New Con Edison bill line will show what NYC property taxes cost customers
The utility says city property taxes account for 21% of a typical monthly bill. Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has turned against the disclosure.
A new line is coming to Con Edison bills: the portion of each payment that goes toward the utility’s New York City property taxes. According to the company, that portion equals 21% of what customers pay every month.
Last year the utility sent the city $2.6 billion in property tax, more than any other taxpayer in New York City. Company officials put the share of a bill at roughly 30% when state taxes and other fees are counted too. Between 2019 and 2024, Con Edison’s property tax payments rose 45%.
Why Con Edison bills will show property taxes
Permission for the new line came from the settlement of Con Edison’s rate case, and New York City was among the parties to that deal. The state Public Service Commission signed off in January on three years of increases: 10.4% for electric service and 15.8% for gas. By 2028, the average city resident will be paying $600 more each year.
Jen Hensley, a senior vice president who leads corporate affairs at Con Edison, said the goal is to let customers see what part of their bill funds municipal services like schools, police and firefighting. She said the company also hopes to start a public conversation about whether utility bills should be used to raise that money at all. In her view, the tax payments are outpacing both inflation and the rest of the bill.
Utility taxes like these fall hardest on lower-income households and small businesses, according to John Howard, who once chaired the state’s utility regulator. He added that nowhere else in the state does a municipality impose taxes like these, and that customers can’t see the cost because it is buried in the bill.
City Hall pushes back on the new bill line
Neither former Mayor Eric Adams nor, at first, Mayor Zohran Mamdani raised objections. Mamdani’s administration has since come out against the disclosure.
If the utility puts city property taxes on its bills, City Hall spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said, “it should also itemize its shareholder profits and other taxes.” Edwards also said Con Edison was misleading customers about what is really pushing their bills higher.
The mayor’s office pointed at state regulators as well. It said the commission had approved big jumps in Con Edison’s annual capital spending, which in turn drove up the value of the company’s taxable property.
Quick answers
How much of a Con Edison bill goes to NYC property taxes?
According to Con Edison, city property taxes equal 21% of the monthly bill, rising to roughly 30% when state taxes and other fees are counted.
Why are Con Edison bills adding a property tax line?
The settlement of Con Edison's rate case, in which New York City was a party, gave the utility permission to show customers what property taxes add to their bills.
Does City Hall support the new disclosure?
No. Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration has come out against it, and a spokesperson said Con Edison should also itemize its shareholder profits and other taxes.
