By Erin Roman | InMaricopa.com
Mayor Christian Price meets with Global Water rate increase task force and about 50 residents during Global Water presentation of why it needs a rate increase. Erin Roman photo
Global Water president of regulated utilities, Ron Fleming, meet with the Global Water rate increase task force Thursday and Maricopa residents regarding his utility’s rate increase application.
In his presentation, Fleming talked about Global Water’s history, partnership with the city and why another rate-increase is proposed.
“We get a determined rate of return by the Arizona Corporation Commission based on rates and the reason we’re filing for a rate increase, and the reason we filed the last one, is their rate of return has been zero in this utility,” Fleming said.
Fleming said half of Global Water’s revenue should come from base rates.
“There’s a certain amount of revenue you have to get back,” he said. “The price of water and rates going up across the country due to people having to deal with water scarcity and aging infrastructure, the new rate structure has come into play.”
Fleming said the rates will be phased in over several years and will be capped at about 5 percent annual increase for the average customer, which he said is less than $5 per month.
