Sep. 6--Missouri utility regulators will be in the St. Louis area Monday to kick off two weeks of public hearings on AmerenUE's proposal to raise electric rates by $251 million a year.

If approved by the PSC, electric bills for a typical AmerenUE residential customer would go up by an average of 12.1 percent, or $8.66 a month.

St. Louis-based AmerenUE also is seeking authority to adjust bills via a separate charge or credit to reflect increases or decreases in fuel and purchased power costs. Regulators rejected the utility's request for a so-called fuel adjustment surcharge in the utility's last rate request.

The Public Service Commission staff is urging regulators to deny most of the proposed increases.

The commission has until March to rule on the request, so any change in rates probably wouldn't show up on bills until early 2009.

Public hearings will be conducted across AmerenUE's service area. Two hearings will be held Monday in the St. Louis area:

-- 11:30 a.m. -- 3 p.m., Harris Stowe State University, Emerson Performance Center -- Bank of America Theater, 3026 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis;

-- 5:30 p.m. -- 9 p.m., St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus, Room BA-105, 11333 Big Bend Road, Kirkwood.

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