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Regulatory Rate Filings | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2015
Regulated Operations [Abstract] |
Regulatory Rate Filings | Regulatory Rate Filings On September 15, 2014, San Jose Water Company filed an application for rehearing of 2012 General Rate Case Decision No. 14-08-006 to address a limited set of issues from San Jose Water Company's General Rate Case Decision No. 14-08-006. Specifically, San Jose Water Company sought rehearing on the duration of the interim rate period used to determine the General Rate Case true-up recovery and rehearing on the treatment of excess capacity labor in the provision of non-tariffed products and services. On March 27, 2015, the CPUC issued Decision No. 15-03-048 granting a limited rehearing and modifying Decision No. 14-08-006 to recover lost revenue related to the extension of interim rates from the date of the 2012 General Rate Case Decision (August 14, 2014) to the date 2014 rates became effective (September 29, 2014). Decision No. 15-03-048 also provided for a limited rehearing on the treatment of excess capacity labor in the provision of non-tariffed products and services. On August 13, 2015, San Jose Water Company and the CPUC's Office of Ratepayer Advocates (“ORA”) submitted a settlement that resolved all outstanding issues related to the rehearing. On October 1, 2015, the CPUC issued Decision No. 15-10-005 adopting the submitted settlement and closing the proceeding. The settlement agreement did not effect authorized revenues or rates. On January 5, 2015, San Jose Water Company filed General Rate Case Application No. 15-01-002 requesting authority for an increase of revenue of $34,928, or 12.22%, in 2016, $9,954, or 3.11%, in 2017 and $17,567, or 5.36%, in 2018. This General Rate Case filing also includes several “special requests”, including but not limited to: (1) recovery of the under-collected balance of $4,752 in balancing accounts, (2) disbursement of the over-collected balance of $976 accrued in various memorandum accounts, and (3) implementation of a full revenue decoupling Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism and associated Modified Cost Balancing Account. The ORA submitted testimony on April 23 2015, recommending increases of $23,468, or 8.54%, in 2016, $13,803, or 4.42%, in 2017 and $16,261, or 4.95% in 2018. San Jose Water Company and the CPUC's ORA reached a settlement agreement on a range of issues, including full settlement on all contested utility plant in-service items. Evidentiary hearings to address all remaining unsettled items took place in June 2015 and briefs were submitted in July 2015. A final decision is expected to occur in the last quarter of 2015 with new rates becoming effective at the beginning of 2016. If a decision is not reached by the end of 2015, the CPUC has mechanisms in place that will allow San Jose Water Company to request interim rates, effective January 1, 2016, until such time a decision is adopted. Interim rates would be set equal to fiscal year-end 2015 rates plus an increase for inflation up to the change in the consumer price index and would remain in effect until a decision is adopted. On March 26, 2015, San Jose Water Company filed Advice Letter No. 468 with the CPUC. With this advice letter San Jose Water Company requested authorization to recover an under-collection balance of $9,567 in the MCRAMA that accumulated during the period April 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014. The MCRAMA approved by the CPUC allows San Jose Water Company to track lost revenue associated with reduced sales due to the ongoing drought and the associated calls for water use reduction from the SCVWD. San Jose Water Company seeks to recover the accumulated balance via a quantity based surcharge on all potable usage for a period of 12 months. This advice letter is currently under CPUC review and a decision is anticipated in the last quarter of 2015. On May 29, 2015, San Jose Water Company filed Advice Letter No. 474 with the CPUC requesting authorization to increase revenues by $18,357, or approximately 6.44%. This filing is intended to cover increased costs that go into effect on July 1, 2015 for purchased water and groundwater production charged to San Jose Water Company by the SCVWD. As directed by the CPUC's Water Division, the revenue increase will be recovered via surcharges on the existing quantity rate. San Jose Water Company's request was authorized and became effective July 1, 2015. On July 30, 2015, San Jose Water Company filed Application No. 15-07-027 with the CPUC seeking the authorization to implement a reincorporation of San Jose Water Company's parent holding company, SJW Corp., from its present form as a California corporation to a Delaware corporation. A prehearing conference was held in this matter on September 30, 2015. A decision in this matter is anticipated in the first quarter of 2016. On August 21, 2015, San Jose Water Company file Application No. 15-08-016 with the CPUC seeking authority to issue additional debt and equity securities of up to $150,000 in aggregate for general purposes including property acquisition, construction, completion, extension or improvement of facilities. A decision in this matter is anticipated in the first quarter of 2016. On August 21, 2015, San Jose Water Company filed Advice Letter 476. San Jose Water Company requested authorization to for a rate base offset for improvements to the Montevina Water Treatment Plant. In Decision No. 13-07-028 the CPUC authorized San Jose Water Company to file annual advice letters to include in rate base costs of the Montevina Water Treatment Plant upgrade project. The advice letter filing requested authorization for a revenue increase of approximately $275 or an increase to rates of 0.09%. The advice letter was approved and the increase in rates became effective September 20, 2015. Revenue will be recorded through rates on a prospective basis. This filing was the second such advice letter. San Jose Water Company will continue to file similar annual advice letters until the project has been completed. Effective September 1, 2014, CLWSC became subject to the economic regulation of the Public Utilities Commission of Texas (“PUCT”). Prior to that time, CLWSC was subject to economic regulation by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (“TCEQ”). Both the PUCT and TCEQ authorize rate increases after the filing of an Application for a Rate/Tariff Change. Rate cases may be filed as they become necessary, provided there is no current rate case outstanding. Further, rate cases may not be filed more frequently than once every 12 months. On September 16, 2015, CLWSC filed an application with the PUCT requesting approval of the reincorporation of SJW Corp., Inc. from a California corporation to a Delaware corporation. The application is currently being reviewed by PUCT and a decision in this matter is anticipated in the first quarter of 2016.

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