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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230418Notice_of_Application_Order_No_35745.pdfNOTICE OF APPLICATION NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE ORDER NO. 35745 1 Office of the Secretary Service Date April 18, 2023 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF ALGOMA WATER’S APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES AND CHARGES FOR WATER SERVICE IN THE STATE OF IDAHO ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) CASE NO. AWS-W-23-01 NOTICE OF APPLICATION NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE ORDER NO. 35745 On March 7, 2023, Algoma Water System dba Algoma Water (“Company” or “Algoma”) applied to change rates for its residential and commercial customers.1 Application at 1. The Company proposes to increase rates for residential customers to $54.00 per month and increase rates for commercial customers to $89.00 per month. Id. The Company’s Application includes its rate calculation and several exhibits. The Company did not request an effective date in its Application.2 The Commission now issues this Notice of Application and sets deadlines by which interested persons may intervene. NOTICE OF APPLICATION YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that Algoma Water System provides service to 22 residential and five commercial customers in or around the Sagle, Idaho area. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that Algoma’s most recent general rate case was over fifteen years ago in Case No. AWS-W-07-01. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that under the Company’s proposal, residential and commercial customers rates would increase 100%. The new rates would increase to $54.00 per month for residential customers and $89.00 per month for commercial customers. Id. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Company seeks additional revenues to cover expenses and costs associated with maintaining and operating the water system. Id. 1 The Company’s Application was not entered into the Commission’s case management system until April 6, 2023. 2 In a filing made on April 7, 2023, the Company did request a June 1, 2023, effective date. This request was not contemplated by the Commission at its April 10, 2023, Decision Meeting. NOTICE OF APPLICATION NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE ORDER NO. 35745 2 YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Company’s Application did not indicate it provided notice to its customers “when it filed its Application or as soon as possible thereafter” or the press release that shall be “mailed or delivered simultaneously with the filing of the application” as required under IDAPA 31.01.01.125(3)-(4). YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Application and supporting documentation have been filed with the Commission and are available for public inspection during regular business hours at the Commission’s office. These documents are also available on the Commission’s website at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on the “WATER” icon, select “Open Cases,” and click on the case number as shown on the front of this document. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Commission has designated this case as a general rate case. As such, the Company’s intrastate revenue requirement, and every component of it, both rate base and expense, are at issue. The Commission may grant, deny, or modify the revenue requirement requested and may find a revenue requirement different from that proposed by any party is just, fair, and reasonable. IDAPA 31.01.01.124.01. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that all of the Company’s retail rates and charges are at issue, and every component of every existing and proposed rate and charge is at issue. The Commission may approve, reject, or modify the rates and charges proposed and may find that rates and charges different from those proposed by any party are just, fair, and reasonable. IDAPA 31.01.01.124.02. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Commission may approve, reject, or modify existing or proposed relationships between and among rates and charges within, between, or among customer classes or rate groupings and may approve, reject, or modify existing or proposed relationships among and between customer classes or rate groupings. Id. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Commission may abolish, reduce, or create rate blocks or categories of rates and charges; abolish, create, or reduce components of rates and charges; abolish, reduce, or create customer classes or rate groupings; and abolish, reduce, or create absolute or relative differences among and between existing classes or rate groupings of customers. Id. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the tariffs, practices, rules and regulations, service, instrumentalities, equipment, facilities, classifications, and customer relations of the utility are at issue, and the Commission may address any of them in its order. Id. NOTICE OF APPLICATION NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE ORDER NO. 35745 3 YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Commission has jurisdiction over Algoma, its filing, and the issues pertaining to this case pursuant to Title 61 of the Idaho Code. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that all proceedings in this matter will be conducted pursuant to the Commission’s Rules of Procedure, IDAPA 31.01.01.000 et seq. NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that persons desiring to intervene in this matter to obtain parties’ rights of participation must file a Petition to Intervene with the Commission pursuant to this Commission’s Rules of Procedure 71-73, IDAPA 31.01.01.072-073. Persons who wish to intervene as a party must file a Petition to Intervene no later than 21 days after the date of service of this Order. Persons desiring to present their views without parties’ rights of participation do not have to intervene and may present their comments without prior notification to the Commission or the parties. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the Commission Secretary shall issue a Notice of Parties after the deadline for intervention has passed. The Notice of Parties shall assign exhibit numbers to each party in this proceeding. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that once the Notice of Parties is issued, Commission Staff will informally confer with the parties to discuss a schedule to process this case and other issues as may be raised by the parties. YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that the following persons are designated as the Company’s representatives in this matter: Bob Hansen Algoma Water System 67 Wild Horse Trail Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 265-4270 wsmibob@aol.com Jeff Cowley Operator 67 Wild Horse Trail Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 265-4270 jeff.cowley@usa.com ORDER IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that persons desiring to intervene in this case for the purpose of obtaining parties’ rights of participation must file a Petition to Intervene with the Commission no later than 21 days after the service date of this Order. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, after the Secretary issues a Notice of Parties, Staff will informally confer with the parties to discuss the appropriate scheduling of this case. NOTICE OF APPLICATION NOTICE OF INTERVENTION DEADLINE ORDER NO. 35745 4 IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Company shall comply with the requirement of timely distribution of customer notices of the proposed rate change and the publication of a press release under IDAPA 31.01.01.125(3)-(4) within 30 days of the service date of this Order. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that parties comply with Order No. 35375, issued April 21, 2022. Generally, all pleadings should be filed with the Commission electronically and will be deemed timely filed when received by the Commission Secretary. See Rule 14.02. Service between parties should continue to be accomplished electronically when possible. However, voluminous discovery-related documents may be filed and served on CD-ROM or a USB flash drive. DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho this 18th day of April 2023. __________________________________________ ERIC ANDERSON, PRESIDENT __________________________________________ JOHN R. HAMMOND JR., COMMISSIONER __________________________________________ EDWARD LODGE, COMMISSIONER ATTEST: _________________________________ Jan Noriyuki Commission Secretary I:\Legal\WATER\AWS-W-23-01\orders\AWSW2301_Ntc_App_Int_cs.docx