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Significant Accounting Policies | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2024
Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract] |
Significant Accounting Policies | 1. Significant Accounting Policies The primary business of The York Water Company, or the Company, is to impound, purify and distribute water. The Company also owns and operates three wastewater collection systems and eleven wastewater collection and treatment systems. The Company operates within its franchised territory located in four counties within south-central Pennsylvania and is subject to regulation by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, or PPUC. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies employed by The York Water Company. Utility Plant and Depreciation The cost of additions includes contracted cost, direct labor and fringe benefits, materials, overhead and, for certain utility plant, allowance for funds used during construction. In accordance with regulatory accounting requirements, water and wastewater systems acquired are recorded at estimated original cost of utility plant when first devoted to utility service and the applicable depreciation is recorded to accumulated depreciation. The difference between the estimated original cost less applicable accumulated depreciation, and the purchase price and acquisition costs, is recorded as an acquisition adjustment within utility plant as permitted by the PPUC. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, utility plant includes a net credit acquisition adjustment of $9,838 and $9,384, respectively. For those amounts approved by the PPUC, the net acquisition adjustment is being amortized over the remaining life of the respective assets. Certain amounts are still awaiting approval from the PPUC before amortization will commence. Amortization amounted to $79 and $69 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Upon normal retirement of depreciable property, the estimated or actual cost of the asset is credited to the utility plant account, and such amounts, together with the cost of removal less salvage value, are charged to the reserve for depreciation. To the extent the Company recovers cost of removal or other retirement costs through rates after the retirement costs are incurred, a regulatory asset is reported. Gains or losses from abnormal retirements are reflected in income currently. The straight-line remaining life method is used to compute depreciation on utility plant cost, exclusive of land and land rights. Annual provisions for depreciation of transportation and mechanical equipment included in utility plant are computed on a straight-line basis over the estimated service lives. Such provisions are charged to clearing accounts and apportioned therefrom to operating expenses and other accounts in accordance with the Uniform System of Accounts as prescribed by the PPUC. The Company charges to maintenance expense the cost of repairs and replacements and renewals of minor items of property. Maintenance of transportation equipment is charged to clearing accounts and apportioned from there in a manner similar to depreciation. The cost of replacements, renewals, and betterments of units of property is capitalized to the utility plant accounts. The following remaining lives are used for financial reporting purposes:
|  | December 31 |  |  | Approximate range |
Utility Plant Asset Category |  | 2024 |  |  | 2023 |  |  | of remaining lives |
Mains and accessories |  | $ | 308,020 |  |  | $ | 286,993 |  |  | 14 – 86 years |
Services, meters, and hydrants |  |  | 106,200 |  |  |  | 98,387 |  |  | 14 – 47 years |
Operations structures, reservoirs, and water tanks |  |  | 143,821 |  |  |  | 89,207 |  |  | 9 – 54 years |
Pumping and treatment equipment |  |  | 51,906 |  |  |  | 44,719 |  |  | 6 – 34 years |
Office, transportation, and operating equipment |  |  | 20,519 |  |  |  | 19,292 |  |  | 3 – 19 years |
Land and other non-depreciable assets |  |  | 5,833 |  |  |  | 5,685 |  |  |  | – |
Utility plant in service |  |  | 636,299 |  |  |  | 544,283 |  |  |  |  |
Construction work in progress |  |  | 28,628 |  |  |  | 75,918 |  |  |  | – |
Total Utility Plant |  | $ | 664,927 |  |  | $ | 620,201 |  |  |  |  |
The effective rate of depreciation was 2.50% in 2024 and 2.55% in 2023, on average utility plant, net of customers’ advances and contributions. Larger depreciation provisions resulting from allowable accelerated methods are deducted for tax purposes. Cash and Cash Equivalents For the purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents except for those instruments earmarked to fund construction expenditures or repay long-term debt. The Company periodically maintains cash balances in major financial institutions in excess of the federally insured limit by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Company has not experienced any losses and believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents. Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable are stated at outstanding balances, less a reserve for doubtful accounts. The reserve for doubtful accounts is established through provisions charged against income. Accounts deemed to be uncollectible are charged against the reserve and subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the reserve. The reserve for doubtful accounts is the best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the existing accounts receivable and is determined based on lifetime expected credit losses and the aging of account balances. Management’s periodic evaluation of the adequacy of the reserve is based on historical write-offs combined with an evaluation of current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts including inactive accounts with outstanding balances, the aging of balances in payment agreements, adverse situations that may affect a customer’s ability to pay, economic conditions, and other relevant factors applied to the current aging of receivables. This evaluation is inherently subjective. Unpaid balances remaining after the stated payment terms are considered past due. Materials and Supplies Inventories Materials and supplies inventories are stated at cost. Costs are determined using the average cost method. Note Receivable Note receivable is recorded at cost and represents amounts due from a municipality for construction of water mains in their municipality. Management, considering current information and events regarding the borrowers’ ability to repay their obligations, considers a note to be impaired when it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the note agreement. When a note is considered to be impaired, the carrying value of the note is written down. The amount of the impairment is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the note’s effective interest rate. Regulatory Assets and Liabilities The Company is subject to the provisions of generally accepted accounting principles regarding rate-regulated entities. The accounting standards provide for the recognition of regulatory assets and liabilities as allowed by regulators for costs or credits that are reflected in current customer rates or are considered probable of being included in future rates. The regulatory assets or liabilities are then relieved as the cost or credit is reflected in rates. Regulatory assets represent costs that are expected to be fully recovered from customers in future rates while regulatory liabilities represent amounts that are expected to be refunded to customers in future rates. These deferred costs have been excluded from the Company’s rate base and, therefore, no return is being earned on the unamortized balances. Regulatory assets and liabilities are comprised of the following:
|  | December 31 |  |  | Remaining Recovery |
|  | 2024 |  |  | 2023 |  |  | Periods |
Assets |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Income taxes |  | $ | 40,880 |  |  | $ | 35,885 |  |  | Various |
Unrealized swap losses |  |  | 382 |  |  |  | 632 |  |  | 1 – 5 years |
Utility plant retirement costs |  |  | 10,221 |  |  |  | 9,592 |  |  | 5 years |
Customer-owned lead service line replacements |  |  | 1,173 |  |  |  | 1,257 |  |  | Various |
Income taxes on customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction |  |  | 1,176 |  |  |  | 1,250 |  |  | Various |
Service life study expenses |  |  | 14 |  |  |  | 19 |  |  | 3 years |
Rate case filing expenses |  |  | 215 |  |  |  | 314 |  |  | 2 years |
|  | $ | 54,061 |  |  | $ | 48,949 |  |  |  |  |
Liabilities |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Excess accumulated deferred income taxes on accelerated depreciation |  | $ | 13,090 |  |  | $ | 13,286 |  |  | Various |
Postretirement benefits |  |  | 22,825 |  |  |  | 21,196 |  |  | Not yet known |
Income taxes |  |  | 6,520 |  |  |  | 6,516 |  |  | Various |
IRS TPR catch-up deduction |  |  | 2,376 |  |  |  | 2,635 |  |  | 9 years |
|  | $ | 44,811 |  |  | $ | 43,633 |  |  |  |  |
The regulatory asset for income taxes includes (a) deferred state income taxes related primarily to differences between book and tax depreciation expense, (b) deferred income taxes related to the differences that arise between specific asset improvement costs capitalized for book purposes and deducted as a repair expense for tax purposes, and (c) deferred income taxes associated with the gross-up of revenues related to the differences. These assets are recognized for ratemaking purposes on a cash or flow-through basis and will be recovered in rates as they reverse. The Company uses regulatory accounting treatment to defer the mark-to-market unrealized gains and losses on its interest rate swap to reflect that the gain or loss is included in the ratemaking formula when the transaction actually settles. The value of the swap as of the balance sheet date is recorded as part of other deferred credits. Realized gains or losses on the swap will be recorded as interest expense in the statement of income over its remaining term of five years. Utility plant retirement costs represent costs already incurred for the removal of assets, which are expected to be recovered over a five-year period in rates, through depreciation expense. The Company was granted approval by the PPUC to modify its tariff to replace lead customer-owned service lines that were discovered when the Company replaced its lead service lines, and to include the cost of the annual replacement of up to 400 lead customer-owned service lines whenever they are discovered, regardless of the material used for the company-owned service line, over nine years. The tariff modification allows the Company to replace customer-owned service lines at its own initial cost and record the costs as a regulatory asset to be recovered in future base rates to customers. The recovery period was established in the most recent rate order at four years beginning March 1, 2023. The recovery period for the customer-owned lead service line replacements completed subsequent to the most recent rate order will begin after the next rate order. Service life study expenses are deferred and amortized over their remaining life of three years. Rate case filing expenses are deferred and amortized over their remaining life of two years. Pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or 2017 Tax Act, customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction are considered taxable income. The Company’s tariff allows the Company to record these income taxes for inclusion in rate base. This asset is recognized for ratemaking purposes on a cash or flow-through basis and will be recovered in rates as it reverses. In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, or 2021 Infrastructure Act, repealed the tax treatment of customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction made after December 31, 2020. Under normalization rules applicable to public utility property included in the 2017 Tax Act, the excess accumulated deferred income taxes on accelerated depreciation from lowering of the enacted federal statutory corporate tax rate is recorded as a regulatory liability. The benefit will be given back to customers in rates over the remaining regulatory life of the property. The regulatory liability for income taxes includes deferred taxes related to excess accumulated deferred income taxes on accelerated depreciation, other postretirement benefits, customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction, and bad debts, as well as deferred investment tax credits. These liabilities will be given back to customers in rates, as tax deductions occur over the next 1 to 50 years. The regulatory liability for the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, tangible property regulations, or TPR, catch-up deduction represents the tax benefits realized on the Company’s 2014 income tax return for qualifying capital expenditures made prior to 2014. The period over which it will be given back to customers in rates was established in a rate order at 15 years beginning March 1, 2019. Postretirement benefits include the difference between contributions and deferred pension expense and the overfunded status of the pension plans. The overfunded status represents the difference between the projected benefit obligation and the fair market value of the assets. This liability will change in future years based on the amount of contributions made and market returns. The liability will be given back to customers in rates over some period determined by the PPUC in a future rate filing. Other Assets Other assets consist mainly of the cash value of life insurance policies held as an investment by the Company for reimbursement of costs and benefits associated with its supplemental retirement and deferred compensation programs. Deferred Debt Expense Deferred debt expense is amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the related debt and is presented on the balance sheet as a direct reduction from long-term debt. Customers’ Advances for Construction Customer advances are cash payments from developers, municipalities, customers, or builders for construction of utility plant, and are refundable upon completion of construction, as operating revenues are earned. If the Company loans funds for construction to the customer, the refund amount is credited to the note receivable rather than paid out in cash. After all refunds to which the customer is entitled are made, any remaining balance is transferred to contributions in aid of construction. Contributions in Aid of Construction Contributions in Aid of Construction is composed of (i) direct, non-refundable contributions from developers, customers, or builders for construction of water infrastructure and (ii) customer advances that have become non-refundable. Contributions in aid of construction are deducted from the Company’s rate base, and therefore, no return is earned on property financed with contributions. The PPUC requires that contributions received remain on the Company’s balance sheets indefinitely as a long-term liability. Interest Rate Swap Agreement The Company is exposed to certain risks relating to its ongoing business operations. The primary risk managed by using derivative instruments is interest rate risk. The Company utilizes an interest rate swap agreement to effectively convert its variable-rate debt to a fixed rate. Interest rate swaps are contracts in which a series of interest rate cash flows are exchanged over a prescribed period. The notional amount on which the interest payments are based is not exchanged. The Company has designated the interest rate swap agreement as a cash flow hedge, classified as a financial derivative used for non-trading activities. The accounting standards regarding accounting for derivatives and hedging activities require companies to recognize all derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities at fair value on the balance sheets. In accordance with the standards, the interest rate swap is recorded on the balance sheets in other deferred credits at fair value. The Company uses regulatory accounting treatment rather than hedge accounting to defer the unrealized gains and losses on its interest rate swap. These unrealized gains and losses are recorded as a regulatory asset. Based on current ratemaking treatment, the Company expects the gains and losses to be recognized in rates and in interest expense as the swap settlements occur. Swap settlements are recorded in the income statement with the hedged item as interest expense. Swap settlements resulted in the reclassification from regulatory assets to interest expense of $(6) in 2024 and $18 in 2023. The overall swap result was a gain of $244 in 2024 and $24 in 2023. During the year ending December 31, 2025, the Company expects to reclassify $81 before tax from regulatory assets to interest expense. The interest rate swap will expire on October 1, 2029. Other than the interest rate swap, the Company has no other derivative instruments. Stock-Based Compensation The Company records compensation expense in the financial statements for stock-based awards based on the grant date fair value of those awards. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service periods of the awards on a straight-line basis, which is generally commensurate with the vesting term. Forfeitures are recognized as they occur. Income Taxes Certain income and expense items are accounted for in different time periods for financial reporting than for income tax reporting purposes. Deferred income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. To the extent such income taxes increase or decrease future rates, an offsetting regulatory asset or liability has been recorded. Investment tax credits have been deferred and are being amortized to income over the average estimated service lives of the related assets. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, deferred investment tax credits amounted to $356 and $392, respectively. The Company filed for a change in accounting method under the IRS TPR effective in 2014. Under the change in accounting method, the Company is permitted to deduct the costs of certain asset improvements that were previously being capitalized and depreciated for tax purposes as an expense on its income tax return. The Company was permitted to make this deduction for prior years (the “catch-up deduction”) and each year going forward, beginning with 2014 (the “ongoing deduction”). After receiving approval from the PPUC in a rate order, the Company began to recognize the catch-up deduction, recorded as a regulatory liability, over 15 years beginning March 1, 2019. The ongoing deduction results in a reduction in the effective income tax rate, a net reduction in income tax expense, and a reduction in the amount of income taxes currently payable. The catch-up deduction resulted in a decrease in current income taxes payable and an increase to regulatory liabilities. Both the ongoing and catch-up deductions resulted in increases to deferred tax liabilities and regulatory assets representing the appropriate book and tax basis difference on capital additions. The 2017 Tax Act, among other things, reduces the federal statutory corporate tax rate for tax years beginning in 2018 from 34% to 21%, treats customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction as taxable income, eliminates certain deductions, and eliminates bonus depreciation on qualified water and wastewater property. This resulted in the remeasurement of the federal portion of the Company’s deferred taxes as of December 31, 2017 to the 21% rate. The effect was recognized in income for the year ended December 31, 2017 for all deferred tax assets and liabilities except accelerated depreciation. Under normalization rules applicable to public utility property included in the 2017 Tax Act, the excess accumulated deferred income taxes on accelerated depreciation is recorded as a regulatory liability. The regulatory liability is a temporary difference, so a deferred tax asset is recorded including the gross-up of revenue necessary to return, in rates, the effect of the temporary difference. In November 2021, the 2021 Infrastructure Act repealed the tax treatment of customers’ advances for construction and contributions in aid of construction made after December 31, 2020. Allowance for Funds Used During Construction Allowance for funds used during construction (AFUDC) represents the estimated cost of funds used for construction purposes during the period of construction. These costs are reflected as non-cash income during the construction period and as an addition to the cost of plant constructed. AFUDC includes the net cost of borrowed funds and a rate of return on other funds. The PPUC approved rate of 10.04% was applied for 2024 and 2023. AFUDC is recovered through water and wastewater rates as utility plant is depreciated. Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for the general note to the financial statements for the reporting entity which may include, descriptions of the basis of presentation, business description, significant accounting policies, consolidations, reclassifications, new pronouncements not yet adopted and changes in accounting principles. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 235 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/235/tableOfContent Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 275 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/275/tableOfContent Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 810 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/810/tableOfContent Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 250 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/250/tableOfContent + Details
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