LAHARPE — Add LaHarpe to the growing list of communities that were socked by exorbitant electric costs following last month’s’ bitterly cold weather.
City Council members have declared a state of financial emergency, necessary to apply for a low-interest loan made available by the state to pay the city’s $157,615.70 electric bill for February.
The February bill was nearly 10 times the amount LaHarpe normally pays each month (a shade under $17,000 monthly.)
The loan would be repaid by reinstating a portion of the fuel cost adjustment the city adds to the base electric rates LaHarpe customers pay each month.
In 2020, the Council removed the 5-cent FCA after switching wholesale electricity suppliers from Evergy to the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency (KMEA). After last month’s cold snap, the FCA will rise to 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
That means a customer’s average electric bill will increase anywhere from $8 to $10 a month, explained City Clerk Michelle Altis, depending on the amount of electricity consumed.
Once the loan is paid off, the FCA increase will be rescinded.
