CITY & COUNTY Options considered as Austin Energy considers raising rates News from Austin & Travis & Williamson counties
QUOTE OF NOTE
CITY HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN As Project Connect continues its development in Austin, planners are also working to limit the system’s potential to push residents away from their homes. Council approved a plan Sept. 29 to distribute just under $100 million to over a dozen organizations such as Goodwill Industries of Central Texas to take on displacement in communities located within 1 mile of transit stations. “THESE VACCINES HAVE BEEN CRITICAL IN REDUCING THE SPREAD OF MONKEYPOX HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND PROTECTING PEOPLE FROM THE SEVERE PAIN THE [MONKEYPOX] VIRUS CAN CAUSE.” DR. DESMAR WALKES, AUSTIN- TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTH AUTHORITY, ON MONKEYPOX VACCINES Austin City Council Meets Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., Austin 512-974-2250 www.austintexas.gov/department/ city-council Travis County Commissioners Court Meets Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15 at 9 a.m. at the Travis County Administration Building, 700 Lavaca St., Austin. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov Williamson County Commissioners Court Meets Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8, 15 at 9:30 a.m. at the Williamson County Courthouse, 710 Main St., MEETINGS WE COVER
BY BEN THOMPSON
RISING RATES The increased rates from Austin Energy could result in the average customer paying over $366 more a year.
AUSTIN An Austin Energy rate increase approved by City Council on Oct. 13 will leave the average residen- tial customer paying $15 per month more for power for the next three years, weeks ahead of an expected jump in AE’s base rate that could tack another $15.56 onto Austinites’ monthly bills. The $15 monthly billing increase totals an additional $180 annually on customer bills, and stems from an adjustment to Austin Energy’s pass-through charges due to several causes the utility has said are outside its control. AE announced a need to adjust its pass-through charges Sept. 21 to recover tens of millions of dollars in energy costs, and city officials have spent the past few weeks considering a reduction to the unexpected change as well as the
+150%
base rate increase 7.6% $15.56 average base rate increase
$25
$15
additional separate monthly charge
$10
total increase in average customer annual bill
$366+
Current customer service charge
Proposed customer service rate
$48M more in revenue for Austin Energy
SOURCE: AUSTIN ENERGY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
compress the residential rate tiers from five to three and bump AE’s fixed monthly customer service charge from $10 to $25. The proposed 7.6% base rate increase would cost the average resident $15.56 more on their monthly power bill—nearly $187 per year. since late June based on criteria set by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the CDC. As those criteria have expanded, more people at risk for severe symptoms from monkeypox are now eligible to receive a vaccine. Travis County residents can visit Wellness Equity Alliance online, which APH partnered with to distribute the vaccine, to determine eligibility and schedule an appoint- ment for a vaccine. As of Oct. 14, 203 cases of mon- keypox have been confirmed in the county, according to APH’s online tracker.
looming base rate hike, which will be considered in late November or December. AE’s base rate covers the city electric utility’s operations costs. AE’s current rate system is split into five tiers, which reward customers for less power usage. Proposed changes
Monkeypox vaccine eligibility widened
CASES ON THE RISE Monkeypox cases in the county have been on the rise in September and October. More information is available at www.austintexas.gov/monkeypox.
BY DARCY SPRAUGE
TRAVIS COUNTY Austin Public Health announced expanded eligibil- ity for the monkeypox vaccine based on federal guidance Oct. 3. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now allows individu- als who are at risk for monkeypox to receive the Jynneos monkeypox vac- cine instead of only individuals who had known or suspected exposure to the virus. APH has been offering the vaccine
confirmed cases in Travis County as of Oct. 14
203
confirmed cases in Texas*
2,594
confirmed cases nationwide*
27,558
Georgetown. 512-943-1100. www.wilco.org
*AS OF OCT. 18 SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • OCTOBER 2022
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