PUC sets hearings on Aqua PA rate hike
During the hearings, evidence in support of the rate increase will be examined and testimony offered. Testimony given by members of the public will become part of the record on which the Public Utility commission will issue its final decision.
HARRISBURG >> The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is seeking public input on a proposed rate hike for Aqua Pennsylvania Inc. and Aqua Pennsylvania Wastewater Inc.
The commission on Wednesday announced that it will hold six inperson public meetings between Nov. 13 and 15, as well as one telephonic “Smart Hearing” in Harrisburg Nov. 16 that will be live streamed on the PUC’s website.
The hearings will be conducted by PUC Administrative Law Judges Angela Jones and F. Joseph Brady. They are part of the regulatory agency’s process for setting utility rates to ensure, “the lowest reasonable rate for consumers while maintaining the financial stability of utilities,” according to the commission’s ratemaking process.
Aqua Pennsylvania filed a request with the Public Utility Commission Aug. 17 to increase its annual operating revenues for water services by approximately $66.373 million — an increase of 15.4 percent. At the same time, the company also filed to seek a corresponding increase in its annual operating revenues for wastewater services by $5.369 million — a 40.1 percent increase.
The total annual revenue increase request amounts to approximately $71.8 million.
In September, the commission voted to investigate Aqua’s request, which suspended the increase for up to seven months from the time the rate would have otherwise become effective. Aqua’s requested effective date was Oct. 16. A final decision by the Public Utility Commission is now due by May 16, 2019.
If approved as filed, the average monthly bill for a residential Main Division water customer using 4,080 gallons per month would increase by $9.22 per month, from $59.85 to $69.07. The average monthly bill for a residential Media Division wastewater customer using 4,200 gallons per month would increase $20.73 from $42.19 to $62.92.
During the hearings, evidence
in support of the rate increase will be examined and testimony offered. Testimony given by members of the public will become part of the record on which the Public Utility commission will issue its final decision.
A recommendation by the Administrative Law Judge will then be made to the Public Utility Commission for a vote and final decision by the commissioners.
After examining the evidence, the commission may approve all, none, or a portion of the request.
“The Pennsylvania PUC public input hearing allows us a unique forum to hear from customers and use the information they share to inform our efforts to continually improve our operations and customer service,” said Donna Alston, Aqua Pennsylvania spokeswoman.
The hearings are scheduled for these times and locations:
TUESDAY, NOV. 13, 1 AND 6 P.M.:
• Jennersville YMCA, 880 W. Baltimore Pike, West Grove
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14, 1 AND 6 P.M.:
• 1 p.m.: Montgomery County Community College Science Center — 214 Small Auditorium, 340 DeKalb Pike (For GPS and Google maps, use 1313 Morris Road), Blue Bell
• 6 p.m.: Bensalem Township High School, 4319 Hulmeville Road, Bensalem
THURSDAY, NOV. 15, 1 AND 6 P.M.:
• 1 p.m.: Springfield Township — Science Center Building, 50 Powell Road, Springfield
who often target seniors, scare people into thinking they have an overdue tax bill and that if they don’t pay up right way, they could be arrested.
From January to September of this year, 54 percent of governmentimpostor scams involved the use of a gift card or reloadable payment card, according to the FTC. The next most common method of payment was a wire transfer, at 16 percent. In just 5 percent of the reported cases, the con artists ask for cash.
Vaca said Google Play and iTunes cards were the • 6 p.m.: Upper Dublin High School, 800 Loch Alsh Ave., Fort Washington
FRIDAY, NOV. 16, (SMART HEARING) 10 A.M.:
• Commonwealth Keystone Building, Hearing Room 1 — Plaza Level, 400 North St., Harrisburg. Participation in the Smart Hearing may be in person (at the Harrisburg site) or by telephone (from any location). In-person participation requires no further action. To participate via telephone, interested persons should contact the Office of Administrative Law Judge (OALJ) by 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 to provide their names, telephone numbers, and the topics of their testimony. They may call the OALJ at 717-7871399 to register.
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A Public Utility Commission press release outlined tips from the commission and the Office of Consumer
top two types of gift cards victims were asked to buy. Forty-two percent of people who said they paid a scammer using a gift or reload card were instructed to pay in iTunes (23.7 percent) or Google Play (18.3 percent) cards.
There are three reasons why gift cards are increasingly the con artist’s preferred payment method, Vaca said. The transaction is largely irreversible for the consumer. It’s quick money, and the scammer can remain anonymous.
Vaca said that victims are often told to go to a major retail store such as Advocate on how consumers can participate in the hearings, including:
• Prepare what you are going to say beforehand. While not required, you may want to write out and then read your statement.
• Bring copies if you are attending an in-person hearing. If you have a written statement you would like to give to the judge, please bring two copies for the court reporter and several copies for the other participants.
• Understand that parties in the case may want to ask you a question to clarify something you said.
Those with special needs wishing to attend the hearing may call the PUC scheduling office at 717-787-1399 at least five business days prior to the hearing to make arrangements. For those who are deaf or hearing-impaired, the AT&T Relay Service number is 1-800654-5988.
Target or Walmart and buy gift cards. Sometimes the scammers direct them to go to multiple stores so as not to raise an alarm with an alert cashier who may question why so many high-value gift cards are being purchased.
Victims are then instructed to scratch off the back of the cards and to relay the activation codes.
The FTC is encouraging consumers to contact retailers when they’ve fallen for a scam using a particular gift card. On ftc.gov search for “Paying scammers with gift cards.” You’ll find contact information for the most popular As part of its original filing, Aqua Pennsylvania said the primary reason for the request is to recover $2.2 billion the company has invested in infrastructure, including upgrades to its distribution and treatment systems to improve drinking water quality and service reliability throughout its water and wastewater operations.
Headquartered in Bryn Mawr, Aqua Pennsylvania has approximately 450,000 water and wastewater customers throughout Pennsylvania, serving approximately 1.4 million people in 32 counties.
Across the region, the company has: 1,797 water customers in Berks County; 70,413 water and 3,336 wastewater customers in Chester County; 149,379 water and 6,770 wastewater customers in Delaware County; and 107,335 water
retailers used in the scams — Amazon, iTunes and Google Play.
Your chances are pretty slim to get any of your money back, but call anyway, the FTC says.
Also, contact the agency at ftc.gov/complaint or call (877) FTCHELP. The FTC also recommends that you report the incident to your state’s attorney general. For a listing of the office in your state, go to naag.org.
The sophistication of these impostor scams can snare even the most cautious person. So just keep this in mind: Gift cards are for gifts. and 233 wastewater customers in Montgomery County.
The rate hike request is unrelated to Aqua’s $75.1 million purchase of Limerick Township’s sewer system earlier this year.
The company last week announced its intention to acquire Pittsburgh-based natural gas utility Peoples in a cash deal valued at $4.3 billion. That transaction is expected to close by mid2019.