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Proposed utility hike goes before New Bern aldermen this week

PRE News & Ideas | By Annette Weston
Published March 9, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT
A lineman grounds a line on a replacement pole in McNeill, Miss., after 2012 Christmas day storms downed both telephone and electric power lines and poles throughout the state. Upkeep on traditional landlines is expensive, and some are pushing for relaxing requirements that phone companies maintain these lines.
Rogelio V. Solis
/
AP
A lineman grounds a line on a replacement pole in McNeill, Miss., after 2012 Christmas day storms downed both telephone and electric power lines and poles throughout the state. Upkeep on traditional landlines is expensive, and some are pushing for relaxing requirements that phone companies maintain these lines.

The New Bern Board of Aldermen meets Tuesday night to tackle a packed agenda, including a proposed hike in utility costs.

City leaders will hold a public hearing on a planned 4.5 percent increase to retail electric rates. If approved, the new rates would take effect on April first. The board is also set to discuss forming a new working group to review the city’s electric energy future and potential changes to municipal elections.

Other business includes the sale of several tax-foreclosed properties and a new mutual aid agreement with Cherry Point.

The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.
Annette Weston
Annette is an award-winning journalist based in Eastern North Carolina. Her career includes professional stops across the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and Southeast, recently culminating in a 2026 Region 8 Edward R. Murrow Award for Small Market Radio Best News Series for her work on the Camp Lejeune Justice Act Series. Guided by a passion for human-interest storytelling, she focuses on narratives that touch hearts and connect communities. A mother of four and grandmother of two, Annette enjoys reading and creating epic Halloween costumes in her spare time. If you have a story idea to share, please reach out by email to westona@cravencc.edu.
See stories by Annette Weston