The Missouri Public Service Commission has changed the location of the Joplin public hearing next week in the Liberty electric rate case pending before regulators.
It is now set 6 p.m. Monday in the Mills Anderson Justice Center Auditorium, 3350 Newman Road, on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.
Several other public hearings are planned around the region, including Aurora, Nixa, Bolivar and Branson.
The proposal could raise overall electric rates by $33 to $39 a month for the average Liberty customer, according to the utility.
Public hearings are a part of every rate case and include a question-and-answer session and a chance for the public to comment on the record as part of the case.
Liberty, which had filed a rate case last fall, withdrew that and filed for a new case in February. It is asking regulators to allow it to increase revenue by about $152.8 million, or 29.6%, a year.
Customers of Liberty began receiving notices with their June bills with details about the hearing and an explanation of the rate request.
That letter says rates for that average user, defined as someone using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, will go up $48.68 from June to September, from $147.77 a month to $196.45 a month, or 32.94%. That same user will see an increase of $46.78 a month, from $138.25 to $185.03 per month, from October through May, or 33.84%.
Charlotte Emery, senior director of rates and regulatory affairs for Liberty, previously told the Globe the actual impact customers will see on their electric bills, if the PSC approves this rate request, is lower than the numbers in the meeting notice because the larger numbers don’t include about $12.12 already being collected from customers for increased fuel costs. That is based on the cost of fuel and purchased power for Liberty as of the time of the February filing. That number can change as fuel and purchased power costs change.
According to Liberty, the full impact would increase the bill for the average customer somewhere between $33 and $39 after including the amount already being paid by customers.
Other public hearings next week:
• Noon Tuesday, at Nixa City Council chambers, 715 NW Mount Vernon St. in Nixa.
• 6 p.m. Tuesday, at Southwest Baptist University, McClelland Joe Roberts Room (Dining Hall), 1600 University Ave. in Bolivar.
• Noon Wednesday, at Branson City Council chambers, 110 W. Maddux St. in Branson.
• Noon Thursday, at the Recreation Center, 126 W. Hadley St. in Aurora.
The PSC said two video/telephone conferences are are planned — one for 6 p.m. Wednesday and one for noon Friday for those who cannot attend the in-person meetings. People can call 855-718-6621, with access code 2861 936 9973 and password 0261, for the Wednesday hearing and the same phone number, with access code 2866 586 9984 and password 0261, for the Friday hearing.