R2023-087 2023-04-10RESOLUTION NO. R2023-87
A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Pearland, Texas, ("City")
responding to the application of CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp.,
d/b/a CenterPoint Energy Entex and CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas – Texas
Coast Division (Centerpoint), to increase rates under the Gas Reliability
Infrastructure Program; suspending the effective date of this rate
application for forty-five days; authorizing the City’s participation in a
coalition of cities known as the "Texas Coast Utilities Coalition of Cities"
(TCUC); requiring the reimbursement of costs; determining that the
meeting at which the resolution was adopted complied with the Texas
Open Meetings Act; making such other findings and provisions related to
the subject; and declaring an effective date.
WHEREAS: on or about March 2, 2023, CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., d/b/a
CenterPoint Energy Entex and CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas – Texas Coast Division
(CenterPoint or Company) filed for an increase in gas utility rates under the Gas Reliability
Infrastructure Program (‘GRIP”), resulting in a requested increase in the monthly customer
charges as shown in the table below:
Rate
Schedule
Current
Customer
Charge
Proposed
2023 Interim
Rate
Adjustment
Adjusted
Charge
Increase Per
Bill
R-2096-I-GRIP 2023;
R-2096-U-GRIP 2023
Residential
$19.94
per customer
per month
$2.01
per customer
per month
$21.95
per customer
per month
$2.01
per customer
per month
GSS-2096-I-GRIP 2023;
GSS-2096-U-GRIP 2023
General Service
Small
$24.93
per customer
per month
$3.00
per customer
per month
$27.93
per customer
per month
$3.00
per customer
per month
GSLV-627-I-GRIP 2023;
GSLV-627-U-GRIP 2023
General Service
Large Volume
$365.46
per customer
per month
$104.91
per customer
per month
$470.37
per customer
per month
$104.91
per customer
per month
and
WHEREAS: the City has a special responsibility to exercise due diligence with regard to
rate increases of monopoly utilities who operate within its boundaries; and
WHEREAS: the application to increase rates by CenterPoint is complex; and
WHEREAS: it is necessary to suspend the effective date for the increase in rates for
forty-five days, so that the City can assure itself that the data and calculations in CenterPoint’s
rate application are correctly done, and whether CenterPoint’s application otherwise conforms to
DocuSign Envelope ID: 6235879A-ADC6-4F39-8021-A9DCE0B56F63
RESOLUTION NO. R2023-87
2
the requirements of Texas Utilities Code § 104.301, commonly referred to as the GRIP statute;
and
WHEREAS: the effective date proposed by CenterPoint is May 1, 2023, but a
suspension by the City will mean that the rate increase cannot go into effect prior to June 15,
2023.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PEARLAND, TEXAS:
Section 1. That the statements and findings set out in the preamble to this resolution
are hereby in all things approved and adopted.
Section 2. The City suspends the requested effective date by CenterPoint for forty-
five days pursuant to the authority granted the City under Section 104.301 of the Texas Utilities
Code. The City finds that additional time is needed in order to review the data and calculations
that provide the basis for the rate increase application, and to determine whether CenterPoint’s
application otherwise conforms to the requirements of the GRIP statute.
Section 3. The City shall continue to act jointly with other cities that are part of a
coalition of cities known as the Texas Coast Utilities Coalition of Cities (TCUC).
Section 4. The City authorizes the law firm of Herrera Law & Associates, PLLC, to
act on its behalf in connection with CenterPoint’s application to increase rates.
Section 5. CenterPoint is ordered to reimburse the City's reasonable rate case
expenses incurred in response to CenterPoint’s rate increase application within 30 days of
receipt of invoices for such expenses to the extent allowed by law.
Section 6. The meeting at which this resolution was approved was in all things
conducted in compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter
551.
Section 7. This resolution shall be effective immediately upon passage.
PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED this the 10th day of April, A.D., 2023.
________________________________
J. KEVIN COLE
MAYOR
DocuSign Envelope ID: 6235879A-ADC6-4F39-8021-A9DCE0B56F63
RESOLUTION NO. R2023-87
3
ATTEST:
________________________________
FRANCES AGUILAR, TRMC, MCC
CITY SECRETARY
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________________
DARRIN M. COKER
CITY ATTORNEY
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