Co-op announces rate hike

Flathead Electric Cooperative announced on March 22 that a rate increase for its members will be implemented over time instead of all at once to cover a significant wholesale power price increase by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The co-op’s board of trustees said they felt that “spreading expenses out will help smooth the transition into higher power costs, as many people struggle to pay their bills during this unstable time in our economy.”

Starting with the June 1 bill for May usage, co-op members will see a 3.75 percent average annualized rate increase across all classes. Most residential members will experience an increase of less than $4.75 per month.

The increase will affect the monthly basic charge that helps cover the co-op’s minimum fixed costs and the charge for the amount of energy consumed. A residential member using 1,000 kilowatts per month will pay $84.52 rather than $80.14 under the current rate.

Members can choose to average their bill payments over the year based on usage over the past 12 months by contacting the co-op and asking about the “leveling billing” option. For more information, call 751-4483.