Thursday, October 1, 2026
An audit and negotiations between the village and the New York Department of Public Service led to a proposed 11 percent increase in Rockville Centre electric rates.
Last October, village officials had originally estimated that the increase would be nearly 17 percent partly as a result of inflation and rising costs of medical and retirement expenses, but after reviews and adjustments, the department determined a smaller increase was in order.
The increase needs to be ratified by the public service commission after a public hearing is held on Tuesday, May 29 at 6:30 in the village courtroom.
In addition to the formal hearings, comments can be sent electronically to secretary@dps.ny.gov or mailed to Jaclyn Brilling at the Public Service Commission, three Empire State Plaza, Albany NY 12223-1350.
Interested residents can also provide comments via the Commission’s opinion line at 1-800-335-2120. Callers should press ‘1’ to leave comments.
According to Village Comptroller Michael Schussheim, the increase is baed specifically on the costs of continuing present operation of the electric department and does not include extra costs for the possibility of new power plant generators.
The last increase in electricity rates for the village was implemented in June 2004, Schussheim said, and the current proposal is necessary to cover increases in costs for things like health insurance and wage increases for Electric Department employees. “The rates that were approved eight years ago are not sufficient,” he said.
The 2004 rate increase was enacted after the installation of a substation at the Electric Department on Maple Avenue and technical improvements to the distribution system. At the time, electricity rates had not risen for nearly a decade.
“But even with an increase, Rockville Centre rates will remain substantially lower than LIPA’s,” said Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray. “In November 2011, the last month for which we have statistics, Rockville Centre residential customers paid rates more than 46 percent lower than LIPA’s.”
Murray said that the Electric Department has been operating at a deficit for two years. Schussheim said that in the 2010 fiscal year, the losses were more significant than in 2011.
