Get InvolvedHow to Participate in Commission Decisions The Commission encourages public participation in Commission decisions. In general rate increase applications, and in other cases of wide public interest, hearings designed to elicit comment from members of the public are often scheduled. Consumer Affairs staff provide procedural information to people who want to participate in public hearings. Consumer Affairs staff are also available at most individual public hearings to answer customer service-related questions and/or provide mediation services. In order to increase greater participation, the Commission also uses interactive video to host public hearings at a greater number of locations than traveling would permit. Attend Public Hearings or Meetings Commission public hearings or meetings held in the community are open to everyone. The community meetings are generally conducted by an Administrative Law Judge who presides over the proceedings by welcoming members of the community, introducing those in attendance and keeping minutes. Upon completion of the hearings, the Judge will provide a summary and recommendation to the Commission for consideration. Members of the public can indicate their interest in providing comments at these public meetings when the Administrative Law Judge or one or more of the Commissioners solicit comments from the audience. To offer any comments, simply raise your hand and the Judge or Commissioner(s) will call upon you to come forward and offer your comments into the record. You will be requested to state and spell your name for the record and indicate whether you are submitting comments on behalf of a group or as an individual. Once you've made your comments and/or offered your observations and answered any questions that may be asked to clarify your comments, you will return to your seat. This is a very informal process and the Commission encourages members of the public to participate. Regularly scheduled Commission agenda meetings are conducted by the Commission Chairman along with four Commissioners. These are open meetings normally conducted each Tuesday and Thursday at the Commission offices. These hearings are more formal and are designed to accept comments from formal parties to a case as well as deliberate evidence parties submit for Commission consideration. As meetings occasionally must be canceled or rescheduled, please confirm the time and date by checking our website to verify hearing schedule. Submit Written Public Comments Written comments are most effective when they include:
Please be sure to check for any comment due dates to make certain your comments are submitted in a timely manner in order to be considered. |