By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Aug. 27, 2026) Berlin’s proposed fees for customers who opt out of smart meters and use of the town’s electric vehicle charging station were the subject of a Maryland Public Service Commission hearing Monday night as the town seeks approval to implement the charges.

Before the Berlin Town Council’s regular meeting this week, representatives of the Maryland Public Service Commission held a hearing on the municipality’s request to establish opt-out charges for Berlin electric customers who choose to forgo new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and retain the existing system.

While the council approved an AMI opt-out policy in March, the commission must approve the fees associated with that policy. The agency will consider comments from Monday’s hearing before authorizing the fees.

According to Town Administrator Mary Bohlen, the municipality intends to charge those who decline the AMI system a one-time fee of $50, payable over three installments, as well as a monthly $17 fee.

Bohlen said the charges would recover costs associated with servicing customers who wish to keep the old metering system. AMI allows town staff to read the meters remotely, while the outdated infrastructure would need to be read manually.

The proposed tariffs are based on what other Maryland utilities charge, Bohlen noted. Delmarva Power, for instance, has imposed a $17 monthly fee and a one-time payment of $75.

“When a customer opts out of AMI meters, the meter needs to be read manually, which incurs additional costs,” Bohlen said. “The recommended fees ensure these costs are recovered from customers who opt out rather than other electric customers.”

The town’s fee recommendations drew concerns from resident Bartosz Rafiński.

Rafiński said Berlin should conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate whether the $17 recurring fee is appropriate. The resident said he believes the monthly payment should be lower.

“I think some very simple math illustrates it’s an overcharge,” he said.

Rafiński added that the comparison to Delmarva Power is inequitable, as the company serves a much larger customer base than the Town of Berlin.

“Delmarva Power operates over 5,000 square miles,” he said. “… Berlin is a compact system concentrated in only a few square miles … That matters because one justification for this fee is to recover expenses associated with opting out of AMI meters, since someone has to travel to the meter to read it physically. Given how small Berlin is, Berlin electric [staff] should absolutely be capable of reading six to ten homes in less than an hour.”

Berlin does not expect many homeowners to refuse the AMI systems. Town staff said in March that at that time, only six residents had turned down the advanced infrastructure.

Monday’s public hearing also addressed the town’s proposed fees for using the municipality-leased electric vehicle charging station at 25 Commerce Street.

The town is asking the Maryland Public Service Commission for approval to charge users 18 cents per kilowatt-hour for level two charging and 34 cents per kilowatt-hour for direct current fast charging.

The Maryland Public Service Commission will accept written comments until Friday, Aug. 28 on both the opt-out charges as well as the electric vehicle charging fees. Individuals can submit their statements online using the agency’s public comment drop box on its website at psc.maryland.gov.