Press Release

PUC Schedules Public Input Hearings on Rate Increase Request Filed by Audubon Water Co.

Published on 11/9/2020

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Telephonic Hearings Set for November 19 & 20 to Gather Public Input from Customers in Montgomery County and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced a pair of mid-November telephonic hearings to gather public input on rate increases proposed by the Audubon Water Company (Audubon), which serves approximately 2,800 customers in portions of Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

PUC Public Input Hearings

The Audubon rate case public input hearings are scheduled for the following dates and times:

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020
Telephonic hearing begins at 6 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 20, 2020
Telephonic hearing begins at 1 p.m.

PUC Administrative Law Judge Darlene Heep will preside over both hearings.

Signing Up for the Public Input Hearings

If you wish to testify at a telephonic public input hearing, you must contact the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) toll free at 1-800-684-6560 by Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 3 p.m.  You will be asked to provide your name, the telephone number you plan to use the day of the hearing, and the date you wish to testify.  Customers will testify in the order they signed up. 

If you do not wish to testify, but want to listen to the public input hearings, you must also contact the OCA.  You may call the OCA toll free at 1-800-684-6560. 

Any persons that have not contacted the Office of Consumer Advocate by Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.  may not be able to testify at the telephonic public input hearings. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the OCA.

If you have any hearing exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, one copy must be emailed to Pam McNeal, Legal Assistant at pmcneal@pa.gov and one copy each must be sent to every other party.  The Legal Assistant must receive the exhibits by 3 p.m. the day before you are scheduled to testify.

You must email the Legal Assistant with a copy of ANY document you file in this case.

If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearings, we will make every reasonable effort to have an interpreter present.  Please email the Legal Assistant at least two (2) business days prior to your hearing to submit your request. To facilitate your request, please advise that an interpreter will be needed as soon as possible.

AT&T Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 1-800-654-5988.

Offering Testimony at a Public Input Hearing

The PUC offers tips on how to participate in a public input hearing, including:

• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. Even though it is not required, you may want to write out your statement, which can be read.
• Any formal testimony that is offered during the hearing will become part of the record on which the PUC will issue its final decision.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.

Audubon’s Rate Increase Request

Audubon’s request proposes an annual increase in operating revenues of $934,236, or 41.1%. The proposed request would increase the annual bill for metered residential customers from $466.08 to $664.56.

About the PUC

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

Visit the PUC’s website at www.puc.pa.gov for recent news releases and video of select proceedings. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. Search for the “Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission” or “PA PUC” on your favorite social media channel for updates on utility issues and other helpful consumer information.

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Docket No.: R-2020-3020919

Contact:

• Nils Hagen-Frederiksen
  Press Secretary
  717-418-2701
  nhagen-fre@pa.gov