ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There was a call for a potential public takeover of Rochester Gas & Electric during a town hall meeting Thursday night.

Rochester City Council is being asked for a resolution to have a vote that would make RG&E's parent company, Avangrid, go public. This comes after the utility company proposed a rate hike from 13-22%.

Those opposed to the hike say the company hasn't provided quality service that warrants a hike. Avangrid says the increased rate will fund upgraded infrastructure and more customer service employees.

Attendees at the town hall say it's time for action.

"For a campaign to take over and replace RG&E with a public utility that is affordable, that is climate-conscious, that is local and reinvests ratepayer dollars back into the community so the community can thrive and have the heat and electricity that it needs reliably," said Mohini Sharma, Metro Justice organizing director.

In response, RG&E says going public could result in higher rates, accumulating debt and reduced reliability. Officials with the utility add they are working on recruiting more employees, due to pandemic-related staffing issues.

RG&E previously responded to criticism by issuing the following statement:

"RG&E recognizes how increased costs have impacted us all. During the rate case process, we take all public comments and feedback into consideration, and we look forward to finding the best way to continue delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers. During this process, we are hoping for a multiyear rate case agreement that reduces the impact on customers while advancing much-needed upgrades to critical infrastructure. Proposed areas of investment include: 

  • Increased tree trimming and replacing aging infrastructure to reduce the number and length of outages
  • Replacing thousands of poles with more storm-resistant poles to combat the impacts of climate change
  • Customer resources such as home energy audits and efficiency upgrades for low-to-moderate-income customers
  • Additional employees for our customer call centers to respond to customer questions and concerns
  • Enhancing customer service options to enable customers to make online payments and request new service from their mobile device. 
  • Procurement of company-owned battery storage and solar for low-income customers, enhancing environmental justice initiatives in our community
  • Initiatives to help low-income customers choose energy-efficient LED bulbs over other options

"Rising expenses have impacted us as well. Even with the proposed rate case, we continue to have among the lowest electric and gas rates in the state. Preparing for the energy future will require significant investment, and we are committed to ensuring that all of our customers will benefit."