Water rate case nears conclusion

Arizona American water customers in Sun City West and Sun City Grand will soon know how much higher their water bills will be.

The Arizona Corporation Commission will decide the new rate for water customers in Sun City West and the Agua Fria District, which includes Sun City Grand, following a final hearing next week.

In what has been a lengthy and at times complicated process, Arizona American first proposed an average rate increase of 69 percent for Sun City West customers and 41 percent for Agua Fria District customers. That was more than a year ago.

Since then, public forums have taken place with commissioners, and initial hearings have been presided over by an ACC administrative law judge, whose task it is to summarize the case and offer an opinion for corporation commissioners.

ACC Administrative Law Judge Teena Wolfe released her Recommended Order and Opinion Nov. 3. In it, she recommends a 66 percent increase, from an average monthly bill of $19.51 to $32.42 for Sun City West customers and a 26 percent increase, from $24.16 to $30.42 per month for Agua Fria customers.

Now, the only thing remaining in the case is for the commissioners to decide the final rates. That hearing will be Thursday and next Friday at ACC headquarters in downtown Phoenix and is open to the public.

Bill Hafeman, co-chair of the ad hoc committee in Sun City West organized to fight the proposed rate increase, said Wolfe’s recommendation to the ACC is inappropriate.

"We just feel like under the present circumstances that what she recommends is still too high," he said. "We don’t know whether (the economy) is going to improve. It might get a lot worse. As a result we still think it’s too high. We’re hoping (the commissioners) will consider her rate ... is too high for the present situation."

Water officials said the company proposed the rate hike to help recover funds stemming from infrastructure improvements and escalating operating costs over the last several years.