Forest City council adopts 1.2% purchased‑power surcharge and 4% electric base‑rate increase

The Forest City Council on June 15 unanimously adopted two ordinances that raise rates for the municipal electric utility. Ordinance 863 implements a 1.2% surcharge (a ‘true‑up’) to recover higher purchased‑power costs for the first year, with the surcharge reduced to half that amount in the second year. The council then adopted Ordinance 864, which increases the utility’s base rates by 4%.

Councilmember Brad Buffington introduced the third reading of Ordinance 863 and Councilmember Carly Carper seconded the motion to approve the reading and the final adoption. A roll call vote recorded Al Stokka, Karl Wooldridge, Brad Buffington, Carly Carper, Dan Davis, Marcia Tweeten and Nicolas Determann voting yes. The council followed with a motion to approve Ordinance 864, moved by Dan Davis and seconded by Carly Carper; the final adoption also passed on a unanimous roll call vote.

The ordinances will adjust customer bills to reflect both a temporary surcharge tied to the city’s purchased‑power costs and the new base rate. City minutes record the adopted surcharge as 1.2% for the first year with the surcharge cut in half in year two and a permanent 4% increase to base rates; the meeting record does not specify impacts on individual customer classes or projected dollar amounts for a typical household. Additional rate‑setting details and an effective date were not specified in the meeting minutes and will be provided in the utility’s formal rate schedule when available.

The council took the votes as part of its regular agenda; no public votes or dissent were recorded in the minutes. The next procedural step is implementation of the ordinances according to the city’s administrative schedule.