Press Release

Consumer Reminder: PUC Public Input Hearings Scheduled on Rate Change Proposed by City of Lancaster – Bureau of Water

Published on 12/8/2025

Filed under: Consumer Education Water and Wastewater

In-person and telephonic hearings will be held on December 15 and 16 to gather public input from customers and other concerned parties

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today reminded consumers and other interested parties about four in-person and telephonic hearings in mid-December to gather public input on the proposed rate change by the City of Lancaster – Bureau of Water (Lancaster) for customers located outside of Lancaster’s corporate limits.

The PUC has jurisdiction over Lancaster’s water service provided to customers located outside the City of Lancaster, including all of Millersville Borough and the townships of Lancaster, Manheim, Pequea and West Lampeter, as well as portions of East Hempfield, East Lampeter, Manor, and West Hempfield townships.

PUC Administrative Law Judge Erin L. Gannon will preside over the public input hearings.

In-Person Public Input Hearings

Two in-person public input hearings will be held on Monday, December 15, 2025, at the following location and times:

• Monday, December 15, 2025       

        Manheim Township Municipal Building
        Public Meeting Room
        1840 Municipal Drive
        Lancaster, PA 17601

        Hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
        Hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Telephonic Public Input Hearings

Two telephonic hearings will be held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the following times:

• Tuesday, December 16, 2025 
  

        Telephonic hearing #1 will begin at 1 p.m.
        Telephonic hearing #2 will begin at 6 p.m.

Participating in the Telephonic Input Hearings

The call-in information for the two telephonic hearings is as follows:

        Toll-free Conference Number: 866-759-6860
        PIN Number:                              71568747

To participate in a telephonic public input hearing, please complete the following:

• You must dial the toll-free Conference number above.
• You must enter the PIN number above when instructed.
• You must speak your name when prompted, and press #.
• Then, the telephone system will connect you to the hearing.

NOTE:  Individuals wishing to testify at a telephonic public input hearing are encouraged to pre-register by 4 p.m. on December 12, 2025. Failure to pre-register could result in you not being called to testify by the PUC Judges.

To pre-register, please call Legal Assistant Christina Biggica at 717-783-5453 or email at cbiggica@pa.gov and provide the following information:

• Your first and last name.
• The hearing for which you are registering.
• 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 needed.
• Your email address, if you have one.

If you need assistance pre-registering to testify, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide the PUC Judges with 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 by providing the PUC Judge’s Legal Assistant with the information for each individual planning to testify.

Requests for Interpreters

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. 

The TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 711.

Hearing Exhibits

If you intend to offer any documents or exhibits at the public input hearing, you must email one (1) copy to the Legal Assistant at cbiggica@pa.gov.  The PUC Judge will forward your exhibits to all the parties.  Exhibits for any in-person public input hearing must be received by the Legal Assistant by Wednesday, December 10, 2025.

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.

Questions

Individuals needing assistance with pre-registration, or having questions about the public input hearing or the company’s application, may contact the Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate toll free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.  Small businesses can contact the Office of Small Business Advocate at 717-783-2525 or osba@pa.gov.

Proposed Rate Changes

On November 6, 2025, the Commission voted 5-0 to suspend and investigate Lancaster’s proposed rate change, which was filed on Sept. 30, 2025, and seeks an annual increase in revenues of approximately $7 million (30.2%).  As proposed, the total bill for a residential customer using 4,500 gallons per month with a 5/8 inch meter would increase from $29.53 to $38.32 per month (29.8%).

A final PUC decision on PPL’s rate increase request is due by June 29, 2026.

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 X, 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 Nos:
R-2025-3057237
C-2025-3057935
C-2025-3057993
C-2025-3058103

Contact:

• David Hixson
  Deputy Press Secretary
  717-772-2766
  dhixson@pa.gov