HAVEN, Kan. — Haven and several other small communities in the area are going to feel the financial hit handed to them by Evergy.
Haven gets its power from the Kansas Power Pool and then sets its rates to city residents.
Evergy is in the process of building a new substation near Burrton replacing one that has past its life cycle. But that means the utility is passing the cost of building on to customers and those in the power pool.
Evergy notified Haven that their monthly Wholesale Distribution Service Charge will increase from $4,000.00 per month to $11,839 per month. The increase amounts to $94-thousand per year. The increase also affects the town of Mt. Hope.
City Clerk Leslie Atherton has urged the City Council to not pass the increase onto residents for now. The changes take effect next year which could give the community some time to prepare for the increase while dealing with budget shortfalls connected to the pandemic.
The new substation is expected to be online by the end of the year.