PURA Q&A: Community groups report auto-sum errors that left budgets undercounted; staff offers workarounds
February 05, 2026 | Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, Departments and Agencies, Organizations, Executive, Connecticut
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Hartford — Community representatives raised technical problems with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority's stakeholder compensation forms during an online Q&A, saying auto-population and format glitches produced incorrect budget totals that could reduce final payments.
"The total...was $83,007.64," said Jamieson Davis of Righting Wrongs, describing an auto-generated sum the group received from the form. Davis said the group’s internal calculation of the submitted line items came to $99,007.64, and after reconciling final expenses of $94,007.14 the remaining discrepancy was roughly $9,950.
PURA staff acknowledged platform-dependent issues with fillable PDFs and suggested immediate workarounds. "If you print to PDF...it will stop being a fillable form," a staff member identified in the transcript as Elizabeth said, adding that a flat PDF should not change after submission though it may not cure font-size or layout problems on all systems.
Staff also advised applicants to attach supplemental documents or a short cover letter explaining any discrepancies alongside the submitted forms so PURA reviewers can manually verify and, if necessary, recompute totals from line items. "We are fully capable of doing math without the auto sum," the staff member said, offering to add up individual line items if the auto-calculation appears wrong.
Participants described three recurring problems: fields that shrink text below readable sizes, responses that are cut off (noted specifically at question 20e), and a signature field that continued to report as unsigned after a user saved the document. Daniel, identified as a member of the clean and fertile energy unit, recommended attaching supplemental materials to clarify inputs until the forms are fixed.
Community groups also pressed for an IT contact and a permanent fix. Cynthia Jennings asked whether an IT help desk or reprogramming could prevent future miscalculations; staff pointed to general help-desk contacts but said the most effective route for form-submission problems is to contact the docket case coordinator or docket control. Staff provided a help-desk phone (860-424-3882), an email (.helpdesk.footprints@tt.gov) and the PURA executive secretary contact (PURA.executivesecretary@ct.gov; 860-827-2836), and named Laura Lupoli as the case coordinator for the relevant docket.
On what counts as a compensable expense, PURA staff reiterated the three-part test: the cost must be incurred by the group, supported by evidence, and related to participation in the proceeding. Staff explained applicants may either provide evidence of actual employee costs (fringe benefits, payroll records) or multiply an employee’s hourly pay by 1.5 to approximate overhead. Staff reminded participants they may redact personal identifiers from payroll documentation.
Groups asked whether stakeholder compensation can cover multi-year dockets and whether payment timing could be improved. PURA staff said applicants may file motions or correspondence requesting participant status in long-running dockets, and that deeper policy questions will be considered in the standing stakeholder-compensation docket referenced during the call. On timing, staff quoted the statute, pointing to statute 16-19c and saying "the sums cannot be paid until after the final decision." PURA can make advance payments, staff said, but final award letters and payments require the statutory trigger of a final decision.
PURA staff said they will collect reports of form problems, update static copies on the stakeholder compensation website when fixes are available, and examine individual submissions on a case-by-case basis. Participants thanked staff for both the immediate workarounds and for pointing toward the broader docket where longer-term policy changes can be addressed.
The session concluded with staff asking groups to report form problems to the case coordinator or docket control so PURA can prioritize corrections; participants said they would follow up with detailed examples and supporting files.
Next steps: Applicants with suspected calculation errors should (1) file their submissions with an explanatory cover letter and supporting attachments, (2) contact their docket case coordinator (Laura Lupoli was named), and (3) report technical issues so PURA staff can track and correct form problems in future updates.
"The total...was $83,007.64," said Jamieson Davis of Righting Wrongs, describing an auto-generated sum the group received from the form. Davis said the group’s internal calculation of the submitted line items came to $99,007.64, and after reconciling final expenses of $94,007.14 the remaining discrepancy was roughly $9,950.
PURA staff acknowledged platform-dependent issues with fillable PDFs and suggested immediate workarounds. "If you print to PDF...it will stop being a fillable form," a staff member identified in the transcript as Elizabeth said, adding that a flat PDF should not change after submission though it may not cure font-size or layout problems on all systems.
Staff also advised applicants to attach supplemental documents or a short cover letter explaining any discrepancies alongside the submitted forms so PURA reviewers can manually verify and, if necessary, recompute totals from line items. "We are fully capable of doing math without the auto sum," the staff member said, offering to add up individual line items if the auto-calculation appears wrong.
Participants described three recurring problems: fields that shrink text below readable sizes, responses that are cut off (noted specifically at question 20e), and a signature field that continued to report as unsigned after a user saved the document. Daniel, identified as a member of the clean and fertile energy unit, recommended attaching supplemental materials to clarify inputs until the forms are fixed.
Community groups also pressed for an IT contact and a permanent fix. Cynthia Jennings asked whether an IT help desk or reprogramming could prevent future miscalculations; staff pointed to general help-desk contacts but said the most effective route for form-submission problems is to contact the docket case coordinator or docket control. Staff provided a help-desk phone (860-424-3882), an email (.helpdesk.footprints@tt.gov) and the PURA executive secretary contact (PURA.executivesecretary@ct.gov; 860-827-2836), and named Laura Lupoli as the case coordinator for the relevant docket.
On what counts as a compensable expense, PURA staff reiterated the three-part test: the cost must be incurred by the group, supported by evidence, and related to participation in the proceeding. Staff explained applicants may either provide evidence of actual employee costs (fringe benefits, payroll records) or multiply an employee’s hourly pay by 1.5 to approximate overhead. Staff reminded participants they may redact personal identifiers from payroll documentation.
Groups asked whether stakeholder compensation can cover multi-year dockets and whether payment timing could be improved. PURA staff said applicants may file motions or correspondence requesting participant status in long-running dockets, and that deeper policy questions will be considered in the standing stakeholder-compensation docket referenced during the call. On timing, staff quoted the statute, pointing to statute 16-19c and saying "the sums cannot be paid until after the final decision." PURA can make advance payments, staff said, but final award letters and payments require the statutory trigger of a final decision.
PURA staff said they will collect reports of form problems, update static copies on the stakeholder compensation website when fixes are available, and examine individual submissions on a case-by-case basis. Participants thanked staff for both the immediate workarounds and for pointing toward the broader docket where longer-term policy changes can be addressed.
The session concluded with staff asking groups to report form problems to the case coordinator or docket control so PURA can prioritize corrections; participants said they would follow up with detailed examples and supporting files.
Next steps: Applicants with suspected calculation errors should (1) file their submissions with an explanatory cover letter and supporting attachments, (2) contact their docket case coordinator (Laura Lupoli was named), and (3) report technical issues so PURA staff can track and correct form problems in future updates.
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