NJUS: Fuel Surcharge to increase, budget and audits still missing

By Anna Lionas Starting with the next Nome Joint Utilities bill cycle, NJUS customers will see over double the generator fuel surcharge, Utility Manager John Handeland said at the board meeting Thursday. Customers will not see the surcharge rate as a line item on their utility bill. In February, NJUS began rolling the fuel surcharge into the electricity cost, Handeland told the Nugget, because it saved staff a lot of time in the billing process. The board discussed the increased fuel surcharge without the contextual understanding of its impact on the utility because the board has still not received the 2026 budget and are missing audits dating back five years. Board members expressed frustration over the cycle of requesting the budget and audits meeting after meeting with no follow through. “I asked for this stuff at the last meeting or two ago and you said you’d have it,” board member Larry Pederson said, directed to Handeland. “I did and I’ve been sick,” Handeland said.

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