ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing and procedural conference on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, seeking approval of the Village of Churchville’s (the Village) limited franchise for electric service in the Town of Riga (the Town), New York.

On September 27, 2025, the Village filed a petition, pursuant to Section 68 of the Public Service Law, seeking approval of the Village’s limited franchise for electric service in the Town of Riga. The Village owns and operates a municipal electric utility in Monroe County. The Town adjoins the Village and is in National Grid’s service territory. Taouk Parnell LLC (Taouk Parnell) is the owner of adjoining parcels at 6495 Buffalo Road in the Town and 66 Parnell Drive in the Village. Access from the public right-of-way at Parnell Drive to 6495 Buffalo Road is provided through 66 Parnell Drive. Taouk Parnell plans to construct a single-family residence at 6495 Buffalo Road in the Town for which no electric service is currently being provided. 

Subject to certain necessary municipal approval(s) confirming its action, the Village has agreed to provide electric service to 6495 Buffalo Road through the parcel at 66 Parnell Drive sufficient for one single-family residence at 6495 Buffalo Road. The Town has approved a resolution granting a nonexclusive franchise to the Village to provide electric service to 6495 Buffalo Road on a single-family residential basis only and the Town and Village have executed a franchise agreement. The Village asserts that approval of the Village’s franchise agreement with the Town is necessary and convenient for the public service, since the Village is more adequately positioned to meet the reasonable needs of the parcel at 6495 Buffalo Road, no electric service is currently provided thereto, and service from National Grid’s distribution system would be significantly more expensive.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held before Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Tara Kersey on:  

Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record during the virtual public statement hearing must register to do so by 3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2025.

To register and provide a statement electronically:

Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the public statement hearing electronically must register by the date and time indicated above by visiting https://dps.ny.gov/calendar, where they should (1) click on the “View DPS Calendar Listings” option, (2) scroll to and click on the Petition of Village of Churchville §68 Public Statement Hearing on May 6, 2025, (3) click the “Register” button, and (4) provide all requested information. After registration is complete, registrants will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the public statement hearing.

When logging in to participate in the hearing on the appropriate date and time, participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants opt to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require that participants enter their phone numbers.

To register and provide a statement by phone:

Any participant who is not able to log in to the virtual public statement hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to make a statement at the virtual public statement hearing must register to do so by the date and time indicated above by calling 1-800-342-3330, following the prompts to the appropriate hearing, and then providing the following information: first name and last name, address, and phone number.

On the day and time of the virtual public statement hearing, dial 1-929-251-9612 and enter the access code and phone-in password listed above.

To listen to the hearing without making a statement:

Any interested person may listen to the public statement hearing by phone by calling 1-929-251-9612 and entering the access code and phone-in password listed above.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The ALJ will call upon each person who has registered to make a statement. The ALJ will continue the hearing until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. It is recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at 1-518-473-9463 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to comment at the public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments. All comments should refer to “Case 24-E-0575” and must be submitted before 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “File Search” (located under the heading “Commission Files”), enter “24-E-0575” in the “Search by Case Number” box, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page.

Those unable to file electronically may mail comments to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York, 12223-1350; however, electronic filing is strongly encouraged.

All written comments submitted to the Secretary will be posted on the Department’s website and will become part of the record of the proceeding in which they are posted. Please be advised that untimely comments may not be considered by the Commission. Comments may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may submit comments by calling the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is set up to receive in-State calls 24-hours a day. These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a virtual procedural conference will be held immediately following the public statement hearing, as part of the same teleconference.

The principal purposes of the procedural conference are to identify any potential parties and provide interested persons an opportunity to present and explain any proposals regarding the procedures they believe should be followed in this case by the ALJ and Commission including, but not limited to, whether any issues of fact presented by the petition or public comments warrant an evidentiary hearing. Other procedural issues also may be addressed.