EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District customers have until Dec. 23 to submit their comments on proposed rate hikes that would go into effect in April 2026. Comments can be submitted at Grant PUD: Commission Meetings. Customers commenting at the last PUD commission meeting of 2025 said higher rates are going to be a challenge. 

Commissioner Terry Pyle said the PUD is facing challenges, too.  

“We don’t want you to go away feeling like it’s us against you,” Pyle said. “We’re facing the same things – some of our costs have doubled over the last couple years, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But those costs have to be met, so we can continue to deliver power. So what do we do?” 

Utility district employees showed the most recent projections for rate increases in 2026 at the Dec. 9 meeting. Commissioners will vote on the proposed rate hikes at the Jan. 26 meeting. The PUD divides its customers in core and non-core classes, with core customers getting the lowest-cost rates. Those include residential, small business, irrigation and agriculture service rate classes. Rates for core customers were projected to increase from 2.7% to 3.6%, while rates for non-core customers are projected to increase from 7.5% to 13.8%. 

Chuck Sutton, president of Grant County Industrial Alliance, said raising rates to the proposed levels might not give the PUD the answer it needs.  

“This policy could actually produce an outcome that runs counter to what you’re trying to achieve,” Sutton said.  

The rate increase for large industrial customers is projected to be an average of 9.5% per year over the next 10 years. Sutton said industrial customers are being asked for a lot of money with little information or certainty about what they’ll get for it. 

“The PUD intends to collect significant revenue through increased rates and upfront fees. Yet we have not seen corresponding plans for substantial investment in new generation capacity or long-term power supply resources that justify the large rate increases. This disconnect raises concerns about what customers receive in return for such dramatic cost escalations,” Sutton said.  

He recommended that customers be allowed to see the cost calculation model and have a third party conduct a cost study.  

John Cortwright, a business owner in Moses Lake, estimated his electric bill would increase by more than $600,000 over the 10-year period at the current projection. His business is designated as non-core, but he couldn’t find a definition of core and non-core. 

“We’ve asked for an explanation. We haven’t gotten one yet,” he said.  

Commissioner Larry Schaapman said customers are allocated to specific classes by the amount of electricity they use. Jeremy Stewart of the PUD’s rates and pricing division said operation costs – and rates – will be reevaluated each year.  

Vernita Welch, Soap Lake, asked if PUD officials had reviewed their operations before deciding on a rate increase.  

“It’s a constant process,” Pyle said. “We have a very rigorous continuous improvement program. It’s constantly looking at each department, each job, trying to figure out how we can get greater efficiencies.” 

Commissioner Judy Wilson said PUD commissioners have focused on keeping rates low during her time as a commissioner. 

“Everything has gone up so much,” Wilson said. “The transformers, the wire — everything has gone up, percentage-wise, way more than our rates have gone up.” 

Pyle encouraged people who have questions to contact PUD employees and commissioners.