SUMITON–The council on Tuesday voted to raise natural gas rates for the city. This comes after weeks of discussion by the council, Water and Gas Board and the city’s accountants. According to Ellis, the Sumiton Water and Gas Board lost more than $150,000 last year because of fluctuating gas purchase rates and the city’s lack of increase in more than a decade.
Ellis said the city has to face the need for the increase or sell the gas board and service and let a private company take over and raise rates.
Despite the concern for the accounts, some council members expressed concerns about the increase, particularly as the weather cools down.
“I just don’t really don’t want to go up $15 or $20 a month right before wintertime,” council member Micah Harrison said, after asking what this would mean for most families in the community. He eventually agreed to go to the accountant’s recommendation.
In the end, the council took the accountant’s recommendation to go with a fixed rate increase from $11.95 per unit for gas to $16.75 per unit as a fixed rate. The council also put in place a quarterly review of the rate so that every three months, they will reevaluate how the rates have changed and where their own rates need to be.
“If we get an opportunity to lower it, we will,” council member Floyd Burton said.
According to findenergy.com, the average rate per CCF (the units used to measure natural gas) was $18.83, and average usage cost $51.60 a month.
