| (a) Approved tariff. A utility may not directly or
indirectly demand, charge, or collect any rate or charge, or impose
any classifications, practices, rules, or regulations different from
those prescribed in its approved tariff filed with the commission
or with the municipality exercising original jurisdiction over the
utility, except as follows:
(1) A utility may charge the rates proposed under Texas
Water Code (TWC) §§13.187, 13.1871, 13.18715, or 13.1872(c)(2)
on or after the proposed effective date, unless the proposed effective
date of the proposed rates is suspended or the regulatory authority
sets interim rates.
(2) The regulatory assessment fee required in TWC §5.701(n)
does not have to be listed on the utility's approved tariff to be
charged and collected but must be included in the tariff at the earliest
opportunity.
(3) A person who possesses facilities used to provide
retail water utility service or a utility that holds a certificate
of public convenience and necessity (CCN) to provide retail water
service that enters into an agreement in accordance with TWC §13.250(b)(2),
may collect charges for sewer services on behalf of another retail
public utility on the same bill with its water charges and must at
the earliest opportunity include a notation on its tariff that it
has entered into such an agreement.
(4) A utility may enter into a contract with a county
to collect solid waste disposal fees and include those fees on the
same bill with its water or sewer charges and must at the earliest
opportunity include a notation on its tariff that it has entered into
such an agreement.
(b) Requirements as to size, form, identification,
minor changes, and filing of tariffs.
(1) Tariffs filed with applications for CCNs.
(A) When applying to obtain or amend a CCN, or to add
a new water or sewer system or subdivision to its certificated service
area, each utility must file its proposed tariff with the commission
and any regulatory authority with original rate jurisdiction over
the utility.
(i) For a utility that is under the original rate jurisdiction
of the commission, the tariff must include schedules of all the utility's
rates, rules, and regulations pertaining to all its utility services
when it applies for a CCN to operate as a utility. The tariff must
be on the form prescribed by the commission or another form acceptable
to the commission.
(ii) For a utility under the original rate jurisdiction
of a municipality, the utility must file with the commission a copy
of its tariff as approved by the municipality.
(B) If a person applying for a CCN is not currently
a retail public utility and would be under the original rate jurisdiction
of the commission if the CCN application were approved, the person
must file a proposed tariff with the commission. The person filing
the proposed tariff must also:
(i) provide a rate study supporting the proposed rates,
which may include the costs of existing invested capital or estimates
of future invested capital;
(ii) provide all calculations supporting the proposed
rates;
(iii) provide all assumptions for any projections included
in the rate study;
(iv) provide an estimated completion date for the construction
of the physical plant;
(v) provide an estimate of the date service will begin
for all phases of construction; and
(vi) provide notice to the commission once billing
for service begins.
(C) A person under the original rate jurisdiction of
the commission who has obtained an approved tariff for the first time
must file a rate change application within 18 months from the date
service begins to revise its rates to be based on a historic test
year. Any dollar amount collected under the rates initially approved
by the commission that exceeds the revenue requirement established
by the commission during the rate change proceeding must be reflected
as customer contributed capital going forward as an offset to rate
base for ratemaking purposes. A Class D utility must file a rate change
application under TWC §13.1872(c)(2) to satisfy the requirements
of this subparagraph.
(D) A water supply or sewer service corporation must
file with the commission a complete tariff containing schedules of
all its rates, rules, and regulations pertaining to all its utility
services when it applies to operate as a retail public utility and
to obtain or amend a CCN.
(2) Minor tariff changes. Except for an affected county
or a utility under the original rate jurisdiction of a municipality,
a utility's approved tariff may not be changed or amended without
commission approval. Changes to any fees charged by affiliates, the
addition of a new extension policy to a tariff, or modification of
an existing extension policy are not minor tariff changes. An affected
county may change rates for retail water or sewer service without
commission approval, but must file a copy of the revised tariff with
the commission within 30 days after the effective date of the rate
change.
(A) The commission, or regulatory authority, as appropriate,
may approve the following minor changes to utility tariffs:
(i) service rules and policies;
(ii) changes in fees for customer deposits, meter tests,
return check charges, and late charges, provided they do not exceed
the maximum allowed by commission rules;
(iii) addition of the regulatory assessment fee payable
to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) as a separate
item or to be included in the currently authorized rate;
(iv) addition of a provision allowing a utility to
collect retail sewer service charges in accordance with TWC §13.250(b)(2)
or §13.147(d);
(v) rate adjustments to implement commission-authorized
phased or multistep rates or downward rate adjustments to reconcile
rates with actual costs;
(vi) implementation of an energy cost adjustment clause
under subsection (n) of this section;
(vii) implementation or modification of a pass-through
provision calculation in a tariff, as provided in subparagraphs (B)-(F)
of this paragraph, which is necessary for the correct recovery of
the actual charges from pass-through entities, including line loss;
(viii) some surcharges as provided in subparagraph
(G) of this paragraph;
(ix) modifications, updates, or corrections that do
not affect a rate may be made to the following information contained
in the tariff:
(I) the list of the cities, counties, and subdivisions
in which service is provided;
(II) the public water system name and corresponding
identification number issued by the TCEQ; and
(III) the sewer system names and corresponding discharge
permit number issued by the TCEQ.
(B) The commission, or other regulatory authority,
as appropriate, may approve a minor tariff change for a utility to
establish reduced rates for a minimal level of retail water service
to be provided solely to a class of customers 65 years of age or older
to ensure that those customers receive that level of retail water
service at more affordable rates. The utility may establish a fund
to receive donations to cover the cost of providing the reduced rates.
A utility may not recover the cost of the reduced rates through charges
to other customer classes.
(i) To request approval of a rate as defined in this
subparagraph, the utility must file a proposed plan for consideration
by the commission. The plan must include:
(I) A proposed plan for collection of donations to
establish a fund to recover the costs of providing the reduced rates.
(II) The account or subaccount name and number, as
included in the system of accounts described in §24.127(1) of
this title (relating to Financial Records and Reports--Uniform System
of Accounts), in which the donations will be accounted for, and a
clear definition of how the administrative costs of operation of the
program will be accounted for and removed from the cost of service
for rate making purposes. Any interest earned on donated funds will
be considered a donation to the fund.
(III) The proposed effective date of the program and
an example of an annual accounting for donations received and a calculation
of all lost revenues and the journal entries that transfer the funds
from the account described in this subparagraph of this clause to
the utility's revenue account. The annual accounting must be available
for audit by the commission upon request.
(IV) An example bill with the contribution line item,
if receiving contributions from customers.
(ii) For the purpose of clause (i) of this subparagraph,
recovery of lost revenues from donations is limited to the lost revenues
due to the difference in the utility's tariffed retail water rates
and the reduced rates established by this subparagraph.
Cont'd... |
