(From Missouri Public Service Commission)Today, the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an Order allowing tariffs related to Empire District Electric Company d/b/a Liberty’s (Liberty) electric rate increase request to go into effect as of August 3, 2026, with the requirement of ongoing reporting to the Commission every three months.
In a previous Order on January 14, 2026, the Commission accepted terms of Agreements in the rate case which established specific billing and customer service metrics that Empire was required to meet prior to receiving the opportunity to implement changes to customer rates through its requested compliance tariffs. The Commission stated that the increase would begin only after the Commission’s approval of metrics, reviewed by Commission Staff, showing that the Company has met the required metrics for a period of three consecutive months.
The Commission held an on-the-record hearing regarding the compliance tariffs on July 8, 2026, where it heard testimony and asked detailed questions of representatives of the parties in the case.
Based on testimony provided in the on-the-record meeting, the PSC Staff’s report, Liberty’s response, and related filings, the Commission found that Liberty has satisfactorily met the customer service and billing metrics with over 99% compliance.
“Staff did an exhaustive review of Liberty’s billing and customer service for the months of January, February and March and came up with 7-10 instances out of 466,000 bills issued, nearly half a million bills, where Staff alleged Liberty did not meet the agreed upon metrics. This is a level of improvement that I believe Liberty should be commended for, and quite frankly, was one that I wasn’t sure we would ever see”
I also think the level of detail Staff undertook in reviewing these bills should also be commended. With millions of data points and indicators to measure, this was no easy task. I’m thankful that Staff did what the Commission requested and highlighted the instances of non-compliance. That’s exactly what we needed to be able to make an informed decision today.”
Highlights of the Commission Order
Smaller than requested rate increase. Liberty may increase annual operating revenues for electric distribution services by $97 million. Liberty requested an increase in annual operating revenues of $152.8 million.
Phased in rates based on satisfactory improvements, measured by established customer service and billing metrics. The Commission finds that Liberty has met required billing and customer service metrics for a period of three consecutive months, January through March of 2026. As of August 3, 2026, Liberty’s rate increase will begin to be phased-in over a period of three years with approximately one-third of the increase being implemented each consecutive year.
External Audit. Liberty must engage an independent third-party auditor to conduct external audits to include, but not be limited to, customer billing accuracy and timeliness and customer service and satisfaction levels across all channels.
Arrearage Forgiveness. The Company will forgive $8.5 million in customer arrears through a targeted relief initiative. The Company will work collaboratively with stakeholders to design a creative and impactful program that facilitates the funds being used in the most meaningful and effective way.
Visit the PSC’s website at www.psc.mo.gov to learn more about the Commission and to view recent news releases and video of select proceedings.
The more prices go up the more money more money Liberety makes.
ReplyDeleteThis is great for everyone because every time the cost of utilities gets higher Liberty can make more money to improvce their billing and collections.
It's a win win for everyone!