Why it matters
Pueblo households face electric bills that could rise more than 22% through 2030, while city and county budgets feel the same pressure. The Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 meetings give residents a direct say before state utility regulators.
Council votes unanimously to oppose higher bills
Pueblo City Council unanimously passed a formal resolution on Oct. 26 opposing two Black Hills Energy proposals that city officials say could raise residential electric bills by more than 22% through 2030.
The vote came a day ahead of the Oct. 27 deadline for submitting answer testimony, formal written responses to the application, set by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, the state utility regulators.
The timing gave the council a formal position before that deadline passed, with every member voting the same way on the resolution opposing the two proposals.
Utility seeks $26.7 million more each year
Black Hills Energy asked for roughly $26.7 million in additional base rate revenue, money collected through regular electric rates, each year in an application filed with state utility regulators on June 12, according to a city background paper for the resolution.
The request follows a recent increase, a point Council President Mark Aliff raised in an interview with the Chieftain. Black Hills Energy raised rates within the last two years, with a 6.7% increase that went into effect in March 2025.
City officials tied the two pending proposals to a possible residential increase of more than 22% through 2030, the figure at the center of the council resolution passed on Oct. 26.
Residents get December meetings in two cities
Public meetings on the proposed rate increases are set for Dec. 1 in Cañon City and Dec. 2 in Pueblo, where residents can address the three members of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in person.
Council President Mark Aliff announced the schedule during the council meeting. The Cañon City session runs from 5 to 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 in the Cañon City Council Chambers.
The Pueblo session runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 at the Barkman Branch of the Pueblo City-County Library District. "This is our opportunity as a community, where the three members of the Public Utilities Commission sit in front of us," Aliff said.
City, county budgets face hit from higher rates
Council President Mark Aliff said he believed the rate increases would have a significant impact on both the city and county budgets and would take money from an already cash-strapped local economy.
For families already stretched, Aliff argued, money paid in higher electric bills is money taken from the local economy in Pueblo. He tied that concern directly to the proposed increases, alongside the separate pressure on city and county budgets.
Sources
Pueblo council pushes back on proposed Black Hills Energy rate hikes
