Summary

July 2014 Antelope Valley Water Rates Various Factors Contribute to Differences Among Water Utilities Report 2013-126 COMMITMENT INTEGRITY LEADERSHIP The first five copies of each California State Auditor report are free. Additional copies are $3 each, payable by check or money order. You can obtain reports by contacting the California State Auditor’s Office at the following address: California State Auditor 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 Sacramento, California 95814 916.445.0255 or TTY 916.445.0033 OR This report is also available on our Web site at www.auditor.ca.gov. The California State Auditor is pleased to announce the availability of an online subscription service. For information on how to subscribe, visit our Web site at www.auditor.ca.gov. Alternate format reports available upon request. Permission is granted to reproduce reports. For questions regarding the contents of this report, please contact Margarita Fernández, Chief of Public Affairs, at 916.445.0255. For complaints of state employee misconduct, contact the California State Auditor’s Whistleblower Hotline: 1.800.952.5665. Elaine M. Howle State Auditor Doug Cordiner Chief Deputy July 8, 2014 2013-126 The Governor of California President pro Tempore of the Senate Speaker of the Assembly State Capitol Sacramento, California 95814 Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders: As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (committee), the California State Auditor presents this audit report concerning the rates charged by four water utilities in the Antelope Valley (valley). Specifically, we were asked to audit the rates that three government-owned utilities (public utilities)—Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40), Palmdale Water District, Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill)—and one investor-owned utility (investor utility), California Water Service Company (Cal Water) charge their respective customers. In addition, the committee requested that we identify and evaluate significant factors contributing to each water utility’s rates. This report concludes that water rates differ considerably among the four water utilities and that various cost factors affect the water rates that each of them charges. For example, investor utilities incur costs that public utilities do not, including property and franchise taxes. In addition, each utility has access to different revenue sources, with public utilities receiving revenues in addition to monthly water rates, primarily property taxes, which help them cover their costs and contribute to lower rates. A utility’s sources of water also contribute to cost variations. Our review also found that all four utilities increased their water rates between 2011 and 2013 and the utilities were generally able to substantiate reasons for their increases. Furthermore, processes are in place to protect consumers from unreasonable rate increases, which each water utility could demonstrate it followed, with some exceptions for Quartz Hill and LA District 40. However, the requirements for notice under Proposition 218 could be clarified by the Legislature to provide further guidance to public utilities. In addition, a constitutional provision under that same law allowing parcel owners to protest a rate increase is unlikely to prohibit increased rates because it requires that a majority of parcel owners submit a written request. Finally, the utilities attested to a variety of cost saving efforts to keep their water rates reasonable, but were not always able to demonstrate that these efforts generated any quantifiable cost savings to their customers. Additionally, Cal Water offers two rate assistance programs to qualified customers in the valley while the three other utilities do not currently offer rate assistance programs or discounts to their customers’ monthly water bills. Respectfully submitted, ELAINE M. HOWLE, CPA State Auditor 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 Sacramento, CA 95814 916.445.0255 916.327.0019 fax www.auditor.ca.gov Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 v July 2014 Contents Summary 1 Introduction 5 Audit Results Water Utilities Charge Different Water Rates Based on the Different Costs They Each Incur 13 Water Utilities Must Undergo Public Review Processes to Justify Their Rates 17 Each Water Utility Increased Its Water Rates Between 2011 and 2013 22 Some of the Water Utilities Have Undertaken Cost-Saving Efforts, but They Cannot Always Document the Amounts Saved 28 Cal Water Offers Rate Assistance Programs, While the Three Public Utilities Currently Do Not 30 Recommendations 31 Appendix Expenditures for the Water Utilities We Reviewed 35 Responses to the Audit County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Works 37 Palmdale Water District 41 Quartz Hill Water District 43 California State Auditor’s Comments on the Response From Quartz Hill Water District 47 California Water Service Company 49 vi California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 1 July 2014 Summary Audit Highlights . . . Results in Brief Our audit concerning Antelope Valley water rates revealed the following: The Antelope Valley region (valley) occupies northeastern » Of the four water utilities we Los Angeles, southeastern Kern, and western San Bernardino reviewed—Los Angeles County counties, and its water customers are served, depending on Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40), location, by four main water utilities: Los Angeles County Palmdale Water District (Palmdale), Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40), Palmdale Water Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill), District (Palmdale), Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill), and and California Water Service Company California Water Service Company (Cal Water), and by several (Cal Water)—water rates differed smaller utilities. Water rates differ considerably among these considerably based on the various costs four water utilities. For example, in April 2013 a typical residential they incur. customer of Cal Water paid just over 304 percent more than a customer of LA District 40 with similar water usage. Although • Cal Water, an investor-owned utility, there are legal and other differences among the four water utilities, incurs costs that government-owned the primary explanation for the differences in rates and rate utilities (public utilities) do not, which increases is the difference in the costs paid by each water utility. include property and franchise taxes. Also, the four utilities can pass through inflation and increased costs of purchased water as rate increases to their customers. • Public utilities—LA District 40, Palmdale, and Quartz Hill—receive One major factor that contributes to the dissimilarity in revenues, primarily from property costs among the utilities is the inherent difference between taxes, that help cover costs and investor‑owned utilities (investor utilities), such as Cal Water, contribute to lower rates. and government‑owned utilities (public utilities), such as Palmdale, • A utility’s source of water contributes Quartz Hill, and LA District 40. For example, investor utilities incur to cost variations. costs that public utilities do not, including property and franchise taxes. In addition to the dissimilarities in costs, each water utility » Processes are in place to protect has access to different revenue sources due to the legal distinctions consumers from unreasonable rate between public and investor utilities. For example, as an investor increases and each of the water utilities utility, Cal Water can receive revenues only through monthly generally followed these processes. water rates, which includes a return on its investments in capital improvements. Public utilities receive revenues from monthly water » In some cases, the water utilities could rates and from additional sources, primarily taxes based on the not quantify their efforts to reduce assessed value of properties in their service area. These additional water rates. revenue sources help public utilities cover their costs, and therefore can contribute to lower monthly water rates for their customers. » Cal Water offers two rate assistance Other factors specific to each water utility can also contribute to programs while the three public utilities variations in their costs, including the sources of water and energy do not offer discounts to their customers. costs to pump water. We grouped these costs into the major expenditure categories of personnel, operations, water purchases, power, water treatment, and, where applicable, taxes. Although the four water suppliers have similar types of expenditures, the costs they incurred varied. Furthermore, processes are in place to protect consumers from unreasonable rate increases, and each of the water utilities generally followed these processes. The investor utility we reviewed, Cal Water, must file a general rate case every three years with the 2 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 California Public Utilities Commission (commission) for review and approval before adjusting rates. The three public utilities we reviewed also must adhere to an approval process. Proposition 218, a constitutional provision that limits the authority of local government agencies to impose property‑related assessments, fees, and charges, requires public utilities to provide parcel owners with written notice of any proposed rate increase at least 45 days in advance of a public hearing, and to explain the purpose for any increase. However, although Quartz Hill included the basis for calculating its rate increase in this notice, we believe it could have included more detail for the basis of its fee methodology. We noted that the requirements for the level of detail contained in the notice could be clarified by the Legislature to provide further guidance to public utilities. Furthermore, Quartz Hill and LA District 40 followed Proposition 218’s public notice requirements, but they lacked documentation showing that they followed statutory provisions requiring them to notify parcel owners of automatic increases in water rates to pass through inflation and increased costs of purchased water for all three years we reviewed. Additionally, Quartz Hill did not adopt a schedule of fees showing the effect of its pass‑through increases, as required by law. Proposition 218 also prohibits public utilities from increasing rates if a majority of parcel owners submit written protests; however, due to the number of property owners served by each public utility, we believe it is unlikely that a majority of them would protest. In an effort to keep rates reasonable, the four water utilities shared with us examples of their efforts to reduce their costs. Because of concerns expressed by valley water customers regarding increasing water rates, we would expect that the water utilities would be able to quantify these efforts. However, in some instances this was not the case. For example, Palmdale suggested that the annual efficiency audit of the electrical usage for its groundwater wells, conducted by its electricity utility, was a cost‑saving effort. However, because the electricity utility performs this annual audit, we did not consider this to be an effort that Palmdale took outside the normal course of business to keep its water rates reasonable. In contrast, LA District 40 will begin a five‑year effort in fiscal year 2014–15 to replace its vehicle fleet with more efficient vehicles, which it was able to demonstrate could save $148,000 a year once completed. As an investor utility, Cal Water is authorized by the commission to offer rate assistance programs and currently offers two different types of assistance to certain demographics of valley water customers. For example, the Low‑Income Rate Assistance program provides a monthly discount of 50 percent of the water customer’s service charge, up to a maximum of $12 per month, for water customers whose annual income for a family of four is at or below $47,700. The public utilities we visited do not currently California State Auditor Report 2013-126 3 July 2014 offer rate assistance, nor are they required to do so. In fact, Proposition 218 prohibits public utilities from using revenues from water rates to offer rate assistance programs to any one water customer demographic. However, the public utilities are not prohibited from using revenues from other sources to offer rate assistance programs. Recommendations To ensure that water customers are able to have a better understanding of how rate increases are determined, Quartz Hill should include information in its public notices providing reasonably sufficient details regarding the basis of its fee methodology. To provide guidance to local public agencies in implementing the notice requirements of Proposition 218, the Legislature should enact legislation that provides guidance to public utilities regarding the level of detail to include in the public notices required by Proposition 218. LA District 40 and Quartz Hill should ensure that they can demonstrate compliance with the statutory requirements of Proposition 218 when adopting any future pass‑through rate increases. Furthermore, Quartz Hill should ensure that it adopts a schedule of fees showing the effect of its pass‑through rate increases. To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, each water utility should ensure that it can demonstrate any savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost‑saving efforts. The three public utilities should work with their respective governing bodies to consider the feasibility of offering rate assistance programs for low‑income water customers. Agency Comments LA District 40, Palmdale, and Cal Water generally agreed with our conclusions and recommendations. However, Quartz Hill disagreed with our concerns regarding its compliance with the notice requirements of Proposition 218. 4 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 5 July 2014 Introduction Background The Antelope Valley region (valley) encompasses approximately 2,400 square miles occupying northeastern Los Angeles, southeastern Kern, and western San Bernardino counties. The largest population centers are within the Los Angeles County (county) portion of the valley and include the cities of Palmdale and Lancaster. A significant portion of the valley’s water supply comes from water purchased from the State Water Project, either directly from the California Department of Water Resources (Water Resources) or through the Antelope Valley–East Kern Water Agency (AVEK), a regional wholesaler. The State Water Project, California’s water storage and delivery system, transports water via the California Aqueduct between Northern and Southern California. Groundwater, which accumulates naturally in local aquifers beneath the land surface, is also an important source of water in the valley. Groundwater is obtained from wells owned and operated by local water utilities. As shown in Figure 1 on the following page, four main water utilities serve the county portion of the valley: Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40), Palmdale Water District (Palmdale), Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill), and California Water Service Company (Cal Water). Water customers cannot select their water utility; they are served by one of these four utilities or another of the smaller utilities in the valley, depending on their home or business location. Table 1 on page 7 provides an overview of the major characteristics of these four water utilities. Three are government‑owned utilities (public utilities), while Cal Water is an investor‑owned utility (investor utility) headquartered in San Jose and subject to state regulation. Each of the water utilities primarily serves residential customers. With more than 55,000 service connections and 54 wells, LA District 40, which serves parts of the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, as well as other parts of the valley, has more than twice as many service connections and wells as the next largest utility, Palmdale. LA District 40 is managed by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, and its policy‑making body is the county board of supervisors. Palmdale is the second largest water utility in the valley, with 26,000 service connections and 25 wells. It serves the central and southern parts of the city of Palmdale, as well as some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Unlike the other utilities, Palmdale contracts directly with Water Resources for the water it purchases through the State Water Project. Palmdale also owns the Littlerock Reservoir, which has a capacity of 3,500 acre‑feet of water and in 2013 provided about 7 percent of Palmdale’s water supply. 6 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Figure 1 Antelope Valley Service Locations of the Four Water Utilities We Reviewed Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 Palmdale Water District Quartz Hill Water District California Water Service Company (Cal Water)* Edwards Air Force Base KERN COUNTY LOS ANGELES COUNTY City of Lancaster City of Palmdale Sources: Service areas are approximate based on Antelope Valley’s Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, and information each water utility provided. Note: This map represents the Antelope Valley (valley), which covers parts of Los Angeles and Kern counties and is intended to provide the relative size and approximate location of each water utility’s service areas. Other water utilities provide water to the unmarked areas. * Cal Water has an additional service area—Fremont Valley—not shown on this map. Although it is outside of the valley, the California Public Utilities Commission considers Fremont Valley to be part of Cal Water’s valley service area. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 7 July 2014 Table 1 Characteristics of Water Utilities in Antelope Valley LOS ANGELES COUNTY WATERWORKS, DISTRICT 40 PALMDALE WATER DISTRICT QUARTZ HILL CALIFORNIA WATER (LA DISTRICT 40) (PALMDALE) WATER DISTRICT SERVICE COMPANY Utility type Government‑owned Government‑owned Government‑owned Investor‑owned Date established in Antelope Valley 1993* 1918 1954 2000 Population served 174,000 109,400 17,000 3,400 Service connections 55,600 26,000 5,500 1,400 Number of wells 54 25 10 8 Sources of water in 2013 Groundwater 37% 44% 33% 87% Purchased from the Antelope 63 NA 67 13 Valley–East Kern Water Agency Purchased from the California NA 49 NA NA Department of Water Resources Other source† NA 7 NA NA Types of services offered‡ Residential 94% 96% 97% 96% Nonresidential 6 4 3 4 Service area Eight regions that The central and Parts of the cities of Parts of the city include parts of the southern parts of the Lancaster and Palmdale of Lancaster and all of cities of Lancaster and city of Palmdale and and unincorporated Lake Hughes and Leona Palmdale and all of unincorporated portions portions of Valley, which are west of Pearblossom, Little Rock, of Los Angeles County Los Angeles County Lancaster. It also serves Sun Village, Rock Creek, the Fremont Valley, and Lake Los Angeles north of Lancaster 554 square miles 140 square miles 6 square miles 7.6 square miles Noncontiguous Noncontiguous Noncontiguous Noncontiguous service areas service areas service areas service areas Sources: California State Auditor’s review of each water utility’s 2010 urban water management plan and other documents. NA = Not applicable. * LA District 40 has eight regions, the first of which was established in the Antelope Valley in 1919, and the last in 1968. The eight regions merged to create LA District 40 in 1993. † Palmdale’s other source of water is the Littlerock Reservoir. ‡ Percentages based on number of water meters. Nonresidential types of services include government, industrial, commercial, landscape, and other services. Quartz Hill provides services to residents in parts of Lancaster and unincorporated areas of the county. It has 5,500 service connections and is the most dependent of the four utilities on purchased water, which it purchases from AVEK. Cal Water is the smallest of the four water utilities, with only 1,400 service connections. It serves parts of Lancaster and other smaller, isolated communities in four separate locations. Unlike the other three water utilities, which receive less than one‑half of their water supply from local groundwater, Cal Water is almost entirely reliant on local groundwater. 8 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Differences Between Public and Investor Utilities As Table 2 illustrates, there are several fundamental differences between public and investor utilities, including their governance, the process to increase water rates, and their access to different revenue sources. Public utilities are governed by a publicly elected board of directors. Under state law, the board of directors has the authority to collect the funds necessary to cover public utilities’ operations and maintenance costs. On the other hand, the California Public Utilities Commission (commission) regulates all investor utilities, including water utilities. Table 2 Fundamental Differences Between Investor-Owned and Government-Owned Utilities INVESTOR-OWNED UTILITIES GOVERNMENT-OWNED UTILITIES Governance Regulated by the California Public Utilities Report to a publicly elected governing body Commission (commission) Process to increase rates File a general rate case every three years Comply with Proposition 218 requirements Impact of taxes Pay property and franchise taxes; receive no Pay no taxes; can receive property tax revenues tax revenues Have balancing accounts Yes; used to account for differences between No projected and actual revenues and expenditures Can make a profit on capital improvements Yes, as permitted by the commission No Can use revenues from water charges for Yes No rate assistance and discounts Sources: California State Auditor’s review of a 2010 Rate Difference Study that the California Water Service Company provided, other documents, interviews with staff at each water utility, and state law. In addition to differences in governance, public and investor utilities must follow different processes to increase their rates. Public utilities must comply with Proposition 2181 when seeking rate increases. Proposition 218 protects parcel owners from unreasonable rate increases by limiting the authority of local government agencies to impose property‑related assessments, fees, and charges, including increases in water rates. Specifically, Proposition 218 requires that public utilities provide parcel owners with written notice of any proposed rate increase at least 45 days in advance of a public hearing at which the board of directors decides whether to approve the rate increase. This notice must explain the amount of and purpose for any increase and the basis upon which 1 Proposition 218, which voters approved in the November 5, 1996, statewide general election, amended the California Constitution to add the requirements described in this paragraph. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 9 July 2014 the increase is calculated. In addition, Proposition 218 prohibits public utilities from increasing rates if a majority of parcel owners submit written protests against the proposed rate increase. Investor utilities such as Cal Water, on the other hand, must justify their proposed rates by presenting cost information to the commission during general rate case proceedings, which take place every three years. The commission regulates all investor utilities in the State and is responsible for authorizing the rates these utilities may charge water customers. It has broad authority over investor utilities, including the authority to inspect and audit their records at any time. A general rate case proceeding is intended to provide the commission, the Office of Ratepayer Advocates,2 advocacy groups, and the public the opportunity to determine whether the costs that an investor utility proposes to recover in its rates are necessary, reasonable, and fair. Additionally, the three public utilities we reviewed receive revenues from taxes based on the assessed value of properties in their service areas, which they generally use for infrastructure projects and operating expenses. Unlike public utilities, investor utilities do not receive property tax revenues; they can receive revenues only through monthly water rates, which includes a commission‑approved return on any investments they make in capital improvements. Investor utilities also must pay property and franchise taxes and business license fees. In 2013 Cal Water reported paying $66,000 in taxes and fees for its valley office. Water Sources and Costs All four water utilities acquire water from two main sources—they purchase water from the State Water Project, either directly or through a water wholesaler, and they pump groundwater—and the costs for these two sources are significantly different. Specifically, all four water utilities we reviewed purchase water from the State Water Project, but the cost of this water depends on whether the water utility purchases directly from Water Resources or from a wholesaler. Palmdale is a state water contractor, so it purchases untreated water directly from Water Resources. To remove impurities and toxins from the water to make it drinkable for customers, Palmdale operates a water treatment plant. The other three water utilities, LA District 40, Quartz Hill, and Cal Water, 2 The Office of Ratepayer Advocates is an independent office within the commission that represents the interests of investor‑utility customers, with the goal of obtaining the lowest possible rate for service consistent with reliable and safe service levels. 10 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 purchase water from AVEK, a regional water wholesaler. Because AVEK must treat the water before selling it to these utilities, it charges higher rates to recover its water treatment costs. In addition to obtaining water from the State Water Project, all four water utilities obtain water from groundwater wells. Costs to pump groundwater include electricity to power the pumps, chemical costs to treat the water, and labor costs to maintain the pumps. Ultimately, these costs are lower than the cost of purchasing water. For example, in the last year of our review—either fiscal year 2012–13 or calendar year 2013, depending on the utility—the four water utilities we reviewed spent an average of $441 per acre‑foot3 to purchase and treat water, but incurred costs averaging only $178 per acre‑foot to pump and treat groundwater. This cost is lower partly because each utility obtains groundwater itself and partly because groundwater generally costs less to treat. Other Factors That Contribute to Water Rates Other common factors that contribute to differences in water rates include the size of the service area and its elevation. For instance, as shown in Table 3, the nature of a water utility’s service area can have an impact on its rates. Service areas with a dense population of service connections allow water utilities to disperse their fixed costs over a larger number of water customers, resulting in lower overall monthly bills, whereas service areas with fewer service connections result in higher monthly bills because the water utilities must spread their fixed costs across fewer water customers. Potential Changes in Groundwater Rights May Increase Water Rates in the Future Depending on the outcome of nearly 10 years of litigation involving the adjudication of groundwater rights in the valley, the water utilities’ access to groundwater may be reduced. The Los Angeles Superior Court (superior court) has determined that the valley’s groundwater basin has been in overdraft for over 50 years—that is, the amount of water that is being pumped out of the basin is more than the amount that is being replenished into the basin—and the superior court is determining the priority to pump groundwater and other matters. The litigation is nearing an end and the parties are negotiating an agreement to settle the remaining issues, which the court will hear in August 2014. If the superior court approves a settlement agreement, some water utilities may lose water rights— 3 One acre‑foot is equivalent to 325,850 gallons of water. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 11 July 2014 the right to pump an allocated amount of groundwater from their wells—which will cause them to purchase more water from the State or a wholesaler to make up for the loss. As we discussed earlier, purchased water is considerably more expensive than groundwater, meaning that the utilities’ water rates would increase to offset the higher water costs. However, it is still unclear when and to what extent this loss of water rights will occur. Table 3 Significant Factors That Contribute to Water Rates RATES WILL TEND TO BE: FACTOR HIGHER IF: LOWER IF: Sources of water Imported Groundwater Reliance on wholesaler Direct from State that purchases from State Water Project Water Project Energy costs Higher elevation Lower elevation Service area characteristics Low‑density population High‑density population Remote Accessible Fewer service connections More service connections Maintenance needs of infrastructure More maintenance Less maintenance Water quality needs More treatment Less treatment Pays taxes and fees Yes Few or none Receives property tax revenues No Yes Source: California State Auditor’s review of a 2010 Rate Difference Study that the California Water Service Company provided. Scope and Methodology The Joint Legislative Audit Committee (audit committee) directed the California State Auditor to perform an audit to evaluate the rates charged by four water utilities in the Antelope Valley— LA District 40, Palmdale, Quartz Hill, and Cal Water—as they relate to the increased costs of water and the variations in rates within the same neighborhood. The audit analysis the audit committee approved contained five separate objectives. We list the objectives and the methods we used to address them in Table 4 on the following page. 12 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Table 4 Audit Objectives and the Methods Used to Address Them AUDIT OBJECTIVE METHOD 1 Review and evaluate the laws, rules, Reviewed relevant laws, regulations, and other background materials applicable to the four utilities and regulations significant to the we reviewed. audit objectives. 2 For a time period to be determined by • Because some water utilities have different rates for different classes of water, we focused our the California State Auditor, and to the review on water utilities’ largest group of customers, the single‑family residential customer. extent possible, evaluate the process • For the four utilities we reviewed, identified, documented, and summarized the water rates each water utility used to establish its charged and rate structures in effect between 2011 and 2013. We identified and documented water rates and the reasons why its changes in water rates over this period to determine whether the utilities sufficiently justified rates increased. them. We also identified the extent to which the public was informed of the rate increases and whether the public was afforded an opportunity to provide input into proposed rate changes. 3 Identify and analyze the significant • We interviewed key staff and reviewed accounting and budget documents the water utilities used factors that contributed to each when increasing their rates to better understand what costs have a significant effect on water water utility’s rates and, to the extent rates and the extent to which these costs have increased over time. Because Los Angeles County possible, assess the causes of major Waterworks, District 40, and the Antelope Valley office of the California Water Service Company are differences between the utilities’ rates. part of a parent entity, we worked with their staff to segregate their revenues and expenditures from those of the parent entities. Our analysis focused on those costs that are directly related to providing water service and did not include non‑cash expenditures. • We established a baseline consumer usage level and determined the water bills paid by single‑family residential customers purchasing water from each of the four suppliers we reviewed. 4 To the extent possible, identify actions Interviewed key staff at each utility and gathered documentation on ways they have attempted to that each retail water utility has taken keep rates reasonable, and the impact of any rate assistance programs between 2011 and 2013. to keep its rates reasonable. 5 Review and assess any other issues We did not identify any other significant issues. that are significant to water rates in the Antelope Valley. Sources: California State Auditor’s analysis of Joint Legislative Audit Committee audit request number 2013‑126, planning documents, and analysis of information and documentation identified in the table column titled Method. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 13 July 2014 Audit Results Water Utilities Charge Different Water Rates Based on the Different Costs They Each Incur As mentioned in the Introduction, a variety of cost factors contribute to the water rates of the four water utilities in the Antelope Valley (valley). Although the four water utilities we reviewed—Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40), Palmdale Water District (Palmdale), Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill), and California Water Service Company (Cal Water)—have similar types of expenditures, the costs they incurred varied. Figure 2 on the following page shows each cost category’s percentage of the total costs for each water utility. These costs are grouped into the major expenditure categories of personnel—which consists of salaries, benefits, pension contributions, and other postemployment benefits— operations, water purchases, power, and water treatment. We reviewed each water utility’s costs over a three‑year period; however, Figure 2 shows only the last year reviewed. The Appendix has data for all three years that we reviewed. As Figure 2 notes, the last year we reviewed was either fiscal year 2012–13 or calendar year 2013, depending on how each utility maintains its accounting records. Personnel costs are generally one of the larger cost categories for each water utility. Palmdale’s proportion of personnel costs is slightly higher than those of the other three water utilities, amounting to approximately 50 percent of its total expenditures. According to its financial manager, this can largely be attributed to the fact that Palmdale purchases water directly from the California Department of Water Resources (Water Resources) and therefore operates a water treatment plant, which requires additional staffing. The personnel costs for the other utilities range between 34 percent and 40 percent of their total expenditures. Another large category is operations costs—which include administration, maintenance, supplies, insurance, and facilities. The four water utilities’ operations costs ranged from 17 percent to 36 percent of their total costs. Power costs are the most consistent category among the four water utilities, ranging from 6 percent to 9 percent. As noted previously, the water utilities all incur power costs to pump the water from groundwater wells and to pump water to their customers. In addition to the differences in expenditures, a water utility’s source A water utility’s source of water has of water has a significant impact on water rates. As shown in Table 5 a significant impact on water rates. on page 16, all four water utilities have two main sources of water: purchased water—either from a water wholesaler or, in the case of Palmdale, directly from Water Resources—and groundwater pumped from local wells. As discussed in the Introduction, purchased water 14 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Figure 2 Relevant Cost Factors for the Four Utilities in Calendar Year 2013 or Fiscal Year 2012–13 Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40) Palmdale Water District (Palmdale) Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill) California Water Service Company (Cal Water) PERSONNEL* OPERATIONS WATER PURCHASES POWER WATER TREATMENT TAXES 0% 10 20 30 40 50 Percentage Sources: California State Auditor’s analysis of each utility’s relevant cost factors. Note: Financial data for Palmdale and Cal Water are for calendar year 2013, while the data for Quartz Hill and LA District 40 are for fiscal year 2012–13. * Personnel costs include salaries and benefits, including postemployment benefits. has a significantly higher cost per acre‑foot4 than groundwater. For example, in 2013 Cal Water spent $482 per acre‑foot for purchased water but only $276 per acre‑foot on pumped groundwater. The costs of purchased water vary depending on the source and time of year 4 One acre‑foot is equivalent to 325,850 gallons of water. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 15 July 2014 purchased, and they also include the costs of labor and treatment. LA District 40, Quartz Hill, and Cal Water purchase water from the Antelope Valley–East Kern Water Agency (AVEK), a State Water Project wholesaler. AVEK’s prices reflect what it paid the State for the water, plus its treatment costs. Palmdale purchases its water directly from Water Resources at a lower wholesale rate. However, because the water it purchases is untreated, Palmdale incurs costs to ready this water for consumption. As shown in Figure 2, Cal Water’s cost to purchase water was only 4 percent of its total costs, the lowest among the water utilities. As noted in the Introduction, Cal Water relies on groundwater wells for 87 percent of the water it supplies to its customers. The cost to pump this groundwater is reflected in Cal Water’s operating and power costs. LA District 40 and Quartz Hill purchased 63 percent and 67 percent, respectively, of their water supply from wholesalers. As a result of their heavier reliance on wholesalers, their cost to purchase water represents a greater proportion of their total costs—39 percent and 36 percent, respectively. Additionally, Palmdale receives water from the Littlerock Reservoir, which it transports through a gravity‑driven system to its water treatment facility. Palmdale’s general manager stated that this process generates no costs and that the only labor involved is to open the valve a few times a year. In 2013 roughly 7 percent of Palmdale’s water supply—1,600 acre‑feet—came from the Littlerock Reservoir. Had it needed to purchase this water at the wholesale rate, we estimate that Palmdale would have paid approximately $292,000. Other factors related to non‑operating expenditures and revenues differ between government‑owned utilities (public utilities) and investor‑owned utilities (investor utilities), and these may also affect water rates. For instance, Cal Water allocates some costs from its central headquarters in San Jose for services such as water quality and engineering to its field offices across the State, including the valley. Cal Water’s records show that this allocation ranged from $140,000 to $215,000 in calendar years 2011 through 2013, which according to Cal Water, represents less than 0.5 percent of the central headquarters’ operating costs. We have included these costs in operations in Figure 2 since they reflect the costs related to Cal Water’s services in the valley. With regard to non‑operating revenues, public utilities have a Public utilities have a source of source of revenue other than rates that they can rely on for their revenue other than rates that they operations. As mentioned in the Introduction, the three public can rely on for their operations. utilities we reviewed receive revenue from property taxes based on the assessed value of properties in their service areas. For example, Palmdale received property tax revenues of $7.3 million in calendar 16 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 5 elbaT deweiveR eW seitilitU retaW ruoF eht rof retaW fo stsoC dna secruoS launnA YNAPMOC ECIVRES RETAW AINROFILAC TCIRTSID RETAW LLIH ZTRAUQ TCIRTSID RETAW ELADMLAP ,SKROWRETAW YTNUOC SELEGNA SOL )RETAW LAC( )LLIH ZTRAUQ( )ELADMLAP( )04 TCIRTSID AL( 04 TCIRTSID REP TSOC REP TSOC REP TSOC REP TSOC †TSOC LATOT TOOF-ERCA *TEEF-ERCA †TSOC LATOT TOOF-ERCA *TEEF-ERCA †TSOC LATOT TOOF-ERCA *TEEF-ERCA †TSOC LATOT TOOF-ERCA *TEEF-ERCA 466,841$ 271$ 368 129,102$ 541$ 983,1 673,697$ 311$ 520,7 921,389,2$ 062$ 174,11 1102 depmuP retawdnuorg 349,232 452 719 044,232 531 027,1 778,077 201 345,7 967,470,4 602 657,91 2102 773,491 672 407 052,562 531 959,1 039,899 701 873,9 685,568,3 391 299,91 3102 AN AN AN AN AN AN 571,395,5 093 333,41 AN AN AN 1102 ainrofilaC fo tnemtrapeD AN AN AN AN AN AN 681,179,6 663 650,91 AN AN AN 2102 secruoseR retaW AN AN AN AN AN AN 754,772,5 994 765,01 AN AN AN 3102 782,53 633 501 647,831,1 962 432,4 AN AN AN 906,447,01 692 492,63 1102 –yellaV epoletnA retaW nreK tsaE 471,44 504 901 643,362,1 723 868,3 AN AN AN 868,373,21 304 507,03 2102 ycnegA 601,25 284 801 227,384,1 473 369,3 AN AN AN 268,174,31 604 151,33 3102 AN AN AN AN AN AN – – 965,2 AN AN AN 1102 ‡secruos rehtO AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN AN 2102 AN AN AN AN AN AN – – 006,1 AN AN AN 3102 .sdrocer gnitnuocca dna ,sgnidaer retem ,seludehcs etar ’seitilitu retaw eht fo sisylana s’rotiduA etatS ainrofilaC :secruoS .raey radnelac yb stsoc rieht troper retaW laC dna eladmlaP elihw ,raey lacsfi yb stsoc rieht troper lliH ztrauQ dna 04 tcirtsiD AL :etoN .elbacilppa toN = AN .retaw eht htiw detaicossa tsoc oN = – .retaw fo snollag 058,523 ot tnelaviuqe si toof‑erca enO * .retaw eht taert dna eriuqca ot stsoc eht sedulcni tsoc latoT † .tsoc on ta ,riovreseR kcorelttiL eht morf seviecer eladmlaP taht retaw edulcni retaw fo secruos rehtO ‡ California State Auditor Report 2013-126 17 July 2014 year 2013, most of which—$4.9 million—pays its assessment for the capital costs related to the State Water Project. The remaining amount is derived from other property taxes. Similarly, LA District 40 and Quartz Hill received property taxes of $1.3 million and $323,000, respectively, in fiscal year 2012–13. The public utilities indicated that these property taxes help support their operations, in addition to the revenues they receive from customers for water service, and also pay for infrastructure improvements. Proposition 218 Constitutional Requirements Water Utilities Must Undergo Public Review for Public Utilities Processes to Justify Their Rates Procedural • The parcels that the fee or charge will be imposed on Public utilities must comply with Proposition 218, are identified. which limits the authority of local government agencies to impose property‑related assessments, • The amount of the proposed fee or charge is calculated. fees, and charges. On the other hand, investor • Written notice by mail is provided to parcel owners. utilities must receive approval from the California • The written notice will include: Public Utilities Commission (commission) – The amount of the fee or charge. before increasing rates. Our review found that all – The basis upon which the amount of the proposed fee or four utilities generally followed the required process charge was calculated. before increasing their rates. However, although – The reason for the fee or charge. Quartz Hill included the basis for calculating its – The date, time, and location of a public hearing, which is rate increases in the notice it is required to send to be held not less than 45 days after the notice is mailed. to parcel owners, we believe that it could have • At the public hearing, the agency considers all written included more detail. Furthermore, LA District 40 protests against the proposed fee or charge. If a majority and Quartz Hill could not demonstrate that they of parcel owners object, the agency cannot impose the met certain requirements of the implementation fee or charge. statute of Proposition 218 when making pass‑through rate increases for one or more Substantive of the three years we reviewed. • Revenues derived from the fee or charge cannot exceed the funds required to provide the property-related service. • Revenues derived from the fee or charge cannot be used The Three Public Utilities Substantially Met Public for any purpose other than that for which the fee or charge Notice Requirements When Increasing Water Rates was imposed. • The amount of a fee or charge imposed on a parcel or Proposition 218, a constitutional provision, requires property owner shall not exceed the proportional cost public utilities to follow a number of procedural of the service attributed to the parcel. requirements before seeking increases to their • No fee or charge may be imposed for a service unless that water rates. As seen in the text box, Proposition 218 service is actually used by, or immediately available to, the specifies the procedural steps a local government owner of the property in question. Fees or charges based entity must take before it adopts, extends, or on potential or future use of a service are not permitted. increases a property‑related fee or charge for public • No fee or charge may be imposed for a general utilities, including water service. governmental service that is available to the public at large in substantially the same manner as it is to property owners. Source: California Constitution, Article XIIID, Section 6. 18 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 As Table 6 shows, all three public utilities complied with the procedural requirements for increasing water rates under Proposition 218, with some exceptions for Quartz Hill and Although Quartz Hill satisfied the LA District 40. Although Quartz Hill satisfied the procedural procedural requirement to set forth requirement to set forth the basis upon which it calculated the fee the basis on which it calculated increase, we believe the level of detail fell short of providing the a fee increase, we believe it did public with a full understanding of its rationale for the increase. not provide the public with a full This requirement is contained in Proposition 218 but is not clearly understanding of its rationale for defined, nor has the Legislature provided any statutory guidance, the increase. nor has any court construed the meaning of this provision. Our legal counsel has advised us that an agency would likely comply with this procedural requirement if it provided reasonably sufficient information in the notice to allow a water customer to determine whether or not to file a written protest against the proposed rate increase. Quartz Hill’s notice of public hearing provided only a short statement describing the two costs—a flat rate that covers the cost of maintaining water service and a water usage rate determined by the water wholesaler. In contrast, Palmdale included detailed information regarding its rate structure in its notice of public hearing for the 2009 rate increase. LA District 40 did not increase its general water rates during the period we reviewed, but it did pass through cost increases, as discussed in the next paragraph. Further, as Table 6 shows, LA District 40 and Quartz Hill could not demonstrate that they complied with statutory requirements for pass‑through rate increases for one or more of the three years we reviewed. In implementing the requirements of Proposition 218, the Legislature enacted a statutory provision that permits water utilities to adopt a schedule of fees or charges that authorizes automatic rate adjustments without an additional public hearing for a period of no more than five years after a general rate increase, provided the utility gives 30 days’ notice to water customers before each rate increase. These adjustments, known as pass‑through rate increases, offset increases in wholesale water costs, inflation, or both. LA District 40 and Quartz Hill implemented pass‑through rate increases during 2011 to 2013 and both attested to meeting the requirement to provide a 30‑day notice. However, we were unable to verify that LA District 40 had done so for its 2012 rate increase and that Quartz Hill had done so for all three years because they did not retain documentation to show when they mailed the notices for those years. A senior civil engineer for LA District 40 stated that it retained a copy of the 2012 notice but not the mailing information. Quartz Hill’s general manager explained that it provided the notice on customers’ water bills, but he could not show us this notice because the company that prints and mails its water bills can retrieve data only for the previous three months. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 19 July 2014 Table 6 Government-Owned Utilities’ Level of Compliance With the Public Disclosure Requirements of Proposition 218 During Our Three-Year Audit Period LOS ANGELES COUNTY QUARTZ WATERWORKS, PALMDALE HILL WATER DISTRICT 40 WATER DISTRICT PROCEDURAL REQUIREMENTS (LA DISTRICT 40) DISTRICT (QUARTZ HILL) Parcel identified    Written notice of rate increases by mail    Notice includes amount of    proposed increase Notice includes basis for    calculating increase Notice includes reason for increase    Notice includes date, time, and location    of public hearing Public hearing held not less than 45 days    after mailing Written protests against increase    were considered Adopted a schedule of fees or charges for pass‑through rate increases to offset  NA 5 increases in wholesale water costs or inflation* Period that the schedule covers does not  NA  exceed five years* Notice of a pass‑through rate increase was given no less than 30 days before the NA effective date Source: California State Auditor’s analysis of government‑owned utilities’ compliance with Proposition 218. NA = Not applicable.  = The water utility complied with procedural requirements of state law (Proposition 218 amendments to state constitution and implementation statute) with regard to notification of parcel owners or ratepayers prior to a rate increase and the contents of those notifications. 5 = The water utility did not comply with the requirement. = We were unable to determine whether LA District 40 complied with the requirement for 2012 and whether Quartz Hill complied with this requirement for 2011 to 2013. * Although Quartz Hill’s public notice did not include a schedule of pass‑through fees or charges, it did indicate that the time period for the increase would not exceed five years. In addition, Quartz Hill did not adopt a schedule of fees or charges authorizing pass‑through rate increases, as is required of utilities that approve such increases. This schedule might have been included in the public notice showing projected increases over the period the schedule was in effect, or it might have provided a reference to an inflation index that would be used to calculate increases. Instead, Quartz Hill’s notice explained only that it would adjust the rate to reflect changes in wholesale costs, without indicating what the new rate may be or giving water customers a way to estimate it. Thus, Quartz Hill’s water customers would 20 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 have difficulty determining how a pass‑through rate increase was calculated. According to its general manager, Quartz Hill did not adopt a schedule of fees authorizing pass‑through rate increases because it did not have information from AVEK regarding future wholesale rate increases at the time the rate increases were proposed. However, LA District 40 was able to make water customers aware—both at the time the pass‑through rate increase was proposed and for each annual increase thereafter—of how much their bills might increase based on projected increases in AVEK water costs and inflation. The procedural requirements The procedural requirements imposed on public utilities by imposed on public utilities give Proposition 218 give property owners the opportunity to contest such property owners the opportunity fees or charges through written protests. However, the likelihood that to contest proposed rate increases a majority of the individual property owners in a service area would through written protests. submit written protests seems remote, based on our review. For example, Palmdale provides water service to over 26,000 connections. Therefore, if each connection represents a parcel of land, Palmdale would need to receive over 13,000 written protests from property owners in its service area to reject a proposed rate increase. Given that the over 2,100 protests submitted by property owners in Palmdale’s service area were insufficient to stop proposed rate increases in 2009—the highest number of protests received among the three public utilities—it seems unlikely that there would ever be sufficient protests to reject a rate increase in most circumstances. Similarly, LA District 40 and Quartz Hill received few written protests against their most recent rate increases. Finally, Proposition 218 also imposes a number of substantive requirements that local governments must meet to justify their fees or charges. These requirements are primarily meant to restrict local governments’ ability to impose property‑related fees and charges. The substantive provisions of Proposition 218 are outside of the scope of this audit. However, in 2011 a state appellate court found Palmdale in violation of the substantive portions of Proposition 218, including the proportionality requirement for using differing water budget allocation proportions for single‑family residential, commercial/ industrial, and irrigation customer classes. Following the ruling, Palmdale changed its usage rate structure so that the proportion of water allocated in each of the five tiers was equal across customer classes and issued credits to affected water customers. Cal Water Complied With the Commission’s Process for Rate Approval State law prohibits investor utilities from making any changes to rates unless the commission finds that the rate change is justified. The water rates Cal Water charged between 2011 and 2013 were approved by the commission. Further, Cal Water’s general rate case complied with the commission’s process. State law requires that investor utilities California State Auditor Report 2013-126 21 July 2014 with more than 10,000 service connections,5 such as Cal Water, file a general rate case application every three years to propose rate increases for the subsequent three‑year period. This application includes projected revenues and costs in addition to proposed rates. As described in the Introduction, a fundamental component of this review process includes an examination of the application by the commission and other parties to ensure that the costs a utility presents in support of its proposed rate increases are reasonable, necessary, and fair. The proposed rate increases are subject to change during this process, and the commission ultimately authorizes the rates the utility will charge its customers after hearing testimony from all involved parties. Because of the time needed to review the documents supporting the rates and to reach agreement on the proposed rates, the review process for Cal Water’s general rate case for 2011 to 2013 was scheduled to take 20 months. As described in the text box, state law also requires Cal Water to notify water customers within 45 days General Rate Case Customer after it submits the general rate case application and Notification Requirements specifies the items to include in this notification. Within 45 days of submitting an application to the California Similar to the Proposition 218 process, the general Public Utilities Commission (commission), the investor-owned rate case process allows the public to participate utility (investor utility) shall notify its customers affected by in the rate change process through public hearings the rate increase of the following items: before the commission. At the conclusion of the • The amount of the rate change, expressed in both dollar general rate case process for Cal Water’s proposed and percentage terms, for each customer classification. rates for 2011 to 2013, the commission approved the proposed rate increases but with modifications, • A brief statement of the reasons the rate change is required after various parties that disagreed with Cal Water’s or sought. proposed rates reached a settlement agreement. • The mailing address or e-mail address at the Additionally, Cal Water complied with the commission to which any customer inquiries may be commission’s general rate case process by submitting directed regarding how to participate in or receive further the general rate case application on time, notifying notices regarding the date, time, or place of any hearing water customers within 45 days of the submitted regarding the application. application, holding public hearings, receiving • The investor utility’s mailing address for any customer feedback on the application from both the commission inquiries about the proposed rate. and other parties, and participating in all required Source: California Public Utilities Code, Section 454. conferences and hearings related to the application. Investor utilities also can make requests to the commission for various approvals and authorizations, including changes to the utility’s rates, through an informal filing known as an advice letter. Cal Water submitted 13 advice letters between 2011 and 2013 that requested changes to rates in the valley. For example, Cal Water requested a surcharge of approximately 44 cents per unit of water used each month over an 18‑month period for water customers in all four locations it serves to recover a shortfall in projected revenues. Cal Water indicated that under commission rules, additional advance customer notification of 5 Cal Water has over 10,000 service connections throughout California. 22 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 these changes was not required because the commission had previously approved them as part of Cal Water’s general rate case and customers had been notified during the general rate case process. Each Water Utility Increased Its Water Rates Between 2011 and 2013 Each of the four water utilities serving the valley increased its rates between 2011 and 2013 and, as noted previously, generally followed the processes outlined in state law. Figure 3 shows that in April 2013 a typical residential customer with a family of three using the utilities’ most common6 meter size and approximately 21 units7 of water per month would have paid the most—$110—if Cal Water was the utility, followed by $46 if served by Palmdale, $38 if served by Quartz Hill, and $36 if served by LA District 40. Figure 3 also shows that Cal Water’s rate increases were the highest between 2011 and 2013, increasing by almost 18 percent, or over $16, during this period. The monthly bills of Quartz Hill and LA District 40 customers increased by 8 percent and nearly 15 percent, respectively, during the three‑year period. Finally, Palmdale’s monthly bill increased by 7 percent during this same period. Of the four utilities we reviewed, Each of the four utilities we reviewed uses a different formula and each uses a different formula and factors to determine how much a customer will pay for water each factors to determine how much month. Therefore, we used certain benchmarks in order to ensure a customer will pay for water an accurate comparison across utilities. For example, we chose the each month. month of April because the water utilities agreed that it was one of the most comparable months. The benchmark meter size is either 5/8 inch or 3/4 inch because at each utility the meters of a majority of the single‑family residential customers were of this size. Finally, 21 units of water is the average monthly consumption for a family of three living in the valley, based on our analysis using data from Water Resources’ 20x2020 Water Conservation Plan. As Table 7 on page 24 shows, the water rate of each water utility generally comprises three categories: a flat monthly service charge for basic service; tiered usage charges, which for public utilities must be proportional based on the quantity of water used; and various surcharges to cover special circumstances. Each utility determined the general rate increases applied to these charges using a water rate study or model that considered anticipated future costs or, for the pass‑through rate, increases in wholesale water costs, inflation, or both. As we describe in the sections that follow, in addition to using a water rate study or model to determine rate increases, each utility also provided specific reasons why the rate increases were necessary. 6 Either a 5/8‑inch or 3/4‑inch meter size. 7 One unit of water is equivalent to 100 cubic feet, which is equivalent to 748 gallons of water. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 23 July 2014 Figure 3 Typical Monthly Water Bill for a Family of Three Between 2011 and 2013 Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 (LA District 40) Palmdale Water District (Palmdale) Quartz Hill Water District California Water Service Company (Cal Water) $120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 7.1% 30 14.5% 20 8.3% 10 0 2011 2012 2013 Year tnuomA lliB $109.64 $93.24 $92.95 17.6% increase $46.29 $43.24 $43.24 $34.99 $36.54 $37.88 increase $36.08 $34.54 $31.52 increase increase Assumptions for all water utilities: Meter size Residential meter: 5/8 or 3/4 inch, depending on the utility Customer type Single-family residential Household size 3 people in household Consumption 21 hundred cubic feet per month Month of bill April of each year Additional assumptions for LA District 40: Region Region 04 Lancaster Surcharges and/or fees Facilities/construction surcharge Additional assumptions for Palmdale: Base elevation 2,800 feet Lot size 7,000 square feet Additional assumptions for Cal Water: Region Lancaster Surcharges and/or fees Varies by year Sources: California State Auditor’s analysis of water utilities’ rate schedules and related documents. Note: Bill amounts for Cal Water and LA District 40 include surcharges and surcredits that were in effect. 24 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Table 7 Water Rate Increases by Utility and Type of Charge 2010 2011 2012 2013 PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE WATER RATES NEW RATES INCREASE NEW RATES INCREASE NEW RATES INCREASE Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 Monthly service charge* $15.28 $16.03 4.9% $17.57 9.6% $18.34 4.4% Usage charge (tier I)† 0.77 0.81 4.7 0.89 9.5 0.93 4.5 Facilities surcharge† 0.08 0.08 5.1 0.09 9.8 0.09 4.0 Palmdale Water District Monthly service charge* $23.78 $24.97 5.0% $24.97 0.0% $26.97 8.0% Usage charge (tier I)† 0.64 0.67 5.0 0.67 0.0 0.72 7.5 Elevation booster surcharge† 0.23 0.16 (30.4) 0.16 0.0 0.15 (6.3) Water quality fees† 0.20 0.20 0.0 0.20 0.0 0.20 0.0 Quartz Hill Water District (Quartz Hill)‡ Monthly service charge* $20.63 $21.13 2.4% $21.63 2.4% $22.13 2.3% Usage charge (tier I) Winter† 0.63 0.66 4.8 0.71 7.6 0.75 5.6 Summer† 0.78 0.81 3.9 0.87 7.4 0.91 4.6 California Water Service Company (Cal Water)§ Monthly service charge* $31.22 $41.63 33.3% $41.94 1.0% $41.36 (1.0%) Usage charge (tier I)† 1.49 1.99 33.6 2.01 1.0 1.98 (1.0) Surcharges† 0.40 0.49 22.5 0.77 57.0 1.06 38.0 Surcredits (per month) 0.13 2.50 1,823.1 1.82 (27.0) 2.26 24.0 Source: California State Auditor’s review of the water utilities’ rate schedules. * The monthly service charge is based on the water utilities’ most common meter size for a single‑family residential customer. † Except for the monthly service charge, or as otherwise noted, amounts are per 100 cubic feet of water consumed. ‡ Quartz Hill has no surcharges. § The surcharges and surcredits for Cal Water are often limited in duration. Therefore, those shown are based on the last rate sheet for the year. Palmdale Water District Palmdale based its proposed rate increase on a water rate study that its consultant prepared. That study included an update to Palmdale’s five‑tier structure for water usage rates and developed indoor and outdoor water budgets for each single‑family residential customer. The indoor budget was calculated for each water customer based on household size, allowable water usage, and the number of days in the month; the outdoor budget was based on property square footage, local weather data, and drought conditions. Water customers who use 100 percent of their water budget or less fall California State Auditor Report 2013-126 25 July 2014 into tier 1, with each subsequent tier increasing by increments of 30 percent. In addition, the study recommended that Palmdale adopt an additional surcharge—a water quality fee—to fund upgrades to its water treatment plant and that it extend an existing surcharge to water customers at higher elevations. The consultant’s study recommended increases in the monthly service charge, the tiered usage charges, and the elevation surcharge. These increases consisted of a 14 percent increase in the monthly and tiered usage charges in 2010 followed by an 8 percent increase each year through 2014. The elevation surcharge was to increase by 8 percent over the same period. Additionally, the consultant recommended that Palmdale establish the water quality fee at 20 cents per 100 cubic feet of water, with small annual increases that would bring the fee to 23 cents in 2014. However, as Table 7 shows, although the board approved the recommended increases, Palmdale never fully implemented them. In fact, between 2011 and 2013, the monthly service charge increased less than recommended, the water quality fee never increased, and the elevation surcharge either decreased or remained flat. According to Palmdale’s financial manager, the board was concerned about the impact on water customers, and so it directed Palmdale to make an effort to control costs. Palmdale also cited a number of specific reasons for its rate increases in the notice of public hearing it mailed to property owners before approving the increases. These included a 16 percent increase in past costs due to inflation; water treatment plant upgrades to comply with federal and state environmental and safe drinking water rules; the increased cost of purchased water; and the need to operate, maintain, repair, and replace infrastructure. Palmdale was generally able to substantiate these reasons. Specifically, Palmdale’s records show that it made upgrades to its water treatment plant, spending nearly $5 million between 2010 and 2013 for equipment that filters impurities. In addition, Palmdale’s expenditures for purchased water increased by 65 percent between 2005 and 2008. However, the consumer price index that Palmdale provided us shows only a Palmdale was unable to explain 10 percent increase in inflation between 2005 and 2008, the years why its public notice cited a between the last and most current rate increases. Palmdale was 16 percent increase in past costs unable to explain why its public notice cited a 16 percent increase when its supporting documentation in past costs when its supporting documentation showed that past showed past costs increased by only costs had increased by 10 percent. 10 percent. Quartz Hill Water District Other than the fact that it has no surcharges, Quartz Hill’s rate structure for a single‑family residential customer is similar to Palmdale’s, with a monthly charge and a tiered usage charge. For the tiered usage charge, Quartz Hill calculates a total water allotment for each water customer by combining a fixed indoor allotment of 26 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 4,200 gallons of water, which is based on three persons living full‑time in the residence, with an outdoor allotment based on the square footage of a water customer’s lot. Water customers fall into one of five tiers, depending on their water usage. The base rate tier establishes the charge for water customers who stay within their allotment. Those who are under the allotment by 25 percent or more pay 94 percent of the base rate. Those who use more than their allotment pay a higher rate. For instance, water customers who use between 101 percent and 150 percent of their allotment are charged one and a half times the base rate. Additionally, Quartz Hill used a water rate model that it developed internally in November 2010 to determine how much it needed to increase general rates to cover projected costs. According to the general manager, using this model, Quartz Hill determined that it needed to increase rates for the monthly service charge on 3/4‑inch meters, the meter size used by most residential users in its service area, by 50 cents, or roughly 2 percent, each year between 2011 and 2015. Unfortunately, we were unable to recalculate Quartz Hill’s rates because, according to its general manager, Quartz Hill did not retain the supporting information for the water rate model. We did, however, verify that the percentage increases in the pass‑through rate matched increases in wholesale water costs that AVEK charged between 2011 and 2013. In the public notice sent to property owners before the approval of the rate increase, Quartz Hill cited increased electricity costs as well as new environmental regulations requiring that all new water fixtures be lead free as the main reasons for higher rates. Quartz Hill’s general manager was unable to provide documentation to support the increased electricity prices. However, citing billing invoices, Quartz Hill asserted that the price it paid for similar water fixtures increased by 73 percent between 2007 and 2010. Los Angeles County Waterworks, District 40 LA District 40 has three categories of charges: a monthly service charge, a tiered usage charge, and a facilities surcharge. The monthly service charge provides for 500 cubic feet of water per Unlike Palmdale and Quartz Hill, billing unit per month for a 3/4‑inch residential meter. Unlike LA District 40 does not develop Palmdale and Quartz Hill, LA District 40 does not develop separate indoor and outdoor water separate indoor and outdoor water allocations for each customer. allocations for each customer. However, the range of its tiers fluctuates between higher allocations in summer and lower allocations in winter to reflect seasonal variations in water demand, although the rate for each tier remains the same regardless of the season. The facilities surcharge is used to fund the construction and replacement of water system facilities. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 27 July 2014 Unlike Quartz Hill, which applied a pass‑through rate increase only to the usage charge, between 2011 and 2013 LA District 40 increased each of its three charges by the amount of the pass‑through rate increase. LA District 40 determined the pass‑through rate increase by calculating increases in the costs of water purchased from AVEK and inflation. Using this methodology, LA District 40 increased its monthly service charge by 4.9 percent in 2011, 9.6 percent in 2012, and 4.4 percent in 2013. Documentation that LA District 40 provided us substantiated both the increased cost of purchased water and the inflation adjustments. LA District 40’s facilities surcharge was less than $2 in each year’s monthly bill amount as shown in Figure 3 on page 23. California Water Service Company Cal Water’s rate structure and its method for determining rate increases are similar to those of the three public utilities. Cal Water has two main charges: a monthly service charge and a tiered usage charge. The tiered usage charge was approved as a trial program in 2008 in response to a commission effort to promote water conservation. Prior to that, Cal Water customers were charged a single‑quantity rate. The usage charge consists of three tiers. The first tier covers the first 1,400 cubic feet of water used, with increased rates for usage above that amount. As explained previously, the commission approves water rates for investor utilities through the general rate case process. Similar to the public utilities, Cal Water calculated its Cal Water proposed increases in the proposed water rate increase using a rate model. In its 2009 tiered usage charge of 118 percent general rate case, which established the water rates for 2011, in its 2009 general rate case, which Cal Water proposed increases in the tiered usage charge of established the water rates for 2011, 118 percent. The proposed increase for its monthly rate was just but the commission ultimately 5 percent. However, as shown in Table 7, the commission ultimately approved an increase of 33 percent. approved increases of 33 percent for both rates. Further, under the advice letter process, Cal Water increased its rates in 2012 to recover increased costs associated with the construction of a water storage tank and lowered them in 2013 to decrease the rate of return it would earn on capital investments, but the rates in these two years deviated only slightly from those for 2011. Cal Water offered a number of reasons for increasing its rates in 2011 for the valley, the primary of which was the need to replace aging infrastructure and to add water supply facilities. Documentation that Cal Water provided indicates that of the $1.4 million for 23 infrastructure projects included in its general rate case settlement agreement for 2011 and 2012, it completed eight at a total cost of $214,000, or only 16 percent of the cost of the planned projects. Cal Water’s documentation further indicates that nine projects with a value of $724,000 have been initiated or are in progress, while the remaining 28 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 six projects were cancelled. According to Cal Water, its 2012 general rate case does not include the value of these cancelled projects as part of its revenue requirement. As described earlier, investor utilities such as Cal Water can submit advice letters seeking adjustments to their rates. As with public utilities, this is often done, but unlike public utilities, investor utilities reimburse water customers for overcharges included in rates through surcredits. Some of Cal Water’s surcharges apply to all of its customers and may fund activities not directly related to water service, such as a surcharge for a rate assistance program. These surcharges are a uniform amount across all of Cal Water’s customers in California. Other surcharges are temporary or one time, allowing Cal Water to request changes to its rates to account for differences between projected and actual revenues or costs on an ongoing basis as a condition of its general rate case. For example, the water revenue adjustment mechanism ensures that Cal Water and its customers are not at risk for the under‑ or over‑collection of revenues following the commission’s approval of rate structure changes to encourage water conservation. Therefore, if Cal Water overestimates its costs, the difference would show up as a surcredit on water customers’ bills. The surcharges per month are significant. For example, in the April 2013 bill amount of nearly $110 shown in Figure 3 on page 23, the net amount of the commission‑approved surcharge is $25.67 for Cal Water, which increased from the previous amount of $6.51 for April 2012. Some of the Water Utilities Have Undertaken Cost-Saving Efforts, but They Cannot Always Document the Amounts Saved Because the increasing cost of water has been a concern for valley residents, we would have expected the water utilities that we reviewed to be able to demonstrate how much they have saved with the various efforts they have undertaken. Each water utility expressed to us its intention to operate as efficiently as possible to keep rates low for water customers. However, although each of the four utilities provided examples of various ways it manages operating costs in order to keep rates reasonable, the utilities were not always able to quantify the savings that resulted from these actions. Palmdale shared with us several Palmdale shared with us several efforts to reduce its energy costs; efforts to reduce its energy costs; however, none of these constituted a specific effort directed toward however, none of these constituted curbing escalating water rates. For example, Palmdale suggested a specific effort directed toward that one cost‑saving effort was an annual efficiency audit of the curbing escalating water rates. electrical usage for its groundwater wells that its electricity utility conducts. However, because the electricity utility performs this California State Auditor Report 2013-126 29 July 2014 audit annually, we did not consider this to be an effort that Palmdale took outside the normal course of its business as a way to keep its water rates reasonable. In contrast, LA District 40 could demonstrate that some of the actions it was taking could result in cost savings. LA District 40 estimated that it could save nearly $148,000 a year after completing a five‑year plan to replace its current vehicles with more efficient vehicles. LA District 40 plans to begin the vehicle replacement in fiscal year 2014–15. Also, a senior civil engineer for LA District 40 indicated that as a division within the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (public works), LA District 40 has the ability to transfer staff to other units within public works LA District 40’s senior civil engineer and leave positions temporarily unfilled if it identifies a need to could not cite any specific instances keep operating costs low. He also stated that LA District 40 will in which it transferred employees postpone less critical maintenance until it has adequate funding to to other units or postponed cover the maintenance costs. However, the senior engineer could maintenance to keep operating not cite any specific instances in which it transferred employees to costs low during our period other units or postponed maintenance during our period of review. of review. Further, using a process known as water banking, both LA District 40 and Quartz Hill pre‑purchased water from AVEK for later use during dry years when purchased water rates are higher. LA District 40 banked 11,500 acre‑feet of water in 2011 and 2012 at a cost of $4.2 million and plans to withdraw 10,350 acre‑feet between fiscal years 2013–14 and 2014–15. Had it needed to purchase this water from AVEK at the current dry‑year rates, we estimate LA District 40 would have spent between $8.3 million and $10.4 million for the same amount of water. Similarly, Quartz Hill banked 3,430 acre‑feet of water between 2010 and 2013 at a cost of $736,000. While Quartz Hill plans to withdraw some water from its water bank in 2014, as of May 2014, it was unsure of how much it will need to extract. In addition, Quartz Hill’s general manager described two other recent cost‑saving efforts. In January 2013 its board of directors approved the purchase of solar panels at a cost of $1.3 million. The vendor that sold the solar panels to Quartz Hill estimated that the solar panels will provide nearly $5.6 million in electricity savings over 30 years. The general manager also indicated that in 2012 Quartz Hill reached an agreement with its employees’ union to reduce medical coverage for all represented employees. However, Quartz Hill has not quantified the savings that have resulted from this effort. As a statewide water utility, Cal Water centralizes engineering, water quality, water conservation, accounting, billing, and information technology functions at its San Jose headquarters and allocates a proportional share of these costs to its customers 30 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 across California, including those in the valley. Cal Water asserted that centralizing these functions ensures that each of its customers receives the full benefit of these services, but at a significantly lower cost. To illustrate, Cal Water indicated that it charges valley customers less than 0.5 percent of the costs for these centralized services, which amounted to $140,000 in 2013. Cal Water also installed an alert system in the valley to eliminate the need for staff to manually monitor the status of water facilities. Cal Water did not provide the cost savings that resulted from installing this system, but it stated that the system has improved operational efficiency. Further, Cal Water contended that being regulated by the commission helps ensure that it is operating as efficiently as possible and that its expenses are prudent and justified. Cal Water indicated that the general rate case process provides the commission and other parties the opportunity to review Cal Water’s records to ensure that its costs are in the best interests of customers. However, all investor utilities are subject to the commission’s review, and thus this process is not a specific cost‑saving effort that Cal Water undertook. Cal Water Offers Rate Assistance Programs, While the Three Public Utilities Currently Do Not Of the four water utilities we reviewed, only Cal Water—the investor utility—offers rate assistance programs, as authorized by the commission. It currently offers two different programs to qualified customers in the valley: the Low‑Income Rate Assistance (LIRA) program and the Rate Support Fund (RSF). The LIRA program assists water customers whose income is below a certain level—for example, below $47,700 for a family of four. This program provides a monthly discount of 50 percent of the water customer’s service charge, up to a maximum of $12 per month. The RSF program is offered to water customers in high‑cost service areas. For the period we reviewed, Cal Water offered the RSF program to water customers in only one of the four locations it serves in the Cal Water funds two rate assistance valley, providing a discount of $12.10 off their monthly water bill. programs with surcharges to other Cal Water funds two rate assistance programs with surcharges to water customers. other water customers. In its most recent general rate case, which began in 2012,8 Cal Water has proposed expanding the number of water customers who qualify for the RSF program and increasing the amount of the discounts offered by both programs. 8 As of May 2014 Cal Water’s 2012 general rate case was still in progress, and no decision had been reached. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 31 July 2014 Unlike investor utilities such as Cal Water, public utilities must adhere to the requirements of Proposition 218 when increasing rates, as we discussed earlier. Proposition 218 prohibits public Under Proposition 218, a public utilities from increasing water rates or making changes in their utility may not use revenues derived rate structures unless they comply with specified substantive from water fees for any purpose requirements. In particular, a public utility may not use revenues other than delivering water, such derived from water fees for any purpose other than delivering as a rate assistance program. water and may not impose a fee that exceeds the proportional cost of providing water service to the parcel. Because a rate assistance program funded by revenues derived from water fees would result in one group of ratepayers subsidizing the fees paid by another group of ratepayers, Proposition 218 would prohibit such a program. However, water utilities can use other funding sources to offer rate assistance programs. For example, the city of Davis— although not a public utility—adopted a Lifeline Water Utility Rate Assistance Program in May 2013 that uses revenues from late fees to assist up to 250 low‑income water customers by discounting their monthly bills by $10 a month. Currently, none of the three public utilities we reviewed offer rate assistance programs. However, Palmdale’s finance manager stated that the finance committee of its board of directors recently considered implementing a rate assistance program to assist low‑income senior water customers, which would be funded using revenues from cell phone tower leases. Palmdale proposed this program in a March 2014 finance committee meeting, but the finance committee has yet to make a decision as to whether it will propose this program to the board of directors. Similarly, Quartz Hill proposed a low‑income rate assistance program to its board of directors in December 2013, but the board did not approve the proposal because it would have required some customers to pay for other customers’ bills and it believes the proposal would conflict with Proposition 218. LA District 40’s senior civil engineer stated that no formal consideration has been given to implementing a rate assistance program. Alternatively, pending legislation that, if enacted, would be known as the Low‑Income Water Rate Assistance Act, would require the California Department of Community Services and Development to develop a plan to fund and implement a program and report to the Legislature no later than January 2016 on the feasibility of such a program. Recommendations To ensure that water customers are able to have an understanding of how rate increases are determined, Quartz Hill should include information in its public notices providing reasonably sufficient details of the basis of its fee methodology. 32 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 To provide guidance to local public agencies in implementing the notice requirements of Proposition 218, the Legislature should enact a statute that specifies the level of detail required to satisfy the requirement that the notice specify “the basis upon which the amount of the proposed fee or charge was calculated.” To ensure that LA District 40 and Quartz Hill can demonstrate that they comply with the public notification requirements of Proposition 218, they should retain documentation demonstrating that they mailed required Proposition 218 notifications of pass‑through rate increases to water customers during the period that the increased rates are in effect. To ensure that water customers are aware of pass‑through rate increases, Quartz Hill should adopt a schedule of fees showing how these increases will affect its tiered usage charges before the new rates take effect. To ensure that its water customers have access to Quartz Hill’s rate methodology and other factors that help it determine rate increases, the utility should keep all documentation it uses to calculate or otherwise explain the need for rate increases for as long as the rate increases are in effect. To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, each water utility should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost savings expected or achieved as a result of its cost‑saving efforts. To assist low‑income water customers, Palmdale, LA District 40, and Quartz Hill should work with their respective governing bodies to consider the feasibility of using revenues from sources other than water rates to implement rate assistance programs for low‑income water customers. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 33 July 2014 We conducted this audit under the authority vested in the California State Auditor by Section 8543 et seq. of the California Government Code and according to generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives specified in the scope section of the report. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Respectfully submitted, ELAINE M. HOWLE, CPA State Auditor Date: July 8, 2014 Staff: John Baier, CPA, Audit Principal Amber Ronan Brianna J. Carlson Joseph S. Sheffo, MPA Legal Counsel: J. Christopher Dawson For questions regarding the contents of this report, please contact Margarita Fernández, Chief of Public Affairs, at 916.445.0255. 34 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 35 July 2014 Appendix EXPENDITURES FOR THE WATER UTILITIES WE REVIEWED Table A shows the relevant cost factors for each water utility for the three years we reviewed. As mentioned in the Introduction, a variety of cost factors contribute to water rates of the four water utilities in the Antelope Valley. For the purposes of this table, these costs are grouped into the major expenditure categories of personnel—which is made up of salaries and benefits—operations, water purchases, power, water treatment, and, when applicable, taxes. Table A shows the percentage increases for each category and for total expenditures between fiscal years 2010–11 and 2012–13, or calendar years 2011 through 2013, depending on the water utility. It also shows the proportion of cost types to total costs for each water utility for the last year shown. Figure 2 on page 14 in the Audit Results presents this information for only the last year that we reviewed. Table A Relevant Cost Factors for the Four Water Utilities We Reviewed (Dollars in Thousands) PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE OF TYPE OF COST* 2011 2012 2013 CHANGE† TOTAL COSTS (2013) LOS ANGELES COUNTY WATERWORKS, DISTRICT 40 (LA DISTRICT 40) Personnel‡ $14,689 $12,117 $11,736 (20%) 34% Operations 8,334 6,379 6,591 (21) 19 Water purchases 10,745 12,374 13,472 25 39 Power 1,782 2,445 2,337 31 7 Water treatment 272 332 370 36 1 Taxes NA NA NA NA NA Totals $35,822 $33,647 $34,506 (4%) 100% PALMDALE WATER DISTRICT (PALMDALE) Personnel‡ $10,717 $10,560 $10,353 (3%) 50% Operations 4,721 3,922 3,600 (24) 17 Water purchases 2,658 3,615 2,247 (15) 11 Power 1,259 1,214 1,608 28 8 Water treatment 2,936 3,356 3,031 3 15 Taxes NA NA NA NA NA Totals $22,291 $22,667 $20,839 (7%) 100% continued on next page . . . 36 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE OF TYPE OF COST* 2011 2012 2013 CHANGE† TOTAL COSTS (2013) QUARTZ HILL WATER DISTRICT (QUARTZ HILL) Personnel‡ $1,388 $1,517 $1,649 19% 40% Operations 959 611 708 (26) 17 Water purchases 1,139 1,263 1,484 30 36 Power 204 225 261 28 6 Water treatment 34 37 16 (53) § Taxes NA NA NA NA NA Totals $3,724 $3,653 $4,118 11% 100% CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY (CAL WATER) Personnel‡ $433 $477 $507 17% 40% Operations 425 500 461 8 36 Water purchases 35 44 52 49 4 Power 62 106 121 95 9 Water treatment 87 129 76 (13) 6 Taxes 57 63 66 16 5 Totals $1,099 $1,319 $1,283 17% 100% Sources: California State Auditor’s analysis of each utility’s relevant cost factors. NA = Not applicable. * LA District 40 and Quartz Hill report their costs by fiscal year, while Palmdale and Cal Water report their costs by calendar year. † Percentage change is between 2011 and 2013. ‡ Personnel costs include salaries and benefits, including postemployment benefits. § Less than 1 percent. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 37 July 2014 38 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 39 July 2014 40 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 41 July 2014 42 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 43 July 2014 6/18/2014 John Baier, Principal Auditor * 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: STATE AUDIT OF THE ANTELOPE VALLEY WATER RATES COMPLETED BY THE CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR Dear Mr. Baier We appreciate the time and effort that was put forward by you and your staff in shepherding this audit regarding the “various factors contribute to difference among water utilities.” Quartz Hill Water District is continually striving to improve our product and the method in which it is delivered. Quartz Hill Water District generally agrees with the findings and recommendations of the California State Auditors (CSA). However, with such a large scope of assignment and complexity of the issue(s) at hand the District feels that some 1 generalizations garble the facts. Our comments on specific items are enclosed. TheDistrict appreciated cooperative method in which your staff conducted the work leading to this report, and always welcomes the opportunity to examine our practices. Several common practices have been modified as a result of this auditas denoted in our response to the recommendations. If you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to contact me anytime at (661) 943-3170. Sincerely, Chad J. Reed Chad J. Reed General Manager * California State Auditor’s comments appear on page 47. 44 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Recommendations R.1. “To ensure that water customers are able to have an understanding of how rate increases are determined, Quartz Hill Should include information in its public notices providing reasonably sufficient detail of the basis of its fee methodology.” Quartz Hill Water District has consulted with the CSA, and agrees that the Legislature should provide additional instruction on what is required. The District will also follow the CSA advice of 2 consulting with the League of Cities. It is the belief of Quartz Hill Water District that during the Proposition 218 process, the District went above and beyond the legal requirements in providing ample explanations as to why the rates were increasing. The District provided specific examples, as denoted in your audit. On several different occasions, Quartz Hill Water District held and participated in different public forums explaining the basis of the rate and why the increase was necessary. One technique used to demonstrate the methodology was a power point. That was publicly shown on multiple occasions and at different sites, allowing for a question and answer session after the presentation. Since Quartz Hill Water District is a not for profit organization, it was assumed that if operating cost increased then rates would have to increase likewise. R.2. “To provide guidance to local public agencies in implementing the notice requirements of Proposition 218, the Legislature should enact a stature that specifies the level of detail required to satisify the requirement that the notice specify “the basis upon which the amount of the proposed fee or charge was calculated.” Quartz Hill Water District agrees with this recommendation. R.3. “To ensure ******* (Quartz Hill) can demonstrate that they comply with the public notification requirements of Proposition 218, they should retain documentation demonstrating that they mailed required Proposition 218 notifications of Pass-through rate increase to water customers during the period that the increased rates are in effect.” Quartz Hill Water District will maintain a sample copy of the invoice that denotes the increase to water fees. To the District’s knowledge Quartz Hill Water District has never had a request for the exact printed statement beyond what our computer system was able 3 to generate. Quartz Hill Water District did send out the statements of the increase as signified by the provided paid invoices for the service of mailing all printed statements. It was Quartz Hill Water District belief that the paid invoices was the “retained documentation demonstrating that they [Quartz Hill] mailed required Proposition 218 notifications of pass-through rate increased to water customers”. However, since consulting with the CSA the District feels this recommendation can be resolved hence forth. R.4. “To ensure that water customers are aware of pass-through rate increase, Quartz Hill Should adopt a schedule of fees showing how these increases will affect its tiered usage charges before the new rates take effect.” California State Auditor Report 2013-126 45 July 2014 Quartz Hill Water District will modify current practices to include a schedule of possible pass through rates. R.5. “To ensure that its water customers have access to Quartz Hill’s rate methodology and other factors that help it determine rate increase, the utility should keep all documentation it uses to calculate or otherwise explain the need for rate increases for as long as the rate increase are in effect.” Quartz Hill Water District agrees with this recommendation. Though, all laws of record retention were satisfied QHWD sees how transparency could be improved with this practice. R.6. “To show water customers that they are attempting to keep rates reasonable, [Quartz Hill] ******** should maintain documentation to demonstrate any cost saving expected or achieved. “ Historically, items of this nature have been presented orally during the regularly scheduled Board of Directors monthly meeting. Since participating in this audit it has become apparent to Management that all cost saving and similar items need to be written and shared publicly to simplify documentation of such events. 46 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 47 July 2014 Comments CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR’S COMMENTS ON THE RESPONSE FROM QUARTZ HILL WATER DISTRICT To provide clarity and perspective, we are commenting on Quartz Hill Water District’s (Quartz Hill) response to our audit. The numbers below correspond to the numbers we have placed in the margin of Quartz Hill’s response. As part of the quality control process that we are required to follow 1 under generally accepted government auditing standards, we provide auditees, including Quartz Hill, a draft copy of the audit report for review and comment. Further, we spoke with the general manager of Quartz Hill on several occasions to provide him the opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns he had with the draft report. However, none of the general manager’s comments caused us to make any edits to the draft report. Quartz Hill misstates the point of our finding. As we describe 2 on page 18 of the report, Quartz Hill’s notice of public hearing provided only a short statement indicating that the fee increase was based on describing the two costs—a flat rate that covers the cost of maintaining water service and a water usage rate determined by the water wholesaler. Our legal counsel determined that this statement met the Proposition 218 procedural requirement to set forth the basis for which Quartz Hill calculated the rate increases, however, we believe this statement is devoid of any detail to inform the public of the basis Quartz Hill used to determine its rate increases. Although Quartz Hill asserts it explained the basis for the rate increases in public forums, as we note in the text box on page 17, Proposition 218 requires that the basis for a rate increase be explained in the written notice mailed to parcel owners. Although Quartz Hill continues to assert that it mailed the required 3 notices for the pass‑through rate increases for 2011 through 2013, as we note on page 18 it did not retain these notices. Lacking the actual notices it asserts to have sent, Quartz Hill was unable to demonstrate to us that it sent the appropriate notices at least 30 days before each pass‑through rate increase was to take effect. 48 California State Auditor Report 2013-126 July 2014 Blank page inserted for reproduction purposes only. California State Auditor Report 2013-126 49 July 2014 CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY 1720 NORTH FIRST STREET • SAN JOSE, CA 95112 June 16, 2014 Elaine M. Howle, CPA California State Auditor 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 Sacramento, CA 95814 RE: Audit 2013-126 – Antelope Valley Water Rates: Various Factors Contribute to Differences Among Water Utilities Ms. Howle: Thank you for providing California Water Service Company (Cal Water) the opportunity to review and comment on the California State Auditor’s report entitled “Antelope Valley Water Rates: Various Factors Contribute to Differences Among Water Utilities” (Report). At the outset, please allow me to commend your staff for the amount of time and effort they put into completing the Report. The thoroughness of the Report is a testament to their dedication. It was a pleasure working with each member of your staff who participated in the preparation of the Report. Cal Water is committed to providing safe, reliable water utility service to our customers at the lowest cost possible. As such, we concur with the Report’s recommendation that utilities enhance their ability to document and demonstrate what they are doing keep water utility rates reasonable. We will be sure to keep your office informed of the efforts we are undertaking to implement this recommendation. Again, we truly appreciate having had the opportunity to work with you staff. We believe that the Report provides valuable insight into the various processes by which water utility rates are established and adds a great deal of clarity to a subject that is often difficult to understand. Respectfully, (Signed by: Paul Townsley) Paul Townsley Vice President, Regulatory Matters & Corporate Relations DISTRICT OFFICES: ANTELOPE VALLEY • BAKERSFIELD • BAYSHORE • BEAR GULCH • CHICO • DIXON • EAST LOS ANGELES • KERN RIVER VALLEY • KING CITY • LIVERMORE • LOS ALTOS • MARYSVILLE • OROVILLE • RANCHO DOMINGUEZ • REDWOOD VALLEY • SALINAS • SELMA • STOCKTON • VISALIA • WESTLAKE • WILLOWS