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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance 20782-06-2013 ORDINANCE NO. 20782-06-2013 AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AND ADOPTING RATE SCHEDULE "RRM — RATE REVIEW MECHANISM" FILED BY ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION D/B/A ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION, MID-TEX DIVISION,TO BE IN FORCE IN THE CITY OF FORT WORTH FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AS SPECIFIED IN THE RATE SCHEDULE; ADOPTING A SAVINGS CLAUSE; DETERNIINING THAT THIS ORDINANCE WAS PASSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT; DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE; AND REQUIRING DELIVERY OF THIS ORDINANCE TO THE COMPANY AND ATMOS CITIES STEERING COMMITTEE LEGAL COUNSEL WHEREAS, the City of Fort Worth, Texas ("City") is a gas utility customer of Atmos Energy Corporation d/b/a Atmos Energy Corporation, Mid-Tex Division ("Atmos" or "the Company"), and a regulatory authority with an interest in the rates and charges of Atmos; and WHEREAS, the City is a member of the Atmos Cities Steering Committee ("ACSC"), a coalition of cities, most of whom retain original jurisdiction over the rates and services of Atmos; and WHEREAS, in 2007 ACSC member cities and Atmos collaboratively developed the Rate Review Mechanism ("RRM") Tariff that allows for an expedited rate review process controlled by cities as a substitute for the legislatively constructed Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program("GRIP"); and WHEREAS, the GRIP mechanism does not permit the City to review rate increases, and constitutes piecemeal ratemaking; and WHEREAS, the RRM process permits City review of requested rate increases and provides for a holistic review of the true cost of service for Atrnos; and WHEREAS, the initial RRM tariff expired in 2011; and WHEREAS, ACSC's representatives have worked with Atmos to negotiate a renewal of Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page l of 9 the RRM process that avoids litigation and Railroad Commission filings; and WHEREAS, the ACSC's Executive Committee and ACSC's legal counsel recommend ACSC members approve the negotiated new RRM tariff; and WHEREAS, the attached Rate Schedule "RRM — Rate Review Mechanism" ("RRM Tariff') provides for a reasonable expedited rate review process that is a substitute for, and is superior to, the statutory GRIP process; and WHEREAS, the expedited rate review process as provided by the RRM Tariff avoids piecemeal ratemaking; and WHEREAS, the RRM Tariff reflects the ratemaking standards and methodologies authorized by the Railroad Commission in the most recent Atmos rate case, G.U.D. No. 10170; and WHEREAS, the RRM Tariff provides for an annual reduction in Atmos's requested rate increase of at least$3 million; and WHEREAS, the RRM 'Tariff provides for a lower customer charge than if Atmos pursued GRIP filings; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that adoption of the attached RRM Tariff filed by Atmos is, as a whole, in the public interest. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH,TEXAS: SECTION 1. That the findings set forth in this Ordinance are hereby in all things approved. SECTION 2. That the City Council finds that the RRM Tariff, which is attached hereto as Attachment A and incorporated herein, is reasonable and in the public interest, and is hereby in force and effect in the City. Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 2of9 SECTION 3. That to the extent any resolution or ordinance previously adopted by the City Council is inconsistent with this Ordinance, it is hereby repealed. SECTION 4. That the meeting at which this Ordinance was approved was in all things conducted in strict compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act,Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. SECTION 5. That if any one or more sections or clauses of this Ordinance is judged to be unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remaining provisions of this Ordinance and the remaining provisions of the Ordinance shall be interpreted as if the offending section or clause never existed. SECTION 6. That this Ordinance shall become effective from and after its passage. SECTION 7. That a copy of this Ordinance shall be sent to Atmos, care of Christopher Felan, Vice President of Rates and Regulatory Affairs for Atmos Mid-Tex Division, Atmos Energy Corporation, 5420 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1600, Dallas, Texas 75240, and to Geoffrey Gay, General Counsel to ACSC, at Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsend, P.C., 816 Congress Avenue, Suite 1900, Austin,Texas 78701. N PROV AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY: Den McElr y, ssistant City Attorney Adopted and Effective: June 4, 2013 Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 3 of 9 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment"A" RATE SCHEDULE: RPM—Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-TEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15,2013 PAGE 1 OF 6 I. Applicability Applicable to Residential, Commercial, Industrial, and Transportation tariff customers in the Mid-Tex Division of Atmos Energy Corporation ("Company") except such customers within the City of Dallas. This Rate Review Mechanism ("RRM") provides for an annual adjustment to the Company's Rate Schedules R, C, I and T ("Applicable Rate Schedules"). Rate calculations and adjustments required by this tariff shall be determined on a System-Wide cost basis. 11. Definitions "Test Period" is defined as the twelve months ending December 31 of each preceding calendar year. The "Effective Date" is the date that adjustments required by this tariff are applied to customer bills. The annual Effective Date is June 1. The 2013 filing Effective Date is October 15, 2013. Unless otherwise noted in this tariff, the term "Final Order" refers the final order issued by the Railroad Commission of Texas in GUD 10170. The term "System-Wide" means all incorporated and unincorporated areas served by the Company. "Review Period" is defined as the period from the Filing Date until the Effective Date. The "Filing Date" is as early as practicable but no later than March 1 of each year with the exception of 2013, which shall have a Filing Date of July 15, 2013. The last annual Effective Date is June 1, 2017. Ill. Calculation The RRM shall calculate an annual, System-Wide cost of service ("COS") that will be used to adjust applicable rate schedules prospectively as of the Effective Date. The annual cost of service will be calculated according to the following formula: COS = OM + DEP + RI + TAX + CD - ADJ Where: OM = all reasonable and necessary operation and maintenance expenses from the Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 4 of 9 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment "A" RATE SCHEDULE: RRM-Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-fEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15,2013 PAGE 2 OF 6 Test Period adjusted for known and measurable items and prepared consistent with the rate making treatments approved in the Final Order. Known and measurable adjustments shall be limited to those changes that have occurred prior to the Filing Date. OM may be adjusted for atypical and non-recurring items. Shared Services allocation factors shall be recalculated each year based on the latest component factors used during the Test Period, but the methodology used will be that approved in the Final Order. DEP = depreciation expense calculated at depreciation rates approved by the Final Order. RI = return on investment calculated as the Company's pretax return multiplied by rate base at Test Period end. Rate base is prepared consistent with the rate making treatments approved in the Final Order, except that no post Test Period adjustments will be permitted. Pretax return is the Company's weighted average cost of capital before income taxes. The Company's weighted average cost of capital is calculated using the methodology from the Final Order including the Company's actual capital structure and long term cost of debt as of the Test Period end (adjusted for any known and measurable changes) and the return on equity from the Final Order. However, in no event will the percentage of equity exceed 55%. Regulatory adjustments due to prior regulatory rate base adjustment disallowances will be maintained. Cash working capital will be calculated using the lead/lag days approved in the Final Order. With respect to pension and other postemployment benefits, the Company will record a regulatory asset or liability for these costs until the amounts are included in the next annual rate adjustment implemented under this tariff. Each year, the Company's filing under this Rider RRM will clearly state the level of pension and other postemployment benefits recovered in rates. TAX = income tax and taxes other than income tax from the Test Period adjusted for known and measurable changes occurring after the Test Period and before the Filing Date, and prepared consistent with the rate making treatments approved in the Final Order. CD = interest on customer deposits. ADJ = Downward adjustment to the overall, System-Wide test year cost of service in the amount of $3,000,000.00, adjusted by a percentage equal to the total percentage increase in base-rate revenue sought pursuant to this tariff. Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 5 of 9 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment"A" RATE SCHEDULE: FIRM—Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-TEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15, 2013 PAGE 3 OF 6 IV. Annual Rate Adjustment The Company shall provide schedules and work papers supporting the Filing's revenue deficiency/sufficiency calculations using the methodology accepted in the Final Order. The result shall be reflected in the proposed new rates to be established for the effective period. The Revenue Requirement will be apportioned to customer classes in the same mariner that Company's Revenue Requirement was apportioned in the Final Order. For the Residential Class, 40% of the increase may be recovered in the customer charge. The increase to the Residential customer charge shall not exceed $0.50 per month in any given year, The remainder of the Residential Class increase not collected in the customer charge will be recovered in the usage charge. The Company will forgo any change in the Residential customer charge with the first proposed rate adjustment pursuant to this tariff. For all other classes, the change in rates will be apportioned between the customer charge and the usage charge, consistent with the Final Order. Test Period billing determinants shall be adjusted and normalized according to the methodology utilized in the Final Order. V. Filing The Company shall file schedules annually with the regulatory authority having original jurisdiction over the Company's rates on or before the Filing Date that support the proposed rate adjustments. The schedules shall be in the same general format as the cost of service model and relied-upon files upon which the Final Order was based. A proof of rates and a copy of current and proposed tariffs shall also be included with the filing. The filing shall be made in electronic form where practical. The Company's 'filing shall conform to Minimum Filing Requirements (to be agreed upon by the parties), which will contain a minimum amount of information that will assist the regulatory authority in its review and analysis of the filing. The Company and regulatory authority will endeavor to hold a technical conference regarding the filing within ton (10) calendar days after the Filing Date. The 2013 Filing Date will be July 15, 2013. A sworn statement shall be filed by an Officer of the Company affirming that the filed schedules are in compliance with the provisions of this Rate Review Mechanism and are true and correct to the best of his/her knowledge, information, and belief. No testimony shall be filed, but a brief narrative explanation shall be provided of any changes to corporate structure, accounting methodologies, allocation of common costs, or atypical or non- recurring items included in the filing. Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 6 of 9 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment "A" RATE SCHEDULE: RRM-Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-TEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15, 2013 PAGE 4 OF 6 VII. Evaluation Procedures The regulatory authority having original jurisdiction over the Company's rates shall review and render a decision on the Company's proposed rate adjustment prior to the Effective Date. The Company shall provide all supplemental information requested to ensure an opportunity for adequate review by the relevant regulatory authority. The Company shall not unilaterally impose any limits upon the provision of supplemental information and such information shall be provided within seven (7) working days of the original request. The regulatory authority may propose any adjustments it determines to be required to bring the proposed rate adjustment into compliance with the provisions of this tariff. The regulatory authority may disallow any net plant investment that is not shown to be prudently incurred. Approval by the regulatory authority of net plant investment pursuant to the provisions of this tariff shall constitute a finding that such net plant investment was prudently incurred. Such finding of prudence shall not be subject to further review in a subsequent RRM or Statement of Intent filing. During the Review Period, the Company and the regulatory authority will work collaboratively and seek agreement on the level of rate adjustments. If, at the end of the Review Period, the Company and the regulatory authority have not reached agreement, the regulatory authority shall take action to modify or deny the proposed rate adjustments. The Company shall have the right to appeal the regulatory authority's action to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Upon the filing of an appeal of the regulatory authority's order relating to an annual RRM filing with the Railroad Commission of Texas, the regulatory authority having original jurisdiction over the Company's rates shall not oppose the implementation of the Company's proposed rates subject to refund, nor will the regulatory authority advocate for the imposition of a third party surety bond by the Company. Any refund shall be limited to and determined based on the resolution of the disputed adjustment(s) in a final, non-appealable order issued in the appeal filed by the Company at the Railroad Commission of Texas. In the event that the regulatory authority and Company agree to a rate adjustment(s) that is different from the adjustment(s) requested in the Company's filing, the Company shall file compliance tariffs consistent with the agreement. No action on the part of the regulatory authority shall be required to allow the rate adjustment(s) to become effective on June 1. To the extent that the regulatory authority does not take action on the Company's RRM filing by May 31, the rates proposed in the Company's filing shall be deemed approved effective June 1. (2013 filing RRM rate will be effective October 15, 2013 if no action is taken). Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, a regulatory authority may choose to take affirmative action to approve a rate adjustment under this tariff. In those instances where such approval cannot reasonably occur by May 31, the Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 7 of 9 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment"A" RATE SCHEDULE: FIRM -Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-TEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15, 2013 PAGE 5 OF 6 rates finally approved by the regulatory authority shall be deemed effective as of June 1. To defray the cost, if any, of regulatory authorities conducting a review of the Company's annual FIRM filing, the Company shall reimburse the regulatory authorities on a monthly basis for their reasonable expenses incurred upon submission of invoices for such review. Any reimbursement contemplated hereunder shall be deemed a reasonable and necessary operating expense of the Company in the year in which the reimbursement is made. A regulatory authority seeking reimbursement under this provision shall submit its request for reimbursement to the Company no later than August 1 of the year in which the RRM filing is made and the Company shall reimburse regulatory authorities in accordance with this provision on or before August 30 of the year the RRM filing is made. To the extent possible, the provisions of the Final Order shall be applied by the regulatory authority in determining whether to approve or disapprove of Company's proposed rate adjustment. This Rider FIRM does not limit the legal rights and duties of a regulatory authority. Nothing herein shall abrogate the jurisdiction of the regulatory authority to initiate a rate proceeding at any time to review whether rates charged are just and reasonable. Similarly, the Company retains its right to utilize the provisions of Texas Utilities Code, Chapter 104, Subchapter C to request a change in rates. The provisions of this Rider FIRM are implemented in harmony with the Gas Utility Regulatory Act (Texas Utilities Code, Chapters 101-105). The annual rate adjustment process set forth in this tariff shall remain in effect during the pendency of any Statement of Intent rate filing. VII. Reconsideration, Appeal and Unresolved Items Orders issued pursuant to this mechanism are ratemaking orders and shall be subject to appeal under Sections 102.001(b) and 103.021, et seq., of the Texas Utilities Code (Vernon 2007). VIII. Notice Notice of each annual RRM filing shall be provided by including the notice, in conspicuous form, in the bill of each directly affected customer no later than forty-five (45) days after the Company makes its annual filing pursuant to this tariff. The notice to customers shall include the following information: a) a description of the proposed revision of rates and schedules; Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 8 of 4 ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION MID-TEX DIVISION Attachment"A" RATE SCHEDULE: FIRM—Rate Review Mechanism APPLICABLE TO: ALL AREAS IN THE MID-TEX DIVISION EXCEPT THE CITY OF DALLAS CUSTOMERS EFFECTIVE DATE: Bills Rendered on and after October 15, 2013 PAGE 6 OF 6 b) the effect the proposed revision of rates is expected to have on the rates applicable to each customer class and on an average bill for each affected customer; c) the service area or areas in which the proposed rates would apply; d) the date the annual RRM filing was made with the regulatory authority; and e) the Company's address, telephone number and website where information concerning the proposed rate adjustment be obtained. Ordinance No.20782-06-2013 Page 9 of 9