VERNON — About 4,800 people have signed a town-led petition opposing Eversource’s pending electric-rate request, according to an October 22 announcement from the Town of Vernon.
Mayor Dan Champagne and members of the Vernon Town Council are asking Eversource customers to add their names before the petition closes October 31. The town says participation is open regardless of where an Eversource customer lives, and the signatures will be forwarded to the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
Vernon describes the company’s request as a proposed 13 percent increase for residential customers beginning in July 2027. The proposal remains under regulatory review; no final increase has been approved.
A July statement from the Connecticut attorney general’s office describes the full filing as a $727 million annual request that could raise the average residential bill 18 percent when storm-related costs are included. Removing 2018–2025 storm costs, the office calculated a $451 million request and an 11 percent residential increase.
Those figures reflect different portions of the filing and should not be treated as a final bill change. PURA reviews utility cost data, testimony and public comments before issuing a proposed decision and then a final decision.
The Vernon petition page is available through the town’s official website. Customers who want to participate should review the town’s wording before signing; the petition is an advocacy effort, not a PURA decision or a substitute for the agency’s formal case record.
FILE PHOTO: The accompanying photograph shows Vernon Memorial Town Hall, which houses the mayor’s office and Town Council meeting room. It does not show a petition signing or a PURA proceeding.