Washington’s City Council, during its meeting Monday, is expected to adopt one of two recommended electric rate options.

Either option would result in lower electric rates for most of the city’s power customers. The options were included in a cost-of-service study prepared for the city by Booth & Associates. That study was presented to and discussed with the council at its Oct. 19 meeting.

The study will be used by the city to rate changes, if any, during the next several years. The study also recommends increasing some fees, including facilities charges, related to providing electric service.

The study, presented by Booth & Associates spokesman Terry Brege, recommends the option that would reduce overall electric rates (per kilowatt hour) reduced by 5.64 percent, with residential customers receiving a 2.52 percent reduction.

At the council’s Oct. 19 meeting, Mayor Mac Hodges asked Brege how long the city likely could hold off raising rates if the study’s rate and fees recommendations are adopted and implemented in the face of expected increases how much the city pays the N.C. Eastern Municipal Power Agency for electricity in the future.

“The rates we’re proposing here should hold the city until April 1^st of 2018, when they’re (NCEMPA) looking at another 3-percent increase,” Brege replied.

The council also is scheduled to discuss options regarding the possible extension of the People’s Pier platform eastward.

During its meeting Monday, the Waterfront Docks Advisory Committee was unable to come up with a recommendation to send to the City Council concerning that extension. The council is expected to review several options. One option is to extend the platform by 6 feet at a cost of $18,480. Another option is to extend the platform by 11 feet at a cost of $25,000. A third option is to leave the pier as is. An option to extend the platform by 20 feet was determined to be too costly.

Relocating the gazebo eastward so it’s in the line of sight from the southern end of Market Street would add another $15,500 to the cost, according to a city document.

Extended the platform would allow more people to use the pier and better accommodate special events such as weddings, according to a city document.

John Rodman, the city’s director of community and cultural resources, told the committee the City Council has indicated it does not want the city to spend more money on the pier, other than maintaining it.

Private funding from several sources may be available to help pay for any extension.