Rochester City Council votes to fund study to replace RG&E, Bello doesn't support spending
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello on Wednesday said he does not support spending $1 million to study the feasibility of creating a public utility to replace Rochester Gas & Electric, nor does he support the concept.
“RG&E must improve their service, billing and customer issues,” Bello said in a statement. “I have advocated for that improvement by opposing the RG&E rate increase directly with the Public Service Commission.”
Under the current proposed plan, RG&E electric rates would increase 16% over a three year span and gas would rise 10.9% over that same period.
Bello also has met with the company’s local management team and the CEO of Connecticut-based Avangrid, which owns RG&E, to address the concerns of county residents, he said.
“However, creating a public utility is an extremely complex issue that is beyond the scope of Monroe County. It could have billions of dollars of implications for taxpayers.”
Bello’s statement followed a unanimous Rochester City Council vote on Tuesday to allocate $500,000 for such a study, something Metro Justice, a progressive grassroots organization, has been fiercely advocating amid rampant complaints about costly billing errors and inadequate customer service.
However, to move forward, the study also would require funding from the county and New York state.
In explaining his position, the county executive also noted that RG&E is the county’s largest property taxpayer, contributing more than $100 million annually to municipalities and school districts.
Further, “The company has $4 billion in assets that would need to be acquired, in addition to obligations for maintenance, repairs, environmental cleanups and operations of multiple gas plants and the electric power infrastructure.”
Finally, he said, RG&E has customers in nine counties between here and the Pennsylvania border and that all of them would have to buy in for changes to occur.
In a statement, Metro Justice expressed disappointment in Bello's position and questioned the numbers he is using to support it.
"The public wants an alternative to the multinational corporate mismanagement of RG&E and we are going to keep fighting until we get it," the group said. "We call on the County Executive to reconsider the facts and his position, and look forward to working with the County Legislature — who have the ultimate authority on whether to authorize funds for a public utility study."
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: RG&E replacement study supported by Rochester City Council, not Bello
