By Tashi McQueenAFRO Employees Writertmcqueen@afro.com
The Baltimore Metropolis Council, led by Council President Zeke Cohen (D), introduced a sequence of investigative hearings at Baltimore Metropolis Corridor to handle Baltimore Fuel and Electrical’s (BGE) charge will increase.
Cohen stated the primary listening to will happen on Feb. 20.
“Based on Maryland’s Workplace of Individuals’s Council, between 2010 and 2025, BGE charges have elevated practically thrice the speed of inflation over the past decade,” stated Cohen. “This final yr has been catastrophic.”
One restaurant proprietor stated his invoice practically doubled this previous January.
“Nearly a yr in the past, my common BGE invoice for Marta Effective Meals and Spirits, which is a small restaurant, was about $2,500,” stated Matthew Oetting, chef and proprietor of Marta Effective Meals and Spirits. “I opened my invoice for January this previous month, and it has reached over $4,000.”
Oetting stated he has to cope with making an attempt “to determine how we hold the lights on with out passing prices onto our prospects. That’s one thing that I don’t need [to do].”
BGE has beforehand highlighted that the value of pure fuel was 30 p.c increased in January 2025 than in January 2024.
Lifelong Baltimore resident Nicole Rogers stated she as soon as needed to pay “$5,000, that I didn’t have,” or BGE would “flip my electrical energy off.”
“I get incapacity, that’s the one revenue I obtain. I depend on a walker to get round,” stated Rogers. “If this might occur to me, it’s most likely taking place to numerous different individuals in Baltimore and in my scenario.”
Councilman “Yitzy” Schleifer (D-District 5) can be heading the hearings within the Legislative Investigations Committee.
“We’ve all heard that you simply get what you pay for, however that couldn’t be farther from the reality with BGE,” claimed Schleifer. “We pay by the roof and we get tasks that take approach longer than anticipated. To this finish, the Legislative Investigations Committee that I chair intends to carry public hearings on this matter and request full cooperation from BGE.”
BGE responded to the council’s announcement stating that they’ve “been actively participating with the Baltimore Metropolis Council, together with Council President Cohen and Councilman Schleifer, to handle key points affecting Baltimore Metropolis residents and BGE prospects.”
“We welcome the chance to proceed making progress, whether or not by hearings or the assorted conferences and open homes we have now scheduled for our prospects within the metropolis,” stated Nick Alexopulos, senior supervisor of communications for BGE. “These efforts are essential as we deal with sensible actions that help our prospects.”
Lately, BGE has taken extra steps to help prospects, similar to waiving late cost charges for January and February 2025, suspending disconnections attributable to nonpayment in February 2025 and streamlining their course of to get prospects who had been disconnected again in service extra shortly.
“We additionally must be having this dialog with the Maryland Public Service Fee (PSC),” stated Cohen. “They’re finally who’re tasked with regulating the utility.”
PSC responded to this announcement saying, “The fee appreciates the council’s issues and acknowledges that will increase to charges have an effect on the monetary potential of Maryland ratepayers to maintain up with their fuel and electrical energy bills.”
“The fee’s obligation is to make sure that charges, phrases and situations established for public service firms are simply, affordable and clear,” stated Tori Leonard, communications director for PSC. “Throughout the financial elements that have an effect on all companies, together with regulated utilities, the PSC strives to approve prudently incurred bills and affordable charges of returns for the utility to offer secure and dependable service.”
Leonard stated PSC is keen to talk with members of the council on this matter.
“The reconciliation for BGE’s first multi-year charge case is an lively, open continuing awaiting a call by the fee,” she stated. “There could also be limits to what we are able to touch upon in that case in consequence, however we welcome discussions with council members.”
