Utility update: rate step begins July 5 and Navy-backed resiliency grant proposed

A utility presenter warned residents about fraud and scam calls and urged people to hang up on suspicious customer-service contacts and call the utility directly. "Hang that up. Don't feel bad," the presenter said, advising customers to start the conversation themselves to make sure they reach the right place.

The presenter outlined an approved four-year set of rate steps, saying the first step occurred last year and the second begins July 5; "It's a very subtle change to kilowatt hour price," the presenter added, and noted the base rate will technically drop this year. The presenter also said changes to the low-income program will add a new line item to bills and described a grant application — described as Navy-backed — intended to add facilities that allow parceling feeders to reduce outage scope and duration.