Eye on Local Government

Council Votes 4-2 to Raise Kirkwood Electric Rate

The new rate for Kirkwood Electric is lower than Ameren's. Customers' bills will increase $76 a year on average.

Customers of Kirkwood Electric will pay more this year due to a rate increase approved by the Kirkwood City Council.  Councilors voted 4-2 in favor of a bill that sets the electric rate to 9.86¢ per kilowatt-hour for a typical customer. The rate will increase the average customer's utility bills $10 each month from October through May but will decrease utility bills $4 each month from June through September for an annual increase of $76. Under the new rate, customers will pay $9 a year less than those with Ameren. The increase is the first for the public utility in three years.  "We're doing this at a level that is still making rates competitive and our rates are lower than Ameren at all our rate classes," Kirkwood Electric Director Mark …

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Eye on Local Government

Council Votes to Raise Kirkwood Electric Rate

Customers' electric bills would increase $76 a year on average. Councilors and city officials say the move is necessary for the future of the publicly owned utility.

City councilors approved an increase to Kirkwood's electric rates at its Thursday meeting that would up customers' electric bills $76 a year on average.  The Kirkwood City Council voted 5-1 on Thursday night to change Kirkwood's average yearly electric rate from 9.475 cents to 9.86 cents per kilowatt hour. Summer and winter rates differ in Kirkwood. Under the new rate, Kirkwood customers would pay on average $9 less a year than Ameren customers.  Councilor Gina Jaksetic voted against the bill to raise rates.  "My intent in voting no was to try to encourage additional dialogue in terms of looking at the electric rate in a much bigger picture of all the other needs of the city," Jaksetic told Patch. "I know we need to increase our rate, but …

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Eye on Local Government

Electric Bills Could Rise for Kirkwood Residents

The city council will vote whether to raise Kirkwood Electric rates Thursday.

Kirkwood residents will see their electric bills increase if the Kirkwood City Council approves a new bill that asks for a change to the city's electric rates. The bill, which will go before the city council at its regular meeting Thursday, increases the city's electric rate to the same as Ameren's.  The new rate would increase the average Kirkwood household's electric bill $4 per month during summer months (June-September) and $10 per month during winter months (October-May) for an on average annual increase of $96 per year.  The rate change would generate an an extra $940,000 for Kirkwood Electric. The revenue would help the city recover expenses associated with the wholesale purchase of power, according to the bill. 

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Kirkwood Electric Dispatched to Ohio in Aftermath of Sandy

Mutual aid workers from Kirkwood Electric are in Ohio helping to restore power to some of the 200,000 residents without electricity.

There's been a change of plans for Kirkwood Electric workers aiding in the aftermath of of hurricane Sandy. After a crew comprised of Jeremy Hunter and Tim Faulstich arrived in Sprinfield, OH, Monday, the pair was dispatched to to Cleveland, not West Virginia, to help restore power. In Cleveland, 200,000 homes are without power due to Sandy, according to a Tuesday update from the City of Kirkwood.

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Abandoned Chrysler Site Attracts Interest From Kirkwood Electric

Director of the utility says it is gathering facts and information in the "very early" stage of potential redevelopment of the old Chrysler auto assembly plant site.

Those who run Kirkwood Electric, the Kirkwood's own power company, always are looking for ways to deliver power to Kirkwood residents in a practical and  economical way, according to Mark Petty, director of the Kirkwood Electric utility. Petty currently has his eyes on the abandoned Chrysler site in the City of Fenton as a potential location for a new natural gas-powered electric generating plant. "It's very early in the process," Petty said Thursday. "We're going to get all of our data together before moving on to a next step." Petty said the data collection has the potential of ruling out the Chrysler site as being unfeasible for expanding the Kirkwood portfolio. "Absolutely it may not be a good fit," he said. "We're doing due diligence…

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Electricity Use Hits Year High in Kirkwood

The week's heat wave ushered in the most consumption of electricity since last August.

Kirkwood's electric system experienced its highest fiscal year levels of power consumption earlier this week, according to Kirkwood Electric Directory Mark Petty. On Monday the system had a peak of 63.12 MW (megawatts) at around 6 p.m. and the system peaked at 63.05 MW Tuesday at around 5pm, the City of Kirkwood posted to its new Facebook page.  "This 63MW level is the highest peak power level we’ve had on our system since August of last year," Petty said on the page.  The system was expected to reach or exceed the 63 MW peak level Wednesday.

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