< + Enlarge >

As summer temperatures fade, so has the anger that some Maricopa residents have been expressing due to their high electric bills. However, the falling usage is not the only good news for customers of Electrical District Number 3. When summer returns, the utility’s customers will not be hit with a rate increase, according to ED-3 General Manager Bill Stacy.

“Our board has adopted our budget for the next year, and there will be no rate increase,” Stacy said. Stacy made the announcement during Tuesday night’s city council meeting at which time council passed a resolution promising a future summit between ED-3 and the city.

“We don’t know when we will have the summit, but we are aiming for sometime during the next 90 days,” said Maricopa Mayor Anthony Smith.

Stacy had several concerns with the language in the summit resolution, particularly with statements that citizens lack a voice in the company and should have the right to petition the Arizona Corporation Commission.

“We are a board just like the city council; we have a call to the public and give our customers an opportunity to express themselves,” Stacy said. The ED-3's board is made up of nine elected officials, and meets the once a month to address the concerns of the company.

“If the company was controlled by the Corporation Commission, residents would have to travel to a high-rise in Phoenix to get their concerns heard,” Stacy said. “Do you believe in local representation of a board or state regulation?”

Despite the meetings being open to the public, Stacy said that in his 18 months as general manager, he has only seen Councilman Joe Estes attend a meeting. “I have invited the mayor to attend our board meeting on several occasions and he has never come,” Stacy said.

Despite Stacy’s assurance that the company’s operations are open to public review, Rosalinda O’Hare, owner of Penascos Mexican Restaurant, accused ED-3 of hiding behind the façade of a non-profit company.

“There are companies that say they are 501 3C, but their executives receive high salaries and bonuses,” O’Hare said. “These are things I encourage council to look at.” O’Hare added that  the high rates the utility charges are crippling Maricopa businesses.

“Last month my bill was $2,200, Arena’s bill was $5,000, Taco’s N’ More was $1,200 and Mi Casitas bill was $1,500,” O’Hare said. “When businesses are having to pay outrageous bills like these, they are unable to give back to community organizations.”

ED-3’s next board meeting is Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. at 41630 W. Louis Johnson Drive.

Submitted photo

• Hey - how about a rate decrease since we are paying more than anyone in the Phoenix area for electricity? Oh boy! You mean we won't be assaulted for higher rates by ED3? How about lowering the rates!?! It is criminal what they have Maricopa paying. (bootiegrl)
• Absolutely bootie! How about showing some good faith and decrease rates even a little. Make Maricopa a desirable place ... why can't the community leaders see this? It's clear as a bell to the rest of us .... yeeeesh! (NY2Copa)
• What "local representation"? Unless they've changed the law, I don't own enough land to qualify to vote or run for the ED3 board, so just EXACTLY how am I represented? What a crock. (Nawor)
• How nice that we will not be raped even more next summer than we are getting raped now. Humm, so what I can guess is that they were planning on raising the rates EVEN MORE by next summer. Why not just get a petition and a ballot measure to run them out of town. Can’t be that hard to get APS in here, they already service small parts of town. (lawabidingcitizen)
• Stacy said. “Do you believe in local representation of a board or state regulation?” STATE REGULATION, you guys have already proved you can not be trusted! Once again we need a ballot measure to run them out of town. We can put a stop to same sex marriages we can also put a stop to crooks that rob us blind. (lawabidingcitizen)
• Stacy said. “Do you believe in local representation of a board or state regulation?” STATE REGULATION, you guys have already proved you can not be trusted! Once again we need a ballot measure to run them out of town. We can put a stop to same sex marriages we can also put a stop to crooks that rob us blind. (lawabidingcitizen)
• Contact your State Reps! Nothing is going to change until you yell to someone who can make a difference! (Lisssa)
• The price of the utilities is something that needs to be factored in when deciding to live in Maricopa. It makes the city very undesirable. (TheBoymaker)
• If it is fact, only one appearance by a City Representative in the last 18 months is telling. (LeonPotter)
• I wish I would have researched the utility costs before moving here. My bad! I assumed that they would be similar to everywhere else. I would never have moved here if I knew the utilities make this place unaffordable. A RATE DECREASE is what we should be reading about. (shabanko)
• The news doesn't help situations much, ed-3 is already so high that some have had to walk away from there homes because they couldn't afford both there mortgage and electric bill. I mean come on for some there electric is as much as there mortgage. (ms_attitude)
• I understand why the rates increased so much last year (because of the contract signed with APS), but why haven't they decreased since the re-negotiation of the 5 year contract? The minimum that ED3 was required to pay ($30 million margin call payment last year)was adjusted to $.002 per kwh which per Bill Stacy will result in only $800,000 this year for a minimum payment. (Peter_settles)