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County resolution urges PSC to reject Delmarva Power rate increase
Summary
New Castle County Council adopted Resolution 26-024 urging the Delaware Public Service Commission to reject Delmarva Power's current rate increase request, citing affordability concerns and public comment that the utility has overcharged customers; the measure passed on a roll call.
New Castle County Council on Feb. 10 adopted Resolution 26-024 urging the Delaware Public Service Commission to reject Delmarva Power's pending rate increase request and require the company to resubmit under current standards.
The resolution was introduced by title during the council meeting and drew several council remarks in support. One council member said the recent request — the third in five years — was untimely given rising household costs and argued the company appears to prioritize shareholders over customers. That member said: "Now is not the time to be raising power bills on the citizens here in New Castle County." (Council member, speaker 12)
Public comment at the meeting reinforced those concerns. Rob Bullock, president of the Route 9/13 Community Alliance Coalition, said a court order on Jan. 13 found Delmarva had overcharged customers by $182,000,000 and that the company's current request for $67,000,000 should be offset by that prior ruling. "I suggest that they take the difference of what they owe — $182,000,000 — and the rate increase of $67,000,000," Bullock said.
From the online line, Dale Swain called the proposed increases "unjustified" and urged the council to back residents rather than the company. "New Castle County needs to stand up and say, we are supporting the residents in this issue and not Delmarva," Swain said.
Councilman Hollins said he would recuse himself from consideration because his daughter works for Delmarva. After discussion and public comment, the clerk called the roll; the result was 11 yes, 1 present, 1 absent, and President Monique Williams Johns announced the resolution had been adopted.
The resolution asks the Public Service Commission to reject the current filing and directs county leadership to communicate the council's position to state regulators and the public advocate. The county did not itself set rates; the measure is an expression of the council's position to state decisionmakers.
The council moved on to other business after the vote; no further formal actions on Delmarva were recorded at the meeting.
