Otherwise, city officials can only speak to how a rate case impacts a city's bottom line. Loyd's proposal, sent out of the House Utilities Committee on Wednesday, would expand the current process that calls on the Citizens' Utility Ratepayer Board's consumer counsel to represent citizens in regulatory hearings. CURB officials say they're limited by budgetary constraints on which cases they get involved with. And some argue that the state lobbying group can't effectively represent citizens in some issues because one community's concern could be different from another. And they can't argue for both.
Nothing precludes individuals from having their voices heard.
They can still petition to state a case for or against a utility company's rate-change request. But the collective voice of a community, communicated by a one of their own, has an inherent level of trust that the community's best interests are being served. Permitting cities to lobby on behalf of their citizens makes sense. It's grass roots, and that's where the most effective governing takes place.