Four Westchester Public Hearings Scheduled to Address Con Ed Rate Hikes

The Westchester County Executive’s office announced four public hearings next week over proposed Con Edison rate hikes, a plan months in the making. 

The in-person hearings will take place next Tuesday, July 8, and Wednesday, July 9 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. 

The July 8 hearings are scheduled for Cortlandt Town Hall at 1 Heady St. in Cortlandt Manor. The July 9 hearings are planned for the Westchester County Center, located at 198 Central Ave. in White Plains. 

The hearings with Con Edison come after the energy provider proposed increasing rates earlier this year. 

Con Ed, which services New York City and Westchester, submitted a proposal in January asking the state Public Service Commission — the division of the Department of Public Service that regulates utility companies — to approve an 11.4 percent increase on electric delivery and a 13.3 percent increase on natural gas delivery.

Con Ed claims the rate increases are needed to cover costs associated with high demand, maintaining system reliability and safety, reducing emissions, improving customer outreach, infrastructure investments, and increased operating expenses.  

But many Westchester residents have pushed back in recent months. 

State Sen. Shelley Mayer hosted a “No Love for Con Edison” rally on Valetine’s Day, following the public outcry. The lawmaker later told The Record that she’d even be looking into reassessing the state’s rate-setting methodology altogether. 

The Westchester County Board of Legislators also unanimously voted back in March to join a statewide rate case against the energy provider. 

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, a Democrat who has been vying for in-person hearings with Con Ed all year, said he’s calling on the Public Service Commission to reject the energy provider’s proposed rate hikes. 

“I am here for working-class families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners already struggling to make ends meet,” he said in a statement. “Forcing people to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table is not just bad policy – it’s unacceptable.”

DPS is accepting public comment in person at the July 8 and July 9 hearings. A verbatim transcript of each public statement at the hearings will also be included in the meetings’ records.

A date for the Public Service Commission to vote on the proposed ConEd rate hikes still hasn’t been set, according to DPS. If the rate increases pass, they’ll take effect January 2026.

This story was last updated at 1:08 p.m. on July 2.