Press Release

PUC Reminds Consumers of December Public Input Hearing on Rate Increase Proposed by Lancaster Bureau of Water for Customers Outside the City of Lancaster

Published on 12/1/2021

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Dec. 13 Registration Deadline for Dec. 16 Telephonic Hearing to Gather Public Input from Customers and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today reminded consumers of an upcoming telephonic hearing on December 16 to gather public input on the proposed rate increase by the City of Lancaster - Bureau of Water (Lancaster), for customers located outside of Lancaster’s corporate limits. 

The PUC has jurisdiction over Lancaster water service provided to customers located outside the City of Lancaster. Lancaster provides water service to 31,280 customers outside of Lancaster’s corporate limits in portions of Millersville Borough and East Hempfield, East Lampeter, Lancaster, Manheim, Manor, Pequea, West Hempfield and West Lampeter townships, Lancaster County.

The deadline for signing up for the public input hearings is Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, at 4 p.m.

PUC Public Input Hearing

The public input hearing for this proposed rate increase is scheduled for the following:

Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021 - Telephonic hearing begins at 6 p.m.

PUC Administrative Law Judge Darlene D. Heep will preside over the hearing.

Signing Up for the Public Input Hearing

If you wish to testify at the telephonic public input hearing, pre-register by 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021.  If you do not pre-register and provide the information listed below, you may not be able to testify.  Individuals will testify in the order in which they pre-register.  You may pre-register by email or by phone. 

To pre-register by email, email Legal Assistant Athena Delvillar at sdelvillar@pa.gov and provide the following:

• Your first and last name.
• The date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

To pre-register by phone, call the Administrative Law Judge’s office at 215-560-2105 and leave a message providing the following:

• Your first and last name.
• The date and time of the hearing at which you wish to testify.
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing.
• A phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you.
• Your email address, if you have one.
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide us all the information listed above.  Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but information must be provided for everyone who will be testifying.

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible to allow enough time to arrange for an interpreter. 

If you do not wish to testify but want to listen to the public input hearing, please contact the Administrative Law Judge’s office by email at sdelvillar@pa.gov or phone 215-560-2105 – providing your name and the hearing you want to listen to, so adequate caller capacity can be arranged for the conference bridge to accommodate all callers. 

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.
  
  

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-2021-3026682

Contact:

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