INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s largest investor-owned water utility briefly sought to charge its 1.3 million customers statewide for a full season of court-side tickets to Indiana Pacers games but quietly backtracked in filings Tuesday after consumer advocates contested the expense.
Indiana American Water (IAW) has asked state regulators for a rate increase that would raise its annual revenues by about $87 million. The Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC), the state agency that advocates on behalf of Hoosier utility customers, recommended limiting the increase to just $18.6 million.
Included within the utility’s ask was nearly $60,000 related to the 2022-2023 Pacers tickets, which IAW hoped to recover from its customers.
Utility President Matthew Prine paid almost $80,000 for the plan, according to the invoice, which was for four second-row seats. The OUCC, however, pushed to get that off the bill.
“Rates should not cover such entertainment for utility employees and their guests,” OUCC Utility Analyst Jason Compton said in testimony filed July 21, while contesting about $21,000 charged to the utility’s employee relations expense account. The utility also charged $38,000 to its community relations expense account.
IAW didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Things like Pacers tickets, you know, that has no place being recovered from ratepayers, and that’s outrageous,” Citizens Action Coalition Program Director Ben Inskeep told the Capital Chronicle. “You know, that’s something that should not be part of why we’re seeing this massive rate increase being proposed by Indiana American.
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