Feb. 16--FAIRMONT -- A recent drop in diesel fuel prices across the state has brought a little bit of relief on Fairmont utility customer bills.

Allied Waste Services general manager Jeff Harvey said this change has dropped the bills of city customers almost $1 per month, from $14.01 to $13.04, which is a total 7.6 percent reduction.

"It is fairly sizable," Harvey said of the markdown.

Allied Waste is contracted to be the sole waste collector of the city, and the fuel surcharge rates found on customers' bills are determined by the West Virginia Public Service (PSC) and passed directly on.

Every six months, the PSC reviews the fuel prices across the state and accordingly makes changes to the cap on the surcharge rates for solid-waste collectors, movers, limo and taxi drivers, and wrecking companies based on the prices at the pumps.

Most recently, PSC staff met in December and determined that the rates should be lowered based on the fact that gasoline and diesel prices had dropped, PSC spokesperson Sarah Robertson said.

Robertson said the percentage rates for solid-waste carriers has dropped from 10.77 to 3.12, from 11.13 to 3.22 for household goods movers, from 27.82 to 6.69 for taxi and limo operators, and from 11.31 to 3.67 for third party tow or wrecker companies.

"They were pretty significant," Robertson said of the reductions. "One was almost 28 percent down to almost 7 percent."

She added that these surcharges will be in effect until June 30, when staff revisits the rates, or until further commission order.

These changes came six months after the agency passed a significant raise in rates to compensate for higher fuel prices.

And in Fairmont, the new rates should be going into effect sometime around next month after city council passes an ordinance to authorize the change, Harvey said.

"The PSC announced the surcharge in December, and it took effect Jan. 1," Harvey explained. "(City customers) should be seeing those come across in recent bills."

E-mail Mallory Panuska at mpanuska@timeswv.com.

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