Swift Current City Council unanimously approved an electrical rate increase for the New Year. 

The rate increase will be 3.6% for all Light & Power residential customers within the cities limits effective January 1, 2017.

Mitch Minken, General Manager of Infrastructure & Operations with the city of Swift Current explained the average monthly increase of all the customers.

"An apartment will see about a $2.50 a month increase, a smaller home will see about a $4 increase, a larger home will see about a $5.50 a month increase. For all our commercial businesses they will see an increase of approximately 3.6% increase of their previous billing," Minken said Monday night after City Council.

The increase is approximately .1% higher than the rate average SaskPower will be applying on the province in the New Year. The difference is attributed to not having as many customers as SaskPower and because the cities Light & Power only has residential and commercial customers. Compared to SaskPower who serves residential, commercial, and rural which include farms and oilfield customers.

Minken also spoke about why the city follows SaskPowers rates.

"We (the city) set our rates the same as SaskPower, so we take our cue from SaskPower. We do this for a couple of reasons mostly to provide equity for all electric customers in Saskatchewan and to make sure our businesses aren't at a disadvantage when it comes to those electrical rates," he said.

The rate increase will be the second increase in six months for Swift Current and SaskPower customers combining for a total of approximately 8.7%.