Meals on Wheels Concerned About Austin Energy's Proposed Rate Increase

Dear Editor,
    On behalf of Meals on Wheels and More, thank you for your recent coverage of the proposed rate increase for Austin Energy customers. We at Meals on Wheels and More are very concerned this proposal, if approved, would place a heavy burden on the most economically vulnerable in our community. As Amy Smith points out in her excellent article ["Point Austin: Electric Shock," News, Sept. 23], under the proposed hike, utility consumers who use the lowest amount of electricity would wind up paying the largest rate increase. Most of our Meals on Wheels and More clients live on a fixed income. Some must make ends meet on no more than $600 a month. Imagine for a second if you were in their shoes. How would it feel to open your utility bill only to find out your electric and water rates have both gone up? When $600 has to last an entire month, even a $15 rate increase can be crushing.
    These members of the "greatest generation ever" labored long and hard as carpenters, cooks, and domestic workers. They don't have 401Ks – they invested their money in their children. These senior citizens paid their taxes and played by the rules. It seems wrong to now make them bear more than their fair share of any rate increase. As the Austin City Council reviews the proposed increase, we sincerely hope they will keep our clients, and others like them, in mind.