June 26, 2021
Dear Residents,
I am writing to implore you to call the PA Office of Consumer Advocate on Monday morning, June 28, 2021, and register to testify at the public input hearing Tuesday evening. The PUC is holding a telephone hearing on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at 6 PM concerning the proposed water and sewer rate hikes. Part of the reason the Administrative Law Judge orders this hearing is to gauge the sentiments of the affected constituents. In short, it’s partly a numbers game. The more people who sign up to express their displeasure or anger with the proposed rate increase, the more the PUC and Judge pay attention. While this is certainly not the whole story, it makes an impact.
CUPA, our utility company, has now upwardly revised their requested increase to 101 percent. So even if you don’t feel comfortable testifying at length, I implore you to register and testify something similar to “ I agree with what has been stated by other residents so far. This is unacceptable.” We need your voice, every single voice, to have a fighting chance in getting this increase denied.
The Office of Consumer Advocate opens at 8 AM Monday. Please call 1-800-684-6560 before 1 PM and register to speak your mind at the hearing! I know that this rate increase will negatively impact every single approved. For some of us, it will cause a financial strain significant enough to force moving. For others, the value of our houses will decrease due to increased foreclosures and abandonment of properties. Finally, the general principle involved in paying outrageous prices for clean water and sewer services makes this worth your time. These services are vital to the health and welfare of every resident in this community.
So please, I urge you, register for the telephone public input hearing. Let your voice be heard. Let’s fight for what is right here, together. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Cindy Toscano
President