council approved a 90-day suspension of Encore's requested TDSP rate changes after staff said Encore sought about a 13% revenue increase (residential ~12.3%, street-lighting 51% increase); staff estimates a roughly $371,000 fiscal-year impact and will work with a steering committee and consultants.
The North Richland Hills City Council on Monday approved a resolution to suspend the effective date of Encore Electric Delivery Company's requested transmission/distribution rate changes for 90 days while the city and a steering committee review the filing and engage consultants.
Corey, the presenting staff member, said Encore filed a statement of intent on June 26 seeking roughly a 13% revenue increase across the TDSP portion of customers' bills. "Encore is proposing at this 0.1 13% increase in revenue," he said, adding the filing includes a roughly 12.3% residential increase and a 51% increase in street-lighting charges; staff estimated that would equal about $7.90 per month for an average residential customer and an approximately $371,000 impact to the city's upcoming fiscal-year costs.
Corey explained the mechanics for council: the steering committee of cities served by Encore contracts legal and technical consultants (he named the law firm Lloyd Gosling as long-time counsel) and the committee's contracting and bills are turned over to Encore/OnCore to pay for the studies. When Councilman Roberts asked whether those consultants were provided by Encore, Corey responded that the steering committee engages and pays consultants and that the bills are ultimately handled through the committee's process.
Council action: staff recommended adopting Resolution 2025-034 to suspend the July 31 effective date for 90 days to allow negotiation and study; the council moved, seconded and approved the suspension by a 6-0 vote. Corey said the suspension will allow the city to participate with the steering committee in negotiating on behalf of member cities and to pursue legal or technical review where appropriate.
What happens next: the suspension pauses the city's need to take final action while review and negotiation continue; staff said if Encore leaves the effective date unchanged the city would still have time to take action (the timeline could extend into late October depending on Encore's scheduling), and the steering committee will continue studies and negotiations on member cities' behalf.
