JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The JEA board approved increasing the basic monthly charge from $5.50 to $15, while decreasing the flexible rate also known as the energy charge.
“To go from a base rate charge to a different rate if we haven’t been increasing it over a period of time because it does feel like a big increase," said board member, Marty Lanahan.
These rate adjustments will mean the average residential customer may see their total bill increase or decrease slightly, depending on consumption.
Some neighbors aren’t too happy about this rate spike.
“This proposed change from $5.50 per person to $15 dollars in April, so why couldn’t Mr. Phillips and his team meet us somewhere in the middle why? Because JEA is out of touch with reality," said Ben Frazier.
A reason for the rate increase is that JEA has not increased its residential basic monthly charge in 30 years, and it’s no longer sustainable to provide the level of customer service expected by the community.
The spokesperson says JEA needs to cover the increased rates of customer service-related costs, including billing, call center operations and meter reading services.
“It provides us with stability and our revenue that will allow us to serve customers long term. It is similar to what we did on the waterside, and we did this years ago, and we have significantly more stable revenue coming in on water than we do with electric," said JEA CEO Jay Stowe.
JEA says their goal is to continually plan for reliable, affordable, and sustainable services for the community.