Public Works Commission sees increased revenue from water, sewer and electricity

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission has seen a year-over-year increase in revenue, Chief Financial Officer Rhonda Haskins told the board on Wednesday.

Haskins presented a PowerPoint slideshow to the board with a financial review as of the first quarter of this fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. Some of her figures:

• The electric fund had $73 million in total revenue, vs. $67.3 million last year. Revenue was higher than the budgeted $65.9 million.
• Electric fund expenses were $60.1 million, down from $60.3 million last year. Expenses had been budgeted at $65 million.
• The water and sewer fund had $37.4 million in revenue, vs. $33.8 million the year before. It was budgeted at $37.1 million.
• Water and sewer expenses were $26.5 million, up from $25.6 million last year. Expenses were budgeted at $31.6 million.

The Public Works Commission provides electricity, water and sewer service to the Fayetteville area. It’s owned by the City of Fayetteville. A four-person board, appointed by the City Council, oversees its operations.

Some other figures from the first quarter:

• Electric sales revenue went up to $61.4 million this year from $56.2 million, reversing a decline across several years.
• But total volume of electricity sold declined from 583 megawatt-hours to 575 megawatt-hours. Total number of electrical customers is around 86,000 homes, businesses and other users.

The amount of electricity that the PWC bought in the first quarter of this fiscal year is down from last year, as is the price it paid.

This year, the PWC bought 593 megawatt-hours of electricity to resell to its customers, for $64.29 per megawatt-hour. In the first quarter of the last fiscal year, it bought 596 megawatt-hours for $69.25 per megawatt-hour.

The PWC buys most of its power from Duke Energy Progress. It generates some power from a solar farm, and it owns and operates a natural gas power plant that is used to help supply Duke and keep rates down for the PWC’s customers.

Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com. 

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