20080515Sandpoint.pdf

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RECEIVED
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMi~~i~
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IN THE MATTER OF ALGOMA WATER )
COMPANY'S APPLICATION FOR )
APPROVAL TO SELL THE WATER )
COMPANY AND. FOR AN ORDER )
AUTHORIZING INCREASES IN THE )
COMPANY' S 'RATES AND CHARGES )
FOR WATER SERVICE. )
PUBLIC HEARING
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AT SANDPOINT, IDAHO
APRIL 29, 2008, AT 7:00 P.M.
HEARING OFFICER: Mack A.Redford, Commissioner
Idaho Public Utilities Commission
Reported by: Charlotte R. Crouch, CSR No. 192Notary Public
Spokiìne, Washington
509.455.4515
1.800.879.1700
Co~ur d'Alene, Idaho
North~rn Offices
208.765.1700
1.800.879.1700 WW.mmCourt.com
208.345.9611
1.800.234.9611
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1 APPEARANCES
2
3 Mr. Mack A. Redford, Commissioner, Hearing
Officer, Idaho Public Utili ties Commission, 472 W.
4 Washington, P. O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074.
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Mr. Donald L. Howell, II, Deputy Attorney
6 General, Lead Attorney, Public Utili ties Commission,
472 W. Washington, P. O. Box 83720, Boise, ID
7 83720-0074.
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TESTIMONY OF:
Adam Hofer .
Timothy Blankenship
Petition
M & M Court Reporting Service, Inc.
I N D E X
EXHIBITS
Admitted
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1-800-879-1700 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 4/29/08
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1 A PUBLIC HEARING, was held before the Idaho
2 Public Utili ties Commission on this 29th day of April
3 2008, 7: 00 P.M. at the Sandpoint High School Library,
4 410 South Division Street, Sandpoint, Idaho, before
5 M & M Court Reporting Service, Inc., by Charlotte R.
6 Crouch, Court Reporter and Notary Public within and
7 for the State of Idaho, to be used in an action
8 pending before said Commission, said cause being Case
9 No. AWS-W-07-01.
10 AND THEREUPON, the 'following proceedings
11 were had, to wit:
12 HEARING OFFICER: We'll go on the record
13 now.
14 My name is Mack Redford, and I'm a
15 Commissioner of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
16 We're holding a hearing here in Sandpoint on the
17 matter of Algoma Water Company's application for
18 approval to sell the water company, and for an order
19 authorizing increases in the company's rates and
20 charges for water.
21 The case number is AWSW-W-07-01. The
22 hearing in this matter was issued by the Commission on
23 11 April 2008. The purpose of the hearing tonight is
24 to take testimony of interested parties as to the
25 proposed sale, and the rate increase for Algoma. Let
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1 me tell you what is it not. It's not for the purpose
2 of answering any questions. That was done in an
3 earlier proceeding at a workshop. We are simply here
4 to take the comments of anyone who wants to testify.
5 And before you testify, Mr. Howell, whom I'LL
6 introduce, who is the general counsel for the
7 Commission, will ask you to swear under oath, and
8 he'll ask you to give your address, and so on and so
9 forth.
10 Again, we're pleased about those of you who
11 are here who will be testifying. And we also have
12 Mr. Chris Hecht, who is with the Commission. He's
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si tting in the back of the room, and if there's any
questions or technical questions that you might want
15 to ask him after the proceeding, he'll be glad to
16 answer any of these questions.
17 So, what I'd like to do at this time is
18 call the first witness who is Adam Hofer. If you'd
19 like to step forward, and raise your right hand,
20 please.
21 ADAM HOFER,
22 having been first duly sworn to tell the truth, the
23 whole truth, and nothing but the truth relating to
24 said cause testified as follows:
25 HEARING OFFICER: Step right up to the
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podium here, and speak.
MR. HOWELL: Would you state your full name
3 for the record, and spell your last name, please?
4 MR. HOFER: Adam Edward Hofer, H-O-F-E-R.
5 And my address, 94 Norman Way in Sagle.
6 MR. HOWELL: And, sir, are you a customer
7 of Algoma Water Company?
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MR. HOFER: Yes.
MR. HOWELL: All right. And if you'd like
10 to give the Commissioner your statement, please do.
11 MR. HOFER: I just -- you know, I see the
12 rate increase, and I don't understand how that is a
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feasible amount. You know, that's a 100 percent
increase, and I just don't understand how that -- you
15 know, if a person knows that a company is in the red,
16 and that it has a negative net income, why would they
17 buy it? You know, if -- you know, if he just wants to
18 raise the -- the water bill or sewer bill a little bit
19 a year, that is understandable, in my eyes. But to go
20 from -- you know, the combination bill is $60 a month,
21 is what we pay; $62.58, I think. And to go from --
22 back to what the proposed is, which is over $90 a
23 month, you know, I don't make a lot of money, and
24 that's more than what they charge here in town. And
25 so, I don't think that this is going to do anything,
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1 but I had all of the neighbors, my neighborhood, sign
2 a petition, and it's just very simple. I got off work
3 tonight, hauled home, typed this up, and then ran my
4 neighborhood, and this is what I came up with. I
5 don't know if it's going to do any good or not.
6 HEARING OFFICER: Well, certainly. Let's
7 admi t that as an exhibit to the hearing, and we'll
8 note for the record that this is a petition against
9 or a petition by what Mr. Hofer represents are the
10 homeowners and rate payers in this area. I'd like to
11 read it. It says, "This is a petition against the
12 raise in our water and sewer monthly charge. A raise
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in our water is fine, but a 100 percent increase is
not." And there are sixteen names that are listed.
Thank you very much. We'll make this a
16 part of the record. It will be noted by the
17 Commission.
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MR. HOFER: Thank you.
HEARING OFFICER: Thank you.
20 Tim Blankenship?
21 TIM BLANKENSHIP,
22 having been first duly sworn to tell the truth, the
23 whole truth and thing but the truth relating to said
24 cause, testified as follows:
25 MR. HOWARD: Thank you, sir.
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1 Would you state your name, and spell your
2 last name for the record?
3 MR. BLANKENSHIP: My name is Timothy
4 Blankenship, B-L-A-N-K-E-N-S-H-I-P.
5 MR. HOWARD: Do you have a mailing address,
6 sir?
7 MR. BLANKENSHIP: My company mailing
8 address is 1205 Highway 2, Suite 101, Sandpoint.
9 MR. HOWARD: And are you a customer of
10 Algoma?
11 MR. BLANKENSHIP: I represent the Sagle
12 Valley Water and Sewer District.
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MR. HOWARD: Great. Do you have a
statement you'd like to give the Commission?
MR. BLANKENSHIP: Earlier -- late last
16 month, we sent a letter to the Commission stating that
17 the Algoma water system is within the Sagle Valley
18 Water and Sewer District.
19 HEARING OFFICER: And we've received that
20 letter.
21 MR. BLANKENSHIP: I just wanted to
22 reiterate that they are in the District,. and these
23 properties, because they're in the District, will be
24 assessed for the new water system that's being put in.
25 So, in addition to the rate increase that the
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1 particular customers are going to see, they're also
2 going to have a $30.50 assessment for a water system
3 that they're not going to be using.
4 What the District would like is for the
5 system to merge with the Sagle Valley Water System
6 such that they would be provided better pressure,
7 better service, and a lower rate than what they're
8 being currently -- what's currently being suggested as
9 the new rate that they would be having.
10 HEARING OFFICER: Well, for the record, I'd
11 li ke to indicate that we have received a letter from
12 your company, and it has and will become part of the
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record. And it will certainly be reviewed by the
Commission prior the any decision as to the sale of
15 the water company and/or any rate increase.
16 And I might state that just because the
17 company has asked for a rate increase doesn't make it
18 so. We will be the ones that decided what is the fair
19 rate.
20 Thank you.
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MR. BLANKENSHIP: Okay.
HEARING OFFICER: Is there anyone else that
23 would like to testify?
24 (No response.)
25 HEARING OFFICER: Well, hearing that, I'd
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1 like to thank you very much for coming to our hearing,
2 and you certainly live in a beautiful area, and all of
3 us love this part of the state.
4 Thank you very much.
5 (The hearing concluded at 7: 05 P.M.)
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BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION 4/29/08
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1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE
2 I, CHARLOTTE R. CROUCH, Certified Shorthapd
3 Reporter, do hereby certify:
4 That the foregoing proceedings were taken before
5 me at the time and place therein set forth, at which
6 time any witnesses were placed under oath;
7 That the testimony and all obj ections made
8 were recorded stenographically by me and were
9 thereafter transcribed by me or under my direction;
10 That the foregoing is a true and correct
11 record of all testimony given, to the best of my
12 ability;
13 That I am not a relative or employee of any
14 attorney or of any of the parties, nor am I
15 financially interested in the action.
16 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
17 hand and seal this 12th day of May,
19
18 2008..
20 ,,/ :r,#~ 1~iR.~1
:'?~:: CHARLOTTE R . CROUCH, C. S . R. # 192
":"'(,)C',Ñotary Public"'~~" 816 Sherman Ave. , Suite 7
Coeur d' Alene, ID 83814
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23 My Commission Expires January 18, 2013.
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