DALLAS — Atmos Energy is asking Dallas City Council to approve a significant rate increase, meaning residential customers would be paying more for their natural gas every month.
The energy provider is asking council members for an increase of $47.9 million in annual revenues from the city, which would be a monthly increase of about 14.98% per month for residential customers, or about $13.72 more per month.
If approved, this new rate would take effect on June 1.
City staff are reviewing the proposal. The deadline to approve the increase is May 26.
In a filing with the city, Atmos said $15.8 million of the annual revenue increase is for the completion of the three-year period previously negotiated and agreed upon with the city in which rates had been lowered to reflect the tax reduction of 2017. Another $4.8 million of the increase Atmos attributes to unrecovered interest expense related to high gas costs during Winter Storm Uri.
Atmos also says that, between October 2022 and September 2023, more than $231 million was spent to further enhance the safety and reliability of Dallas' natural gas system.
"Current rates don't allow us to begin recovering the additional spending incurred in 2023 to support safety and reliability," Atmos stated in the filing to the city.
