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Pike County fiscal court asks Public Service Commission to audit Kentucky Power, urges pause on recent rate increase
Summary
After a public plea from a resident, the county fiscal court unanimously adopted a resolution requesting a management audit of Kentucky Power by the Kentucky Public Service Commission and asked the PSC to consider suspending the recent rate increase until the audit is complete.
A Pike County resident’s plea for action over rising utility bills prompted the county fiscal court on March 16 to adopt a resolution asking the Kentucky Public Service Commission to order a management audit of Kentucky Power.
Zachary Tackett, who identified himself as a resident, told the court that rising energy costs were forcing families to choose between electricity, food and medicine and urged the court to adopt a resolution that asks the PSC to make the audit public and transparent, examine executive compensation and out-of-state spending, ensure any identified savings lower customer bills rather than increase shareholder profits, and consider suspending the recent 6% rate increase until the audit is finished. “By passing this resolution, you ensure the voices of Pike County residents are heard,” Tackett said.
Members of the court expressed broad support. One commissioner recounted speaking with an AEP external affairs officer after raising concerns with the PSC and said the region’s lost coal jobs and falling population make utility costs especially burdensome here. The presiding judge said he had sponsored bills in Frankfort seeking reforms, including proposals to elect members of the public service commission and to limit utilities’ allowed rates of return in economically distressed areas.
The court’s motion to adopt the resolution was seconded and approved by unanimous roll call. The resolution asks that the audit process be public; that the audit review items including executive pay and whether Eastern Kentucky customers subsidize projects elsewhere; that identified savings reduce customer bills; and that the PSC consider suspending the recent increase pending the audit.
The court did not set a mechanism to compel state action but said the resolution is intended to signal regional concern and encourage other counties to press the PSC and legislators for reform. The court did not specify a deadline for follow-up; the resolution will be transmitted to the Kentucky Public Service Commission and relevant state lawmakers.
