A Hobart woman is leading the charge in her subdivision when it comes to protesting rising utility bills from NIPSCO.
Jessica Metros, a resident in the Barrington West subdivision, came to the Hobart City Council on Wednesday to seek assistance from the city in her campaign, which includes calling and contacting state legislators.
Metros said she represents 84 homes, including about 168 residents in Barrington West. She has received some 20 complaints from residents, including the majority who are retired and on fixed incomes.
Metros said if it weren’t so cold, she would lead a protest outside the NIPSCO office in Merrillville, where NIPSCO has its headquarters.
“Who’s standing up for Hobart?” Metros said.
A group has planned two protests against higher bills — the first at noon on Feb. 1 at NIPSCO’s Hammond District Office, 1313 167th Street, and the second at 1 p.m. on Feb. 4 at NIPSCO’s corporate headquarters, 801 E. 86th Ave.
NIPSCO is one of the six energy delivery companies of NiSource, which together provide natural gas and electric service to nearly 4 million customers, according to their website.
A NIPSCO representative said in a Friday email to the Post-Tribune that higher usage in the winter impacts both a customer’s gas supply and gas delivery charges.
“We understand that some of our customers have expressed concerns about high winter bills. We hear our customers and understand that energy usage and bills tend to be higher this time of year, which can affect household budgets,” the company’s statement read.
“These charges go toward maintaining our 18,100 miles of distribution pipelines and 720 miles of transmission pipelines, responding to service calls, and ensuring safe, reliable service for more than 900,000 customers. They also fund system upgrades to improve safety, reliability, and long-term service, as well as financing the cost of those improvements.”
Metros asked city officials to lead the way in their support of her campaign, which includes a list of names and ways to contact legislators.
She said she, like fellow senior citizens, is careful with her expenditures and most, like her, dial down their thermostat to try to keep prices down.
“I’m old and I freeze,” Metros said.
Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun told her there is a coalition of leaders in the area who are currently addressing the situation.
Huddlestun told her that the city of Hobart is doing its best not to increase the cost of other utilities, such as garbage pickup and other city services.
In other business, the city council approved the rezoning of 12.44 acres located southeast of 10th Street and Lake Park Avenue for a residential subdivision called The Sappers Garden.
Plans for the Sappers Gardens development include 43 single-family homes.
The Hobart Plan Commission had previously approved the zoning change, from B-1 and R-1 to PUD, but with the stipulation that developers would remove any townhouses and duplexes and make it all single-family residential.
That ordinance was approved by the City Council in a 6-0 vote on Wednesday.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
