THE COUNCIL

CITY OF INDIANAPOLIS
MARION COUNTY

ZACH ADAMSON
Councillor, District 17
JARED EVANS
Councillor, District 22
MONROE GRAY
Councillor, District 8
MAGGIE LEWIS
Councillor, District 10

May 7, 2018
Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor
Attn: Bill Fine
115 W. Washington St. Suite 1500S
Indianapolis, IN 46204

FRANK MASCARI
Councillor, District 21
WILLIAM OLIVER
Councillor, District 9
VOP OSILI
Councillor, District 11
JOSEPH SIMPSON
Councillor, District 7

Dear Mr. Fine,
On behalf of our constituents, we ask you to oppose Indianapolis Power & Light’s request to
increase its fixed charge in Cause Number 45029.
The families in our districts can ill-afford the proposed Indianapolis Power & Light rate increase.
During the last decade, the median annual income (adjusted for inflation) in Indianapolis has
declined nearly 8%, or almost $5,000. Over the same ten years, the average IPL customer
using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month has seen their electric bill increase by 45%.
Moreover, the percentage of Indianapolis residents living in poverty has nearly doubled in the
past fifteen years—from 11.8% in 2000 to 21.3% in 2015, according to the Sagamore Institute.
This means an additional 85,063 people in Indianapolis are living in poverty, a number nearly as
large as the city’s population growth over the same period.
As members of the Indianapolis-Marion County Council, we do not want to see our constituent
families having to choose between putting food on the table, paying medical bills, or paying
utility bills.
Less than two short years ago, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission granted IPL’s request
for a base-rate increase, resulting in $30 million of additional revenue for IPL each year. And
now IPL is seeking a 59% increase the monthly fixed charge residential customers pay, from
$17 to $27 per month—nearly $100 million of additional burden on Marion County families. If
approved, IPL would have the highest monthly fixed charge of any investor-owned utility in
Indiana.
200 E. Washington Street  Indianapolis, IN 46204
Cell: 317.683.9224 • Fax: 317.327.4230
adamsonforindy@aol.com

 High monthly fixed charges impact our low- and fixed-income constituents particularly hard.
Although these customers tend to use less energy to begin with, high monthly fixed charges
limit their ability to reduce their electric bills by reducing the amount of electricity they use. They
are simply at the mercy of the “fixed charge” IPL is allowed.
We encourage IPL to create rate designs, programs, and policies that set affordable rates for
low-income and fixed-income customers and encourage investment in energy efficiency and
customer-owned power. We believe all IPL customers in our districts should live in safety and
dignity, without fear of utility shutoffs.
Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Zach Adamson
City-County Councillor, District 17

Jared Evans
City-County Councillor, District 22

Monroe Gray
City-County Councillor, District 8

Maggie Lewis
City-County Councillor, District 10

Frank Mascari
City-County Councillor, District 21

William Oliver
City-County Councillor, District 9

Vop Osili
City-County Councillor, District 11

Joseph Simpson
City-County Councillor, District 7