Morano introduces Resolution 555 on utility rate transparency
Council Member Frank Morano introduces Resolution 555 supporting state legislation for better notice before utility rate hikes, requiring regulators to consider family impacts, strengthening consumer protections, and improving transparency. He frames it as a nonpartisan kitchen table issue affecting homeowners, tenants, and small business owners alike.
Thank you, Majority Leader.
Today I'm introducing Resolution 555 that speaks to something every one of us has heard about from our constituents, irrespective of party or borough, utility bills that just keep going up.
For millions of New Yorkers, electricity and natural gas aren't luxuries, they're necessities.
You can postpone buying a new television set, you can't postpone keeping the lights on or refrigerating your food or heating your home in the winter, and yet too many New Yorkers open their utility bill every month and ask the same question.
How did it get this high?
This resolution doesn't pretend that the City Council controls utility rates.
We don't, obviously.
That's the responsibility of Albany and the Public Service Commission.
But when New Yorkers are struggling, I think it's our responsibility to speak up.
And the package of state legislation that this resolution supports would provide better notice before rate hikes, require regulators to consider the impact that utility rates have on families, strengthen consumer protections,
improve payment plan standards, and bring greater transparency and accountability to utility regulations.
These are not radical ideas at all.
They are common sense, nonpartisan reforms rooted in good government.
Whether you're a homeowner on Staten Island, a tenant in the Bronx, or a small business owner in Brooklyn, everyone deserves to know what they're paying for, why costs.
are increasing and whether someone is truly looking out for the people paying the bills, not just the entities that are sending them.
This shouldn't be a Republican or Democratic issue, it's a kitchen table issue.
Every dollar a family spends unnecessarily on utility bills is a dollar they can't spend on groceries, rent, prescriptions, or saving for their children's future.
Government can't solve every problem overnight, but we can insist on greater transparency.
We can demand accountability, and we can stand with the people who work hard, pay their bills, and simply want a fair deal.
So I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this resolution and sending a clear message to Albany.
New Yorkers deserve an energy system that's not only reliable, but affordable, transparent, and worthy of the public's trust.
Thank you.
Councilmember Riley, followed by Aviles.