Press Release

PUC Schedules August 17 Public Input Hearing for Water and Wastewater Rate Increases Proposed by York Water

Published on 7/27/2022

Filed under: Water and Wastewater

Telephonic Hearing Will Gather Public Input from York Water Customers and Other Concerned Parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today announced a telephonic hearing on August 17 to gather public input on the water and wastewater rate increases proposed by the York Water Company, which provides water service to more than 70,000 customers in parts of York and Adams counties, along with wastewater service to approximately 3,300 customers in parts of York, Adams and Franklin counties.

PUC Public Input Hearing

The public input hearing for the proposed York Water rate increases is scheduled for the following:

• Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022 – Telephonic hearing will be held at 1 p.m.

PUC Administrative Law Judge Katrina L. Dunderdale will preside over the hearing.

Signing Up for the Public Input Hearing

If you wish to testify at the telephonic public input hearing, you must pre-register with the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) by 3 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. 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.   

Individuals interested in testifying at the input hearing can pre-register by email or phone.

To pre-register by email, contact the OCA at consumer@paoca.org and provide:

• Your first and last name;
• The PUC Docket Numbers for the case (R-2022-3031340 and R-2022-3032806);
• The phone number you will be using to call into the public input hearing; and,
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

To pre-register by phone, contact the OCA at 1-800-684-6560 and leave a message providing:

• Your first and last name;
• The PUC Docket Numbers for the case (R-2022-3031340 and R-2022-3032806);
• 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; and,
• If you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter.

Interpreters and Assistance Registering

If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible.  If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter.  If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. 

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide 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 all the information listed above is needed for each individual testifying. 

Relay service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 800-654-5988.

Exhibits

If you intend to offer any exhibits at the public input hearing, you must email your proposed exhibit(s) to OCA at consumer@paoca.org by Monday, Aug. 15, 2022.  In your email to OCA, you must copy the PUC Administrative Law Judge’s legal assistant by emailing to nmiskanic@pa.gov, along with all individuals listed in the “service list” included on the PUC hearing notice.

Failure to comply with these instructions may result in you not being allowed to present your proposed exhibit(s).  Proposed video evidence must be submitted in an mp4 format and cannot exceed 2MB.  Proposed video evidence that does not meet these criteria will not be permitted.  

Note: If you do not wish to testify but want to listen to the public input hearing, there is no need to pre-register with OCA.  Instructions for listening to the hearing are included on the PUC hearing notice.

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.

York Water Rate Increase Requests

The rate changes proposed by York Water would produce an approximate overall annual revenue increase of $18.9 million (33.8%) for water service, along with an annual increase of $1.5 million (35%) for wastewater service.  

Under these proposals from York Water, the typical monthly water bill for residential customers will increase between 27.4% and 30.8%, and the typical wastewater bills for residential customers would increase between 1.3% and 79%, depending on service territory.

More information on the PUC ratemaking process is available on the Commission’s website. 

A final decision by the Commission on this rate increase request is due by March 1, 2023.

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 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-2022-3031340
R-2022-3032806

Contact:

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