Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council discusses high electric bills; town absorbed $1.2 million of winter charges
Summary
Councilors said Bedford recently received a $3.5 million winter electric bill; the town recovered $2.3 million in revenues and absorbed about $1.2 million so residents were not billed the full amount. Councilors urged energy efficiency and noted a returning volunteer group will work on home repairs.
Council members spent part of the meeting on March 17 discussing recent high electric costs and town responses. One councilor (S2) compared Bedford Electric rates to AEP and said customers on other grids would pay roughly $7.57 more. Town Manager Warner reported last month's winter electric bill for the town was about $3,500,000; the town recovered roughly $2,300,000 in customer revenues and absorbed about $1,200,000 itself to avoid passing the full cost directly to residents.
Councilors said absorbing that shortfall is not sustainable indefinitely and encouraged planning for increased energy efficiency. A separate council speaker (S5) highlighted Mission to Serve, a volunteer group that renovated eight Bedford homes last year and plans to return aiming to do 10 homes this year; the council noted material costs average about $2,000 per house and encouraged donations to the town with "Mission Serve" in the memo.
Council framed the electric issue as a regional phenomenon affecting other utilities as well and asked staff to continue monitoring costs and options. No formal budget vote or rate change was taken at the meeting; council discussion emphasized outreach about efficiency, tracking winter usage, and the limits of the town's ability to subsidize utility costs.
