It all started in June, 2015 when Friends of the Old Greenbelt Theatre (FOGT), the newly selected operator of the cityowned movie house at Roosevelt Center, asked the Pepco electric utility to begin billing it for electricity consumption at the theater. The initial bill was for $442.39 but future bills declined and by October monthly bills were under $200. In March, 2016, Pepco failed to send a bill. When the theater inquired about the bill, it was told that its account was under review. When billing restarted, the theater suffered a triple blow to its financial operation. Pepco changed the rate multiplier from 40 to 80. It changed the rate code for the building from MGT II to GS. It back billed the rate increases to June, 2015. The result was that the theater owed over $18,000 in back charges and had its monthly bills increased by more than five times. At its January 18 worksession, the Greenbelt City Council met with Pepco representatives Jerry Pasternak, vice-president, and Tami Watkins, and FOGT representatives Gwen Vaccaro, president, and Carol MacAdam, office coordinator, to learn more about the issue. Council was provided with copies of a Public Service Commission, Office of External Relations, finding dated December 2, 2016 signed by Karen E. Robinson, administrative officer in support of Pepco. FOGT had earlier made an appeal to the Commission. Robinson declared that, “Pepco is within its rights to re-billed [sic.] you at the current rate based on its tariff.” A utility can bill retroactively for a period of up to 12 months without the Commissioner’s authorization for undercharges that resulted by Pepco using an incorrect rate instead of the appropriate rate as determined by its tariff, the findings stated. FOGT was given 10 days to appeal Robinson’s decision, but did not do so. For more information on this story, follow this link:
Pepco’s Triple Whammy Jeopardizes Movie House
