MASSENA -- The Public Service Commission will take public comment Jan. 26 on the Massena Electric Department’s request to raise their rates.

There will be two sessions. Information sessions will be at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., with time for public comment following each a half hour later.

Each will be in the second floor boardroom (room 30) at the Massena Town Hall, 60 Main St.

It is not necessary to be present at the start of the hearing or to make an appointment in advance in order to speak.

People interested in speaking will be asked to complete a card requesting time to speak when they arrive. They will be called in the order in which the cards are received. Speakers are not required to provide written copies of their comments.

Each public hearing will be held open for a minimum of one hour, and will remain open until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made, according to the PSC.

A verbatim transcript of the hearings will be made for inclusion in the record.

Disabled people requiring special accommodations should contact the Department of Public Service's Human Resource Management Office at (518) 474-2520.

TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711 to reach the Department of Public Service's Human Resource Office at (518)474-2520.

Those with difficulty understanding or reading English can call the PSC at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services.

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to speak, there are several other ways to comment. Those submitted via the means outlined below must do so by Feb. 18.

Any comment provided through any of these methods should refer to "Case 15-E-0307 - Massena Electric Department Electric Rates.”

Written comments received by the Department will become part of the record.

Oral comments provided through the Department's Opinion Line are not transcribed, but a summary is provided to the Administrative Law Judge and to the commission for their consideration.

For an online comment alternative, those interested can go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on "Search," search using case number "15-E-0307" and then click the "Post Comments" button at the top of the page.

People can also e-mail comments to secretary@dps.ny.gov.

Comments may be mailed or delivered to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350.

The commission's opinion line is 1-800-335-2120.

This number is set up to take comments about pending cases from in-state callers, 24 hours a day.