Austin Energy wants to raise its rates. Here’s how you can give feedback.

Residential customers could see a nearly $16 bump in their monthly electric bills under a rate hike proposed by Austin Energy. But before it can raise base rates, the city-owned utility must first go through a public input process.

Austin Energy says it needs to bridge a $48 million gap between its costs and revenue. In its proposal, it suggests a 7.6 percent rate hike, though commercial and residential customers could see that increase reflected differently on their bills.

Austin Energy says the average residential user would see an increase of $15.56 a month. It insists the rate hike is not attributable to last year’s historic winter storm – one in which the utility made money by putting its excess energy back on Texas’ beleaguered energy grid.

The utility said Tuesday the increase “will help Austin Energy better recover its costs while continuing to provide value to the community.”

For the next few months, Austin Energy customers will be able to provide feedback online. Then a third-party examiner will shepherd the negotiations and present the findings to city officials and eventually to City Council.

Council members will vote on the rate in the fall, and it will go into effect in January.

You can learn more about the public input process at Austin Energy’s website. The utility is also holding a handful of in-person and online public input meetings:

• April 21 from 7 to 8 p.m. (online) – register here
• April 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the North Austin YMCA – register here
• April 28 from noon to 1 p.m. (online) – register here
• April 30 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Turner-Roberts Recreation Center – register here
• May 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (online) – register here
• May 12 from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Dove Springs Recreation Center – register here

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