- Tips for Participating in Public Input Hearings When the Public Utility Commission (PUC) believes there is substantial public interest in a proceeding, the PUC may hold a public input hearing. The Office of Consumer. Advocate (OCA) appreciates your interest in this case and offers the CONSUMER ADVOCATE following tips: Please Participate. This is your opportunity to make the PUC and the utility company aware of any concerns that you have about the proceeding. Call the OCA In Advance IfYou Have Questions about the Process or the Proceeding. The OCA will answer questions you may have about the public input hearing and the proceeding. Prepare What You Want to Say in Advance. It: is helpful to prepare your statement ahead of time. Especially if you are: nervous about participating, you may want to write out your statement and then read it when you are called. Add Your Own Experiences. When you testify, give specific information relevant to the issues that concern you. If other customers have testified about the same issue, you may still mention it to show that the issue affects more than one. The Judge sometimes sets time limits for testimony. Be Sworn In. You may provide an unsworn statement, but unless you are sworn in, your testimony will not become part of the record in the proceeding. Speak Slowly and Clearly. Your testimony is important, sO stay close to the phone or microphone, keep your voice up and use short sentences to explain your concerns with the proceeding. Questions. One oft the parties may ask you questions about your testimony. Listen carefully to the questions and answer the best that you can. It is okay if you do not know the answer. If required by the Administrative Law Judge, register in advance. Ifthere is a preregistration requirement, that information will be available in the notice and in newspapers and social media posts. Ifthe hearing is being held telephonically, here are afew additional tips: Call in a Few Minutes Early. If possible, call the toll-free number you are provided at least 5 minutes before the hearing is to begin. You will then have the opportunity to hear the PUC Administrative Law Judge's instructions at the beginning of the hearing. Late Callers. Ifyou call in late, you may still be able to testify, but you will likely be called after all other customers have testified. Thank You for Your Interest Office of Consumer Advocate, 555 Walnut Street, 5th Floor, Forum Place, Harrisburg, Pa 17101-1923 PA Consumers: 800-684-6560 . 717-783-5048 . consumer@paoca.org . www.oca.pa.goy 4872-1061-7719 Public Input Hearings Public Input Hearings give every person an opportunity to speak CONSUMER ADVOCATE about how and why this potential rate increase matters. Comments, or testimony, can include information about how this case would impact them if approved by the PUC without any Prepare what you want to say before the hearing. This may changes. helpyou feel more comfortable when it is your These hearings are open to the public and can be held in-person turn to speak. or online. The Judge who is ruling over the case, the PA Public Utility Commission, Advocates and Company staff are all there to listen. Share your experience. Use specific examples when speaking or preparing your comment and ifs someone starts describing the same issue as you, repeat it. This shows alli interested parties that this could be a pattern that impacts more than one customer. When the judge asks you if you would like to be sworn in, we encourage you to say yes. - Saying yes permits your comment to become part of the case record and aRi be considered in the final decision when that is made. Ifyou can't make the hearing, submita a comment. Forms are Why are Public Input Hearings available through the PUC's website or you can call OCA and Important? we will mailyou a form directly or you can contact OCA with your concerns. Your opinion matters! Public Input Hearings are how the people that can help you, can heary you. Customers can use this time to speak about their current experience with the company, Some examples include issues like: My bill is already too high. Ifit increases any more, won't be able to afford it! can'tt talk to someone when I need help and don't know where to turn. My service goes out regularly and it takes hours or days fori it to come back on. These comments can be used to strengthen our point and build our case for why some parts of the company's proposal may not be fair or reasonable to ask for. OCA may be able to use some of these shared experience in testimony and ask the company to create a resolution for the customer. One common misunderstanding is that rate cases only focus on the rates or costs. Rate cases also look at service quality and Customer Assistance Programs. The OCA looks at how these can be improved and will often use your testimony at Public Input Hearings to make recommendations to the Commission. a Public Input Hearings Scheduled on Proposed Rate Increase Requests by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) Docket Nos. R-2023-3043189 (water), R-2023-3043190 (wastewater) CONSUMER ADVOCATE Did you know? On November 8, 2023, Pennsylvania American Water Company Who is the OCA? (PAWC) asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) to The Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) increase rates for its water and wastewater customers. If the rate represents Pennsylvania utility consumers and increase request is granted, PAWC can collect an additional $203.9 advocates for each consumer's right to reliable, million per year from its customers. This would mean customers will safe and affordable utility service. be paying more than they ever have before. What will we do? How would this impact me? During the next several months, the OCA will fully participate in this case to represent the If the company's proposal is approved: interests of consumers. We will review the case The residential fixed customer charge, a charge paid no matter fort fairness ofthe proposed increases and new how much or little a consumer uses, would increase for water customers by 14% ($2.50 per month) from $17.50 to $20, and for charges. This is done with help from expert wastewater customers by 40% ($5.70 per month), from $14.30 to witnesses and public participation. $20. How to contact us? The monthly bill for a residential water customer using 3,201 gallons, would increase from $70.65 to $88.24, or by $17.59; and 555 Walnut Street for a residential wastewater customer using 3,122 gallons, would 5th Floor, Forum Place decrease from $105.18 to $100.08, or by $5.10. Harrisburg, PA: 17101 The amount your bill changes will depend on how much you use. Phone: 1-800-684-6560 Email: consumer@paocaorg Check the OCA's formal complaint for bill impact at all usage levels: masewsamemhsssMACNSAMNCN Public Input Hearings Do you want to be heard? The PUC has scheduled 12 public input hearings to hear testimony from consumers about PAWC's proposed rate increases. There will be 8 in-person hearings, 2 per day (afternoon and evening), held at 4 different locations: Port Vue, Scranton, Reading, and Harrisburg. If you want to testify in-person, you are encouraged to register in advance by contacting the OCA. See details on the next page. 41 hearings will be held by telephone. Ify you want to testify, you must register in advance with the OCA to receive the call-in information to connect. See details on the next page. The OCA encourages customers affected by the proposed rate increase to participate in the public input hearings. Public Input Hearings How do register to testify? Date: Monday, January 29, 2024 If you wish to testify at a hearing or listen to the Times: 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM telephonic hearings, please contact the Office of Type: In-person Consumer Advocate. Register by emailing Location: Port Vue Social Hall consumer@paoca.ors or calling 1-800-684-6560. 1191 Romine Avenue Please provide: Port Vue, PA 15133 (1) your first and last name Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2024 (2) the utility name Pennsylvania American Water Times: 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM Company) Type: In-person Location: Scranton Cultural Center (3) the date and time of the public input hearing 420 N. Washington Avenue where you want to testify or listen; Scranton, PA 18503 (4) the phone number you will be using to call into the telephonic public input hearing Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2024 Times: 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM (5) a phone number where you can be reached prior Type: In-person to the hearing if we need to contact you Location: Dunn Community Center (6) your email address (if you have one), and 4565 Prestwick Drive Reading, PA 19606 (7) ify you require an interpreter to participate in the hearing, the language of the interpreter Date: Monday, February 5, 2024 Times: 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM For in-person hearings: You are encouraged to Type: Telephone pre-register prior to the hearing date. Telephone: Register with OCA to get the call-in number Last day to pre-register for telephonic hearings: Friday, February 2, 2024. You must pre-register to Date: Tuesday, February 6, 2024 participate by telephone. Times: 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM Type: In-person Have exhibits? Location: Hearing Room 1 Keystone Building Ify you have any hearing exhibits to which you will 400 North Street refer during the hearing, please email them to the Harrisburg, PA 17120 OCA at consumer@paoca.org The OCA will forward the exhibits to the Judges and all parties. Date: Wednesday, February 7, 2024 Times: 1:00 and 6:00 PM Last day to email exhibits to OCA: Type: Telephone For in-person hearings: January 25, 2024 Telephone: Register with OCA to get the call-in number For telephonic hearings: February 2, 2024 Need an interpreter? Ify you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible, to help ensure the PUC has enough time to arrange for the interpreter to attend the public input hearing. Have more questions? Contact the Office of Consumer Advocate at 1-800-684-6560 or consumer@paoca.org.