Anaheim : Decisions on Electricity Rates, Refunds Delayed

A hike in Anaheim electric bills was placed on hold Tuesday, and a decision on refunding money to electric customers was delayed.

Anaheim residents won’t see an increase in their electricity bill at least until after January, 1986, because City Council members decided to maintain current rates.

At the same time, the Public Utilities Department will take additional time to decide whether to give customers refunds from an $11.3-million settlement with Southern California Edison Co.

For now, city officials have decided to take $4 million from that settlement--the result of a lawsuit charging that the utility had overcharged customers--and place it in a special account to help stabilize electric rates.

The money will be placed in an interest-bearing account to be used to reduce the electric company’s revenue shortfall caused by the city’s delay in increasing electricity rates.

Anaheim buys most of its power from Edison. The remainder comes from generation plants that the city partly owns.

Officials originally had scheduled a 5.5 % increase to go into effect Sept. 4. Anaheim residents had an electricity rate increase earlier this year, which raised the average residential bill from $84.54 to $87.12 for a two-month billing period.