If it seems like IPL customers are paying the freight for everything, that’s only because it’s true
INDIANAPOLIS – The “letter to the editor” below was submitted to area newspapers by State Rep. Cherrish Pryor today (Jan. 8).
If it seems like customers for Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) are paying the freight for everything these days, that’s only because it’s true: they are.
The latest came just a few days ago, when IPL officials said they were seeking a rate increase to pay for “the escalation in costs of providing reliable electricity, including operation, maintenance and general business expenses.” If the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURL) approves this increase, it’ll mean almost $8 extra a month on your bill.
It will be left to the utility to explain its need for this increase, and the IURC to determine its validity.
But I don’t wonder about the IPL’s proposed increase to pay for general business expenses.
I wonder more why we are continuing to seriously consider another increase that is being forced upon IPL customers: the one demanded by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard to pay for BlueIndy, the city’s electric vehicle program.
Remember that the program is still in its initial stages. We don’t know if the idea of having an electric car service is even a valid one.
But we do know that the mayor wants all IPL customers to pay for it, even those who live in areas that will never have the chance to use the service. It remains proposed taxation without representation for thousands of customers across central Indiana.
However, there is time for the mayor to stop pursuing this burdensome course, since the IURC has not given final approval to the BlueIndy request.
Mayor Ballard, withdraw your utility tax increase request. Pursue these grand plans through private financing, rather than on the backs of IPL customers who are already facing large enough burdens, and days upon days of sub-freezing temperatures in the months to come.
Cherrish Pryor
State Representative
Indiana House District 94