Higher natural gas rates expected for Cedar Park residents in May, June

Cedar Park residents will soon see a $2-$6 increase on their monthly utility bills for natural gas services.

Natural gas companies are filing for rate increases under the Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program, or GRIP, statute. The GRIP statute allows companies to cover return on capital costs associated with infrastructure through interim rate adjustments, officials said.

What residents should know

Cedar Park residents in Williamson County receive natural gas services from Atmos Energy. For them, the base rate will increase by $6.73 per month, bringing the current rate of $41.23 to $47.96 per month.

For the portion of Cedar Park residents in Travis County who receive natural gas services from Texas Gas Service, the base rate will increase by $2.64 per month, excluding taxes, according to city documents.

What else?

During a March 7 meeting, city staff recommended council to delay the rate increase by 45 days. Council approved the 45-day suspension March 28.

The new rates were initially scheduled to go into effect in April. However, with council’s approval of the suspension, the rates will now be implemented May 24 for Travis County and June 7 for Williamson County.