Members of the public pressed the Montana Public Service Commission on Tuesday over two unresolved issues that have frustrated Helena-area ratepayers for months: ongoing water problems in the North Star subdivision and a stalled NorthWestern Energy rate case that residents say has dragged on without resolution.
The North Star subdivision, where residents have experienced recurring water shortages, was not on the commission's formal agenda for Tuesday's meeting — but that didn't stop neighbors from showing up to say last year's regulatory action against the area water utility hadn't delivered results. The PSC had previously taken steps against the utility, but residents told commissioners the problems on the ground haven't changed.
The NorthWestern Energy rate case drew separate criticism from ratepayers who told the commission they're anxious about how long the proceeding has taken. Rate cases of this scale can take months or years to work through the PSC process, but speakers made clear that the delay is landing differently on household budgets than it does on a regulatory calendar.
The commission did not take action on either matter during Tuesday's session. What happens next — and when — will depend on how the PSC schedules both the North Star utility situation and the NorthWestern proceeding in coming weeks.