LAFAYETTE, La. (January 7, 2010) – Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel announced this afternoon that the Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) rate ordinance is being resubmitted to the Lafayette Public Utilities Authority (LPUA) and Lafayette City-Parish Council.  The formal introduction is expected on Tuesday, January 19, 2010.

 As with the previous rate ordinance, which was first introduced in September 2009 and eventually failed before the LPUA in December 2009, LUS is proposing a two-year increase on its electric, water and wastewater systems.  These rate adjustments are needed for critical upgrades and improvements to the utility system and to cover the rising costs to provide electric, water and sewer services.  The overall impact on the customer's total bill would be about 7% for each year of the increase, if last year's fuel prices were still in place.  With today's comparatively lower fuel costs, typical customers will see little change in their total LUS bill as compared to bills they paid last year.

 "The longer we delay on these upgrades, the costlier the upgrades will become," said LUS Director Terry Huval.  "We have already had to make major cuts in our expenditures due to the failure to get these new revenues authorized last year, so it is critical that we get the necessary funding now before the quality of services begins to suffer."

"The residents and businesses of Lafayette count on reliable LUS services to conduct their businesses and their lives.  Without passage of this rate ordinance, utility service interruptions will increase in the future.  The time to deal with this issue pro-actively is now," said President Durel.

If the council votes to introduce the ordinance in January, it could come up for final adoption in early February.