Arizona
Water Company (Eastern Group) - Rate Case Filing
On August 14, 2002, Arizona
Water Company filed an application for a permanent rate increase for each of the
eight water systems that comprise the Company’s Eastern Group. The case
involved water systems that provide service to customers located in Apache
Junction, Bisbee, Miami, Oracle, San Manuel, Sierra Vista, Superior and
Winkelman.
The evidentiary hearing for
the case was held at Commission Offices in Phoenix during the entire week of
September 22, 2003. During the hearing, an administrative law judge heard
testimony presented by witnesses from Arizona Water Company, RUCO and ACC
Staff. RUCO witnesses faced a total of
four-and-one-half hours of cross-examination by the Company’s attorneys.
In addition to RUCO and ACC Staff attorneys, Company witnesses were also cross examined by Mr. Robert
Skiba, an intervenor from
Oracle, and by the attorney for the City of Casa Grande (which also intervened
in the proceeding).
During the proceeding, RUCO argued that the Commission
should adopt RUCO’s recommended rate base and operating expense levels which
perfectly matched all of the Company’s ratemaking elements. A comparison of the
proposed increases in revenue by the Company, ACC Staff and RUCO are as follows:
|
|
|
COMPANY |
|
ACC STAFF |
|
RUCO |
|
EASTERN GROUP SYSTEMS |
|
REQUESTED |
|
RECOMMENDED |
|
RECOMMENDED |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
APACHE JUNCTION |
|
8.80% |
|
-9.24% |
|
-6.36% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
BISBEE |
|
51.12% |
|
30.09% |
|
24.97% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MIAMI |
|
44.62% |
|
14.24% |
|
17.41% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ORACLE |
|
26.97% |
|
10.52% |
|
-2.01% |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAN MANUEL |
|
90.87% |
|
74.83% |
|
65.89% |
|
RUCO 
