20231129Customer Hearing Transcript Vol I.pdf

In The Matter Of:
THE APPLICATION OF FALLS WATER CO., INC., et al.
CUSTOMER HEARING
November 27, 2023
T&T Reporting, LLC
477 Shoup Avenue, Suite 105
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402
[phone]
Min-U-Script® with Word Index
1
1 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

2 * * * * * *

3

4

5

6

7 IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION )
OF FALLS WATER CO., INC., FOR )
8 AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES ) CASE NO.:
AND CHARGES FOR WATER SERVICE IN ) FLS-W-23-01
9 THE STATE OF IDAHO )
_________________________________)
10

11

12

13

14 REPORTER'S TRANSCRIPT OF CUSTOMER HEARING

15 Monday, November 27, 2023; 11:01 o'clock a.m.

16

17

18

19

20 BE IT REMEMBERED that the customer hearing
in the above-captioned matter was taken at the Elks
21 Lodge, 640 East Elva Street, Idaho Falls, Idaho,
before DiAnn Erdman Prock, CSR SRL 963, CCR, Court
22 Reporter and Notary Public, in and for the State of
Idaho.
23

24

25
2

1 A P P E A R A N C E S

2 Commissioners Present:
ERIC ANDERSON, President
3 JOHN R. HAMMOND, JR.

4 For Falls Water:
SCOTT BRUCE, General Manager
5
For the Commissioners:
6 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
BY: CHRISTEN J. BURDIN
7 11331 W. Chinden Boulevard
Building 8
8 Suite 201A
Boise, Idaho 83720
9 [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
10
Also present:
11 MARIA BARRATT-RILEY

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CUSTOMER HEARING - November 27, 2023
3

1 (The hearing proceeded at 11:01 a.m. as

2 follows:)

3 * * * * * *

4 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: Good morning.

5 This is the time and place for a

6 customer hearing in case number FLSW-23-01, also

7 referred to as in the matter of the application of

8 Falls Water Company for authority to increase its

9 rates and charges for water service in the state of

10 Idaho.

11 The purpose of this hearing is to take

12 testimony from members of the public in reference to

13 Falls Water's request that was filed with the

14 Commission on May 12, 2023.

15 My name is Commissioner John Hammond. I

16 am the chair of today's proceedings. I'm also

17 joined by commissioner and president Eric Anderson.

18 Commissioner Lodge is unable to be here today, but

19 we comprise the commission in this case that will

20 collectively make a final determination in this

21 matter.

22 To this point, no parties have

23 intervened in this case, and an informational

24 workshop for the public has been conducted.

25 Today's objective is to take live public
CUSTOMER HEARING - November 27, 2023
4

1 testimony which we added to the underlying record in

2 this case.

3 The commissioners will review the facts

4 and evidence and the record to make its final

5 determination for this proceeding.

6 At this point we don't have anybody, I

7 believe, that has signed up to provide testimony in

8 this proceeding, so I am not going to run through

9 any procedure for that at the moment.

10 If someone shows up, we will do that and

11 give instructions on testimony and how folks will be

12 sworn in to testify.

13 At this point, let's take the appearance

14 of the parties and let's begin with the company,

15 Falls Water Company.

16 Is anybody here today?

17 SCOTT BRUCE: Scott Bruce with Falls

18 Water. I'm the general manager.

19 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: And now the

20 Deputy Attorney General representing the staff.

21 MR. BURDIN: Thank you, Commissioners.

22 Chris Burdin, Deputy Attorney General, representing

23 the staff.

24 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: Are there any

25 other parties to the case that need to be recognized
CUSTOMER HEARING - November 27, 2023
5

1 this morning?

2 (No audible response.)

3 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: I don't see

4 anybody raising their hand.

5 At this point, since we have nobody here

6 in the room to testify, I would like to adjourn the

7 hearing for five minutes -- do you want a ten-minute

8 recess, or five to ten? Let's do ten. And see if

9 anybody comes to offer testimony, and we will

10 reconvene again in ten minutes, and go back on the

11 record.

12 So thank you very much.

13 (A brief recess was had.)

14 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: Let's go back on

15 the record today.

16 We are back on the record for in the

17 matter of Falls Water's application for authority to

18 increase its rates and charges for water services in

19 the state of Idaho.

20 We waited for ten minutes to see if any

21 customers or interested parties would appear at the

22 hearing to provide testimony. We have not had

23 anybody sign in or show up to the hearing. So at

24 this point, we are going to close the hearing and

25 end it early since we do not have anyone here to
CUSTOMER HEARING - November 27, 2023
6

1 testify.

2 So thanks, everyone, for attending. And

3 we will see you later.

4 THE COURT REPORTER: Do you need this

5 transcribed?

6 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: Good question.

7 MS. BARRATT-RILEY: Just that nobody

8 came.

9 COMMISSIONER HAMMOND: Yes, we do, so we

10 have a record that we did it.

11 THE COURT REPORTER: Who do I send the

12 bill to?

13 MS. BARRATT-RILEY: Me.

14 (Whereupon, the proceedings concluded at

15 11:15 a.m.)

16 * * * * * *

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7

1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE

2 STATE OF IDAHO )
) ss.
3 COUNTY OF BONNEVILLE )

4

5

6 I, DiAnn Erdman Prock, CSR, CCR, a duly
commissioned Notary Public in and for the State of
7 Idaho, do hereby certify:

8 That I took down in Stenotype all of the
proceedings had in the before-entitled matter at the
9 time and place indicated, and that thereafter said
Stenotype notes were transcribed into typewriting at
10 and under my direction and supervision, and the
foregoing transcript constitutes a full, true and
11 accurate record of the proceedings had.

12 I further certify that I have no interest
in the event of the action.
13
WITNESS my hand and seal this 28th day of
14 November, 2023.

15

16

17

18

19
_____________________________
20 DiAnn Erdman Prock
Idaho CSR SRL 963, CCR
21 Notary Public in and for
the State of Idaho
22

23 My commission expires November 26, 2025.

24

25

THE APPLICATION OF FALLS WATER CO., INC., et al. CUSTOMER HEARING
November 27, 2023
A
added (1)
4:1
adjourn (1)
5:6
again (1)
5:10
Anderson (1)
3:17
appear (1)
5:21
appearance (1)
4:13
application (2)
3:7;5:17
attending (1)
6:2
Attorney (2)
4:20,22
audible (1)
5:2
authority (2)
3:8;5:17
B
back (3)
5:10,14,16
BARRATT-RILEY (2)
6:7,13
begin (1)
4:14
bill (1)
6:12
brief (1)
5:13
BRUCE (2)
4:17,17
BURDIN (2)
4:21,22
C
came (1)
6:8
case (5)
3:6,19,23;4:2,25
chair (1)
3:16
charges (2)
3:9;5:18
Chris (1)
4:22
close (1)
5:24
collectively (1)
3:20
Commission (2)
3:14,19
COMMISSIONER (10)
3:4,15,17,18;4:19,
24;5:3,14;6:6,9
commissioners (2)
4:3,21
Company (3)
3:8;4:14,15
comprise (1)
3:19
concluded (1)
6:14
conducted (1)
3:24
COURT (2)
6:4,11
customer (1)
3:6
customers (1)
5:21
D
Deputy (2)
4:20,22
determination (2)
3:20;4:5
E
early (1)
5:25
end (1)
5:25
Eric (1)
3:17
everyone (1)
6:2
evidence (1)
4:4
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facts (1)
4:3
Falls (5)
3:8,13;4:15,17;5:17
filed (1)
3:13
final (2)
3:20;4:4
five (2)
5:7,8
FLSW-23-01 (1)
3:6
folks (1)
4:11
follows (1)
3:2
G
general (3)
4:18,20,22
Good (2)
3:4;6:6
H
HAMMOND (8)
3:4,15;4:19,24;5:3,
14;6:6,9
hand (1)
5:4
hearing (7)
3:1,6,11;5:7,22,23,
24
I
Idaho (2)
3:10;5:19
increase (2)
3:8;5:18
informational (1)
3:23
instructions (1)
4:11
interested (1)
5:21
intervened (1)
3:23
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John (1)
3:15
joined (1)
3:17
L
later (1)
6:3
live (1)
3:25
Lodge (1)
3:18
M
manager (1)
4:18
matter (3)
3:7,21;5:17
May (1)
3:14
members (1)
3:12
minutes (3)
5:7,10,20
moment (1)
4:9
morning (2)
3:4;5:1
much (1)
5:12
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name (1)
3:15
need (2)
4:25;6:4
nobody (2)
5:5;6:7
number (1)
3:6
O
objective (1)
3:25
offer (1)
5:9
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parties (4)
3:22;4:14,25;5:21
place (1)
3:5
point (5)
3:22;4:6,13;5:5,24
president (1)
3:17
procedure (1)
4:9
proceeded (1)
3:1
proceeding (2)
4:5,8
proceedings (2)
3:16;6:14
provide (2)
4:7;5:22
public (3)
3:12,24,25
purpose (1)
3:11
R
raising (1)
5:4
rates (2)
3:9;5:18
recess (2)
5:8,13
recognized (1)
4:25
reconvene (1)
5:10
record (6)
4:1,4;5:11,15,16;
6:10
reference (1)
3:12
referred (1)
3:7
REPORTER (2)
6:4,11
representing (2)
4:20,22
request (1)
3:13
response (1)
5:2
review (1)
4:3
room (1)
5:6
run (1)
4:8
S
Scott (2)
4:17,17
send (1)
6:11
service (1)
3:9
services (1)
5:18
show (1)
5:23
shows (1)
4:10
sign (1)
5:23
signed (1)
4:7
someone (1)
4:10
staff (2)
4:20,23
state (2)
3:9;5:19
sworn (1)
4:12
T
ten (4)
5:8,8,10,20
ten-minute (1)
5:7
testify (3)
4:12;5:6;6:1
testimony (6)
3:12;4:1,7,11;5:9,
22
thanks (1)
6:2
today (3)
3:18;4:16;5:15
today's (2)
3:16,25
transcribed (1)
6:5
Min-U-Script®(1) added - transcribed
THE APPLICATION OF FALLS WATER CO., INC., et al. CUSTOMER HEARING
November 27, 2023
U
unable (1)
3:18
underlying (1)
4:1
up (3)
4:7,10;5:23
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waited (1)
5:20
Water (5)
3:8,9;4:15,18;5:18
Water's (2)
3:13;5:17
Whereupon (1)
6:14
workshop (1)
3:24
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11:01 (1)
3:1
11:15 (1)
6:15
12 (1)
3:14
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2023 (1)
3:14
Min-U-Script®(2) unable - 2023