Electricity bills to rise for some in Clark County

Thursday, Oct. 28, 1999 | 10:40 a.m.

Nevada Power customers living in unincorporated Clark County will see their bills rise slightly beginning next week.

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approved a tariff passing through increases in business license fees approved by the Clark County Commission.

Beginning Monday, Nevada Power will pass through a business license fee of 2.2 percent, up from the existing 1.65 percent rate. Added to a 0.25 franchise tax, Clark County customers will pay a total tax fee of 2.45 percent.

That means customers paying a $100 utility bill would pay an additional 55 cents in taxes.

The increase does not affect customers living in incorporated Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson, who already pay the maximum 5 percent rate.

Mike Harwell, franchise audit manager for Clark County, said the tax appears as a line item on monthly power bills. Harwell said a bill approved by the Nevada Legislature in 1995 allows Clark County to gradually increase business license fees to 5 percent. The most recent increase raised the tax to 4 percent, which was authorized by Clark County commissioners in August.

Harwell said the 4 percent fee was reduced to 2.2 percent for Nevada Power as part of a fuel exemption. In 2001, the fee is expected to be raised to the maximum 5 percent in the county.

In other business, the PUC formally adopted licensing requirements for alternative sellers entering the market when competition takes effect next March.

Temporary regulations were adopted Dec. 31 and a handful of companies applied to be licensed to sell electricity in the state when the industry is restructured and deregulated. The permanent regulation made some cosmetic changes to the temporary rules, which were reviewed by the Legislative Counsel Bureau in the summer.