Photo via City of Eloy
By Andrew Sutton | Arizona Capitol Times
I just finished reading with disbelief a recommendation by a judge employed by Arizona’s utility regulator that asks the Arizona Corporation Commission to put the interests of a $230 billion Dutch investment firm over the citizens of my city. As mayor of Eloy, I am disappointed to see a judge recommend a 100% increase in the amount our citizens will have to pay for water and sewer service, and I am calling upon the respected members of the Arizona Corporation Commission to do something about this when they consider this item on March 4.
I am not a utility regulator, but to me the judge’s position seems to be that the ACC cannot do anything about the proposed increase. This cynical position undermines the authority of the commission and suggests that rate cases are nothing more than performative. This cannot be right.
The thing that is most disappointing is that the staff of the ACC admitted under oath during an earlier hearing that no member of staff even considered the impact this rate increase would have on the residents of Eloy. Something is terribly broken if the regulator charged with protecting ratepayers only considers the interests of the utility it regulates and flatly ignores the people. This isn’t just my opinion. In fact, for more than 100 years Arizona’s courts have repeatedly found that the regulator is required to make certain that rates are fair to both consumers and the utilities. In this case, staff admitted it never gave the ratepayers a single thought.
