The first steps toward a utility rate hike in Ely have taken place.
Earlier this week, city council members agreed to schedule an April 21 public hearing to consider the increases sought by the Ely Utilities Commission.
According to data included in the council meeting packet on Tuesday, the average residential customer would pay about $6.75 a month more if the rate increase is adopted.
Council members agreed on a 6-0 vote, with Angela Campbell absent, to move forward with the public hearing which is set for 5 p.m. at City Hall on April 21.
EUC representatives will make a formal presentation at the public hearing, but information released this week offers key details related to the recommendation.
The rate hike sought by the EUC is not as substantial as the one adopted last year, when council members approved an increase that raised average rates for residential customers by about $12 a month.
The bulk of the fee increase sought for 2026 is in the electric utility, with the fixed monthly fee for residential customers staying the same at $10.50 but the variable fee rising to .0095 cents per kilowatt hour, up from .0035 this year.
That results in an electric fee hike of about $4.20 per month for an average residential customer, and a $7.50 per month jump for an average commercial customer.
For the water utility, the fixed fee would go up by $1 to $23.50 and the variable fee would rise from $4.05 per 100 cubic feet to $4.10.
An average residential user would see their water bill go up by $1.26 per month, according to the EUC projections.
For the sewer utility, the fixed fee would also go up $1 to $21.20 and the variable fee would go from $7.35 per 100 cubic feet to $7.40.
It represents a 2.7 percent increase for the average residential user, or $1.28 per month.
During brief council discussion this week, member Jerome Debeltz asked how Ely’s rates compared to those in neighboring communities, but clerk-treasurer and operations director Harold Langowski argued those comparisons aren’t valid given differences in each community’s infrastructure.
Langowski said some utility connections in Ely are more than 100 years old, and that the city’s costs are greater than those of newer communities.
