Epcor ACC/ALJ decision

Discussion in 'Sun City General Discussions' started by SCR, Jun 13, 2017.

  1. SCR

    SCR Active Member

    I listened with great interest to the discussion regarding the EPCOR waste water consolidation rate case before the ACC and the question as to whether Sun City should challenge (appeal) the ACC decision in court going forward.

    Bill Pearson brought up a good point in that by approving full consolidation the ACC has set a precedence that will allow RPCOR to consolidate water use rates for all 5 districts.

    There is no doubt that EPCOR will be requesting water rate increases for all 5 districts and along with that request will be a request for full consolidation of those rates.

    Bill also mentioned that RCSC spends millions on drilling new wells but I must admit that I’m uninformed as to why we spend millions on wells and still pay EPCOR for water use. Do these wells service all Sun City residences, or just the REC centers?
    Enlighten me Bill.

    As for appealing the ACC (ALJ) decision and funding that appeal, some thought should be given to the following ideas to fund that appeal.

    Use social media to explain the impact of the ACC decision and the need for donations to fund any such appeal.
    Combine resources from Sun City, Youngtown, Sun City West, PORA, SCHOA, and the RCSC.
    Use RCSC email blasts to inform residents and explain need for donations.

    I think the residents of the affected areas should somehow be polled to see if they are interested in appealing the ACC decision.

    Lack of interest would indicate to me that affected residents are complacent and are willing to pay for subsidizing the other districts waste water rates and thus no appeal is necessary. I for one would welcome an appeal and would donate to an appeal fund.

    Another issue that should be explored is the way waste water rates are charged. Right now they are based on an arbitrary figure of 7000 gallons for everyone. In my own case I find that figure way too high. In fact it is about 2 months of water usage.
    Waste water rates should be charged on the amount of water you actually use. If I use 3000 gallons of water a month, there is no way I can generate 4000 gallons of waste water. This issue was not brought up in the waste water rate case but every rate payer should be concerned if they use less than 7000 gallons of water a month.
     
  2. Cynthia

    Cynthia Well-Known Member

    Not to toss anyone under the bus but since SC doesn't use the same treatment plant as SCW I think we should stay separate. In fact I think the "seniors can't afford to pay" was the wrong tactic. It should have been a consistent "we don't use the same plant so why are we being lumped together" Makes more sense to me...if we do decide to challenge. And your # of gallons is a point. I'm not sure how they assess it but it seems most costs get figured out as if two people always live in a house. Singles who have half the income are billed double.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2017
  3. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    Couple of things quickly before i explode TOSC. The RCSC drills wells for our golf courses. They use and inordinate amount of water and wells are the only solution. Not sure if they are enough alone; we used to buy water rights but i think we ended selling them off rather than not use them.

    As far as paying based on usage, we are well below the average cost of waste water with the state average around $40 per month. While SCR has a valid point, the reality is our relationship with the Tolleson treatment plant has been all good for us in Sun City and Youngtown.

    That said, sounds like it's coming to a screaming end: The ACC voted by a 4 to 1 margin to consolidate. Kudos to Bob Burns for voting against it.

    More to come but for now, it sucks.
     
  4. BPearson

    BPearson Well-Known Member

    I wanted to touch on your comment C. Having read most of the ALJ's award, you are spot on about using the argument about seniors not being able to afford to pay, it was clear that point got little or no traction. While our income levels are on average the lowest in the 5 waste water districts, there are retirees everywhere. No question there are households where income levels are higher but the ability to cover outrageous utility bills are crippling them.

    There was a time in this country where utilities where not privately owned, where making guaranteed profits at the expense of the masses was not the end game.

    Sun City is viewed differently by folks outside the walls. The perception is we have boatloads of money and are just stingy old people. I won't go into the reasons why this is nonsense, suffice to say, it is.
     

Share This Page