This comment is regarding item N on the agenda References Power Cost Adjustment (PCA).

Prior to April 2022, a calculation or explanation of the proposed Power Cost Adjustment increase was prepared and published by this Board of Commissioners for the period April 2022 through June 2022. The bottom line of that calculation represented an increase of approximately $4.93 per 1000 kWh per rate payer per month.

The PCA charge on my April 2022 electric bill was $68.26. The PCA charge on my May bill was $112.93. The June PCA was similar at $112.18.

To my knowledge, there was no PCA calculation or explanation prepared or published, by the Board of Commissioners, for the period of July 2022 through the present, yet the PCA charged continued to increase. In July my PCA charge increased to $139.04. In August my PCA charge was $216.80, which was almost as much as my charge for actual usage. I just got my September bill, as of the preparing of this comment. The PCA charge was $ 173.12. 

I ask this question as the voice for all 27,500 rate payers. How does this Board justify such excessive PCA charges. They are so much greater than your published projection! If the average rate payer was charged was charged a PCA of $100.00 per month. That equates to 2,750,000 per month. Mind you this estimate is quite low, as I am sure there are many customers such as myself where their PCA was equal to their actual usage charge   (200+ per month).

There are two paramount issues with this. The first is the enormity of these numbers, requires and demands a full and transparent accounting as to where these funds were used. As a co-operative owned Utility, this should be public information and readily available for release and should be!

Secondly and so much more important! The economy being what it is, these types of un-expected and totally excessive PCA charges are an incredible hardship to the average rate payer. Many are being forced to make difficult life decisions as to what to pay and what not to pay to simply survive, what can I do without and have to have. Many will have their electric service disconnected and be assessed additional charges to have it re-connected. This is a matter, a crisis that needs to be addressed immediately! The rate payers cannot be made to suffer because of the mis-management and lack of fore thought by this Board of Commissioners. You need to right this wrong IMMEDIATELY!

To close this comment - This Board needs to get of of the Electric supply business, where it does not have the expertise or qualifications and concentrate on running our fair City of Lake Worth Beach - instead of running it into the ground!

Thank you for your time!