Lansing BWL customers may see rate hike

If you're a Lansing Board of Water and Light customer, chances are your bill is about to go up. The utility plans to increase rates starting February 1st and tonight residents will have their chance to tell the utility how they feel about it. The BWL is holding a hearing this evening starts at 5:30. The Lansing State Journal says the BWL's Board of Commissioners will vote on whether or not to approve the three-year rate scheduled during another public meeting next week. If approved, electric would go up nearly four-percent in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Water rates would also go up by more than five-percent for three years and steam customers would see hikes between five and more than seven-percent over those three years. BWL says the rate hikes are necessary to help pay for infrastructure improvements, including a plan to put the Eckert Power Plant in Lansing's REO Town by the year 2020. If the rate hike is approved, it will be the first one customers have seen since 2014.