Tupelo Council Approves Electric Rate Increase and New Customer Charge
TUPELO - At the regular council meeting, a Water & Light Department representative told members the change was necessary "due to material cost and labor cost" and applied "strictly for the electric department," adding, "This has nothing to do with water and sewer rates." He described the change as "a 2% retail across the board retail increase" combined with a new $1 fixed monthly customer charge, saying the new total customer charge would be "1410 total each month." The council approved the ordinance under agenda item 24 without recorded discussion.
The increase affects Tupelo's electric customers directly, since both the percentage rate and the new fixed charge apply broadly across the customer base.
The Oct. 1, 2026, effective date, along with the combination of a percentage increase and a separate fixed monthly fee, marks the structure by which the rate change will be applied to bills going forward.