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In a bit of good news for LaGrange utility customers, new City Manager Patrick Bowie announced an unexpected utility rate decrease during the council meeting on Tuesday.

“Because natural gas prices have continued to fall from $13 back at the end of 2022 all the way down to $1.61 for the coming month, that allows us to pass those savings along to our customers,” Bowie said.

Electricity rates have been subsidizing the extreme spike in natural gas prices for some time so both electric and gas customers will see savings on their upcoming utility bills.

On the electric side, the average resident’s bill is expected to drop by 5.9%. On the gas side, it will decrease by about 11.9% due to the falling gas prices.

“Those savings will automatically be passed down to the customers, so that’s some good news,” Bowie said.