DUBOIS – Township Manager Dick Castonguay informed the Sandy Township Supervisors and Municipal Authority that DuBois City has plans of filing with the Pennsylvania Utility Commission (PUC) to raise water rates for non-city residents.
Castonguay told the supervisors that the rate increase filed would be 105 percent for residential users, 113 percent for commercial users and 150 percent for industrial users. He reminded the supervisors that this would be the first increase since 2000.
“Keep in mind, you ask for that, but you never know what the PUC will authorize,” said Castonguay.
“Maybe we can suggest to the city that instead of a 100 percent increases every 10 years that we get a lower increase every few years,” said Supervisor Mark Sullivan.
Castonguay said legal fees and filing processes with the PUC were possibly the main reasons for the time gap. According to a previous GantDaily.com report, DuBois City Manager John “Herm” Suplizio said the city could freely raise its rates for citizens; however, it must file with the PUC so far as the rates for non-resident customers.
“It’d be nice if we had a regional authority,” said Castonguay. He explained that a regional authority would remove the need for filing with the PUC. He said it would also allow regional governance over a water supply with existing regional infrastructure.