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Roseville Residents Face Electricity Surcharge After Dry Winter

ROSEVILLE (CBS13) — A dry winter is going to hit Roseville residents electricity costs.

The city has to buy extra electricity to make up for hydroelectric capacity lost because of a lack of snow.

Polly Gontarski is one resident who will see her bills go up this summer.

"It'll just be another hike in a long line of hikes," she said of the second surcharge in five years. "I'm used to paying a lot on the power bill."

On the plus side, the increase will only go up less than one percent, meaning a $1 difference in her monthly bill.

The driest January since the 1920s will have Roseville Electric scrambling for extra electricity.

"In a dry year like this, we still have the cost associated with paying the debt services and maintenances, but we don't receive the generation from them," said Philip McAvoy with Roseville Electric.

Roseville Electric plans to spend $500,000 for the rest of the fiscal year and another $1.5 million to cover the difference.

Part of that cost will be passed onto customers like Polly.

"You can't fight city hall. I'd love to try," she said.

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