At its most recent meeting, the Whitesboro City Council approved an increase to its Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) from 0.011097 per kWh to 0.019700 per kWh. This 0.018-cent difference could amount to an additional $8 to $20 per month (depending on usage) that will appear on taxpayers’ November 2025 billing cycle.
According to a public notice posted by the City, the adjustment is “necessary to keep up with significant shifts in the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) power market, where changes in fuel prices, generation resources, and overall regional demand have driven wholesale electricity costs higher over the past several years.”
The City of Whitesboro hasn’t adjusted PCA costs since 2021, working to absorb rising costs where possible. By making this adjustment, the City feels it can continue to provide reliable electrical service while ensuring that power costs are recovered in a responsible and transparent way.
To be clear, citizens’ base electric rate (which pays for workers, trucks, poles, wires and long-term system upgrades) has not changed. The only adjustment has been to the PCA line on residents’ utility bills. This is a separate line that simply passes through the actual cost of power the City has to buy on the market (like gas prices going up and down). When those costs rise, the PCA goes up. When they fall, the PCA can come back down. The PCA helps to keep the city’s electric system stable without making big market swings become the permanent base rate.
The PCA increase is not extra profit for the City.
The City can provide residents with a one-page handout that explains the difference between a PCA change and a true rate change. Anyone with questions is invited to contact the Utility Billing Department at City Hall at 903-564-3311 or email [email protected] for more information. City staff will be happy to explain individual bills and discuss any concerns residents may have.
Source: Freepik.com