Gladewater, White Oak join coalition to weigh in on CenterPoint increase

Elected officials in both Gladewater and White Oak last month joined others across the region to put a pin in CenterPoint’s looming rate increase.
It’s a routine action among the member-cities of the ‘Alliance of CenterPoint Municipalities,’ a common resolution to suspend (for 45 days) the gas utility’s effective date to increase rates, giving the coalition’s legal representatives time to dig into the data.
It’s not uncommon for utilities to pursue rate increases, Gladewater City Manager Charlie Smith explained, but their customer-communities weigh-in first.
The application is complex, and cities typically employee attorneys to double-check the math, “to make sure that what they’re asking for coincides with what is really needed,” Smith said. “Most of the time, we experience a decrease in what they’re asking for.”
In the latest round, an average customer paying $25 would see a $2.88 (11.52 percent) in CenterPoint’s current proposal. A $48/month customer’s rate would increase 10.71 percent and a larger $230/month customer would see a rate increase of 26.61 percent.
“It’s 45 days for attorneys to make sure everything’s kosher.”
An increase of some degree is inevitable.
“We can say ‘no,’ but it all boils down to what the Public Utility Commission is going to decide,” Smith said.
The more cities sign on to contest the proposal, the better the chance of a smaller increase.
“We’re aligning ourselves with other communities who are trying not to get the increased rate,” Mayor Brandy Flanagan echoed.
Ultimately, both White Oak and Gladewater’s councils unanimously-backed the 45-day suspension for the alliance’s negotiations.