TOPEKA - An evidentiary hearing planned for next week in the Kansas Gas Service rate case will now be a settlement hearing. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved the change at their business meeting this morning.

Last Friday, the parties in the case, which include KCC Staff, Kansas Gas Service, the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board, and WoodRiver Energy, filed a unanimous settlement agreement with the Commission.

The settlement hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, August 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the KCC’s office in Topeka and will be livestreamed on the KCC YouTube channel. At the hearing, Commissioners will have an opportunity to hear from witnesses in the docket and ask questions. The Commission may approve, reject, or modify the agreement. A Commission order is due on or before October 25, 2024.

If the settlement is approved, residential customers with average usage (72.23 Mcfs) would see an increase in their monthly bill of approximately $3.83 per month or $42.02 per year. The company has withdrawn its proposal to implement two different rate structures based on high or low usage. That proposal would have resulted in a residential rate increase of approximately $6.71 per month for customers using 73 Mcf or less per month or $9.48 more per month for those residential customers using more.

A link to the proposed settlement agreement is available here.