SIERRA VISTA , AZ -- Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative customers in the Sierra Vista area will be paying a little more for the electricity they use.
The Arizona Corporation Commission recently approved a rate increase that will be reflected in the utility's October 2009 billings.
The utility asked for the rate hike because of rising costs of materials, supplies, services and labor.
State regulators reviewed and made amendments to the rate request and then OK'd the amended version Aug. 25 in Phoenix.
The utility's chief member services officer Jack Blair said it's the Cooperative's first rate increase in 16 years.
The 9.34 percent rate hike gives the utility an additional $7.5 million in annual revenue, an increase of about $8.25 per month for the average residential ratepayer.
