Patterson socked with gas bill that triples rate from 2020

PATTERSON — Another city government is feeling the sting of inflation, particularly rising energy costs, so another city’s residents are feeling the sting, too.

The Patterson City Council learned Tuesday that the July bill for the natural gas Patterson distributes to its municipal customers was triple the amount it paid in July 2020.

Billing Clerk Kim Guarisco and Assistant Billing Clerk Kelly Jennings presented the council with the paperwork.

In July 2020, the Louisiana Municipal Gas Authority billed Patterson $7,010.33 for the gas the city distributes to its customers in Patterson and Bayou Vista. In July 2021, the monthly bill was $8,457.53.

Last month, the July bill from the authority was $23,159.33, more than triple the amount the city paid for the same month two years ago.

The July cost of natural gas has already shown up in the bills for individual households.

“The bills are so big that the customers think it’s something we’ve done,” Guarisco told the council. “It’s not.”

“A lot of people call and say, ‘You’re ripping us off,’” Mayor Rodney Grogan said. “No, no, no.”

Patterson also ties utility charges to the Consumer Price Index, which has been rising at the fastest pace in 40 years. The June 2022 CPI was 9.1% higher than in June 2021.

“We’re dealing with inflation,” Grogan said, “and we’re dealing with maybe heading into a recession.”

Natural gas peaked at $8.99 per thousand cubic feet July 26 and fell to $7.66 Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

At its July 26 meeting, the Morgan City Council learned its bill from the Louisiana Energy and Power Authority for June was $1.25 million, the highest monthly bill in eight years.

Morgan City buys electricity from the authority for distribution to its residential and business customers.