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Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Note 4 - Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Water Supply - Middlesex has an agreement with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) for the purchase of untreated water through November 30, 2023, which provides for an average purchase of 27.0 million gallons a day (mgd). Pricing is set annually by the NJWSA through a public rate making process. The agreement has provisions for additional pricing in the event Middlesex overdrafts or exceeds certain monthly and annual thresholds.

Middlesex also has an agreement with a non-affiliated water utility regulated by the NJBPU for the purchase of treated water. This agreement, which expires February 27, 2021, provides for the minimum purchase of 3.0 mgd of treated water with provisions for additional purchases.

Tidewater contracts with the City of Dover, Delaware to purchase treated water of 15.0 million gallons annually.

Purchased water costs are shown below:

	(Millions of Dollars)
	Years Ended December 31,
Purchased Water	2018		2017		2016
Untreated	$	3.6	$	2.8	$	2.6
Treated		3.2		3.3		3.2
Total Costs	$	6.8	$	6.1	$	5.8

Guarantees - As part of an agreement with the County of Monmouth, New Jersey (County), Middlesex serves as guarantor of the performance of Applied Water Management, Inc. (AWM), an unaffiliated wastewater treatment contractor, to operate a County-owned leachate pretreatment facility at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. The performance guaranty is effective through 2029 unless another guarantor, acceptable to the County, replaces Middlesex before such date. Under agreements with AWM and Natural Systems Utilities, LLC (NSU), the parent company of AWM, Middlesex earns a fee for providing the performance guaranty. In addition, Middlesex may provide operational support to the facility, as needed, and AWM and NSU, serving as guarantor to Middlesex with respect to the performance of AWM, agree to indemnify Middlesex against any claims that may arise under the Middlesex guaranty to the County.

If requested to perform under the guaranty to the County and, if AWM and NSU, as guarantor to Middlesex, do not fulfill their obligations to indemnify Middlesex against any claims that may arise under the Middlesex guaranty to the County, Middlesex would be required to fulfill the remaining operational commitment of AWM. The liability and asset for the guaranty are included in Other Non-Current Liabilities and Other Non-Current Assets on the balance sheet and are approximately $1.5 million and $0.1 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The increase in 2018 in the liability and asset for the guaranty resulted from the Company reassessing the expected term that the Company would serve as guarantor.

Leases - The Company has entered into office space operating leases. Rental expenses under operating leases were $0.5 million and $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The Company did not incur rental expenses for the year ended December 31, 2016. The operating leases for these facilities expire in 2030. The minimum annual future rental commitment under operating leases that have initial or remaining non-cancelable lease terms over the next 5 years and thereafter are as follows:

Year	(Millions of Dollars) Annual Maturities
2019	$ 0.7
2020	$ 0.8
2021	$ 0.8
2022	$ 0.8
2023	$ 0.8
Thereafter	$ 5.3

Construction –The Company has projected to spend approximately $118 million in 2019, $101 million in 2020 and $76 million in 2021 on its construction program. The Company has entered into several contractual construction agreements that in total obligate it to expend an estimated $28 million in the future. The actual amount and timing of capital expenditures is dependent on the need for replacement of existing infrastructure, customer growth, residential new home construction and sales, project scheduling and continued refinement of project scope and costs. There is no assurance that projected customer growth and residential new home construction and sales will occur.

Litigation – The Company is a defendant in lawsuits in the normal course of business. We believe the resolution of pending claims and legal proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Change in Control Agreements – The Company has Change in Control Agreements with certain of its officers that provide compensation and benefits in the event of termination of employment in connection with a change in control of the Company.