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Greenburgh board hears plan to join Westchester municipal group in Con Edison rate case
Summary
Attorney Joel Dichter and municipal representatives urged Greenburgh to join a multi-municipality intervention in Con Edisonrate proceedings, citing rising residential rates and the need for technical experts in settlement talks; staff said a roughly $5,000-per-community contribution (at a 20-party split) would fund consultants. The board will consider a vote at its next meeting.
Town board members on March 18 heard from attorney Joel Dichter and municipal representatives about a proposal for Greenburgh to join a coordinated Westchester municipal intervention in Con Edisonrate proceedings before the New York Public Service Commission.
Dichter described rapid increases in consumer bills and said the companyis seeking further increases in a formal PSC filing: "Rates probably went up 20 or 25% in the last 3 years," he said, adding that the filing proposes further residential and gas increases. He urged municipalities to intervene so they can retain technical consultants to review cost-of-service studies and participate in confidential settlement discussions.
Chris Bradbury, who the transcript identifies as affiliated with Rye/Rye Brook, told the board organizers expect at least 20 municipalities and that a practical funding model would divide roughly $100,000 in consultant costs across participants, or about $5,000 each at a 20-party level. He said organizers already counted 28 municipalities that had either approved or scheduled resolutions to join the effort.
Board members asked whether Westchester Countyintervention would duplicate municipal work. Dichter and Bradbury said county participation helps, but municipal parties retaining dedicated technical experts provide different capabilities during settlement-phase negotiations.
The presenters asked municipalities to commit before an end-of-March deadline so counsel can list parties in PSC filings and begin hiring technical consultants. No formal vote was taken; the supervisor said the item would be on the agenda for the boardmeeting next Wednesday for a decision.
The board requested follow-up materials on the cost-sharing model and asked staff to place the municipal intervention resolution on the next meeting agenda.
