Letters: Our Readers’ Opinions

Beware the utility rate hike

I read the Sept. 25 Tribune article about the proposed Avista rate hike for Washington customers with amusement and some alarm.

Avista asked for and was granted a rate hike for Idaho customers in 2023. As I recall, it was to be 12% and the average customer bill would increase $12 or thereabouts. Sound familiar?

In October 2023, my level pay was $88 per month. (By the Washington standard, well below the average of $105 that would qualify for less than the proposed $12 per month increase.) In November 2023 and ever since, my level pay has been $116, or more than double the hike that Avista sought approval for. That is my warning.

My ask? Hold Avista and the public utility commission accountable for what they say and what they do with the public trust.

Nathan Palmer

Lewiston