HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 14-017ORDINANCE NO.14-017
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS
SUSPENDING THE RATES PROPOSED BY
CENTERPOINT'S GRIP FILING MADE WITH THE CITY ON
MARCH 31,2014; FINDING THATTHE MEETING COMPLIES
WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT; MAKING OTHER
FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT,
AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, on or about March 31, 2014, CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp.
d/b/a CenterPoint Energy Entex and CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas ("CenterPoint" or
"Company") filed an Annual GRIP adjustment for the Beaumont/East Texas Division with
the City of Beaumont ("City") to increase gas rates in the Beaumont/East Texas Division
Service Area pursuant to Gas Utility Regulatory Act, TEX. UTIL. CODE ("Gas Utility
Regulatory Act") § 104.301; and,
WHEREAS, CenterPoint proposed an effective date of May 30, 2014, for the rate
increase; and,
WHEREAS, City has exclusive original jurisdiction over the rates, operations and
services of a gas utility in areas in the municipality pursuant to Gas Utility Regulatory Act
§103.001; and,
WHEREAS, Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301 requires a streamlined process
for the recovery of the costs of incremental investment by a gas utility; and,
WHEREAS, the City's review of CenterPoint's GRIP filing is limited to a ministerial
review of the filing for compliance with the statute; and,
WHEREAS, the City finds the need to suspend the effective date of CenterPoint's
proposed rate increase for 45 days until July 14, 2014 in order to review the Company's
filing for compliance with Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301 and CenterPoint's
agreement with the City in Centerpoint's last base rate case; and,
WHEREAS, the reasonableness of the Company's investment will be reviewed in
CenterPoint's subsequent base rate case where all costs included in CenterPoint's GRIP
filing will be subject to refund;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE
CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT:
Section 1. That the statement and findings set out in the preamble to this
ordinance are hereby in all things approved and adopted.
Section 2. The effective date of CenterPoint's proposed GRIP rate increase, and
the proposed tariffs related thereto, are hereby suspended until July 14, 2014.
Section 3. To the extent the City finds that the rates proposed by CenterPoint
comply with Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301 and CenterPoint's agreement with the
City in Centerpoint's last base rate case, then the rates will become effective by operation
of law on July 14, 2014.
Section 4. The meeting at which this ordinance was approved was in all things
conducted in strict compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government
Code, Chapter 551.
Section 5. This Ordinance shall become effective from and after its passage.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the 22nd day of
April, 2014. + M� �%%jAW
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ATTEST:
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(�ayor Becky Ames -