TOMS RIVER – While helpful, postponing a rate hike until next year isn’t quite what Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari had in mind in regards to assisting county residents.
Jersey Central Power and Light postponed a rate increase until 2021 but “the utility needs to eliminate the rate increase altogether. I’ve said it time and time again, our seniors cannot afford this higher bill,” Vicari said.
The official has rallied against the proposed rate hike since it was first announced last spring and the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic created a further financial hardship for many senior citizens and younger families, making the increase a greater burden.
Vicari spoke during a public meeting of the state Board of Public Utilities in September opposing the higher rates. “The increase may seem small, but many of our seniors are living on less than $1,400 a month,” Vicari said.
“Additionally, they are facing higher food bills because of the pandemic,” Vicari said. He was also critical of the utility for asking for more money while at the same time refusing to reimburse residents who lost valuable food and prescription medicine during lengthy storm-related power outages last August.
Vicari cited that “other utility companies, including Atlantic City Electric, PSEG and Con Ed offered reimbursements, but JCP&L did not. That’s another reason why this rate increase should be permanently abolished.” Vicari thanked the BPU for cutting the requested increase in half.
A 4 percent increase in JCP&L’s rates was recently granted by the BPU. This is less than half of what the utility originally requested. The decision also requires the utility to undergo an operational audit.
The increase, which would hike average bills by about $4 per month, won’t show up in customer’s bills until November 2021, according to utility officials.
