EPCOR Utilities, Inc., is proactively sharing information with customers both in advance and during the beginning of a regulatory process that is expected to take well over a year.
This, as the company plans to file a water rate case with the Arizona Corporation Commission for all of its water districts, excluding San Tan. According to a statement from EPCOR officials, the proposal includes three primary components: consolidating smaller systems – Gateway, Sun City, Sun City West and Rio Verde – into the larger Sonoran district, introducing a more gradual approach to adjusting certain costs over time and revising the water usage tiers in Paradise Valley.
While word of a 20% up to 50% rate increase has been floating around, EPCOR officials stated it is important to be careful with broad percentages like that because the impacts vary significantly depending on the system, meter size and water usage. Sometimes, stand-alone rates for smaller systems, without consolidation, could results in higher increases. Officials said the proposal includes consolidation and a phased approach over three years, which is designed to help stabilize rates in a shared structure over time.
