Empire electric company requests ‘substantial’ rate increase, raising customers’ bills about 40% TOPEKA — An electric utility company serving Cherokee County requested a $15.8 million rate increase from Kansas utility regulators, which would increase an average residential bill by 40%. The Empire District Electric Co., which operates as Liberty, serves more than 8,400 Kansas residential customers, as well as nearly 1,350 commercial and industrial customers. In December, […]