The City Council passed a resolution Monday denying a request made by Oncor earlier this year to increase its distribution rates within the city. Richardson is part of the Oncor Cities Steering Committee (OCSC), a coalition of 163 cities that are denying the request.

For more than a century, Texas cities have had the legal authority over electricity rates within their city limits. In the late 1980s cities joined together into coalitions such as the OCSC to share resources in reviewing rate applications and advocate for policies that support reliable electric service at a reasonable cost.

Over the next month, the OCSC will work with Oncor to reach a rate agreement. The Public Utility Commission has until the end of August to ratify the new rate or decide on a rate if an agreement is not reached.