4th Edition
Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing The Changing Landscape, Fourth Edition
A Strategy Guide for Water Utility Managers and Executives, and a Compendium of Best Financial Practices for Utility Financial Leaders, a "How-To" Guide for Rate and Finance Technicians and a Reference Point for Policymakers
Detailing utility financial plans and rate structures, and highlighting how they align with community sustainability goals and utility objectives, is the focus of the fourth edition of Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: The Changing Landscape. Working from a historical perspective, this revised and updated text addresses the current pricing and financial management challenges involved in the water and wastewater industry. It builds on the concepts used in the standard manuals of the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation, and offers additional insight into the long-term sustainability of water systems.
Provides Practical Applications of Finance and Pricing Approaches
This comprehensive guide to financial and pricing practices delves into a number of factors that have impacted how utility finances its capital program and how it structures rates to recover revenue requirements. Among numerous management challenges, the book addresses such issues as reduced per capita usage and customer demand, a weak economy, social media, balancing community environmental sustainability with financial sufficiency, an increased focus on water demand management and efficiency, and the concern over rate affordability. The author factors in the rate-setting process, implementing a cost-of-service and rate model as key input in each chapter, and also presents a strong financial and rate plan for achieving long-term sustainability.
What’s New in the Fourth Edition:
- Presents cutting-edge management approaches and initiatives, and the importance of strong financial management in addressing strategic financial and pricing goals
- Expands the discussion on traditional financing options, factoring in the current economic climate
- Explores in detail how to integrate risk considerations into the development of effective financial and rate plans.
- Includes techniques for projecting demand by retail, wholesale and other customer classes
- Provides methodologies for the development of water reuse, wholesale, and wheeling rates
- Contains computer models that include scenario builders, rate dashboards, and graphical presentations of key rate and financing concepts
- Discusses effective public education approaches to gain stakeholder support of a utility’s financial and rate plan
- Introduces "triple bottom line" concepts into selecting an appropriate financial and rate plan
- Expands the concepts of water and wastewater financial planning into the stormwater discipline
Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing: The Changing Landscape, Fourth Edition focuses on water and wastewater financial management and pricing, and is geared toward professionals assigned to develop water and wastewater financial plans and rates, senior managers with the responsibility for the long term financial sustainability of the utility, investors evaluating the financial strength of utilities, engineers/consultants planning water and wastewater facilities, academics teaching financial and pricing principles as a part of public policy curriculum, regulators needing to understand the financial viability of utilities under their purview, and policy makers desiring to support effective financial and rate plans for their constituencies.
Part ONE Overview of Financial Environment and the Role of Utility Management
Overview of Financial and Pricing Challenges Confronting the Water and Wastewater Industry
George A Raftelis
The First Step to Financial Sustainability: Establishing a Strong Utility Management Foundation
Darin H Thomas, Douglas O Bean, and Thomas E Arn
Strategic Planning for Water and Wastewater Utilities
Gerald Wexelbaum
Part TWO Financing Water and Wastewater Capital Facilities
Public-Sector Financing Options: Long-Term Financing, Short-Term Financing, and Credit Enhancements
James M Traudt
System Development and Other Capital Recovery Charges
Frank M Davis
Part THREE Water and Wastewater Pricing
Water and Wastewater Rate-Setting Process
Alexis F Warmath
Projection of Customer Demand
Marco (Mike) H Rocca and Anthony D Hairston
Identification of Revenue Requirements
Joseph F Crea
Determination of Cost of Service
Christopher PN Woodcock
Designing a Water and Wastewater Rate Structure
Thomas A Beckley
Conservation and Efficiency Rate Structures
Sanjay Gaur, Paul L Matthews, and Khanh Phan
Rate Making for Outside-City Retail and Wholesale Service
Elaine V Conti and John J Wright
Recycled Water Rates
Sudhir D Pardiwala
Designing an Effective Financial Planning and Pricing Computer Model and Dashboard
Steve P Vuoso
Part FOUR Selecting the Appropriate Financial Plan and Rate Approach, and Gaining Stakeholder Commitment
Selecting the Appropriate Capital Improvement and Financial Plan
William G Stannard
Public Outreach and Gaining Stakeholder Commitment
Peiffer A Brandt, Henrietta HP Locklear, and Catherine J Noyes
Part FIVE A lternative Delivery Methods and Public–Private Partnerships
Role of the Private Sector and Alternative Delivery Methods
Harold J Smith and Gordon L Culp
Legal and Contractual Considerations Related to Alternative Delivery Methods
Eric S Petersen
Part SIX Selected Topics
Evaluating Risk in Utility Finance, Rate Setting, and Capital Planning
J Bart Kreps
Benchmarking Rates and Charges
Rocky Craley
Valuation of Water and Wastewater Utility Assets
Melissa M Levin
Financial Capability and Affordability
Jon P Davis and Manuel P Teodoro
Expanding Financing and Pricing Concepts into Stormwater
Keith Readling, PE and Henrietta HP Locklear
Part SEVEN Appendices
Appendices
Index
Biography
George A. Raftelis, CPA, prior to founding Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc., was the director of Ernst & Young’s National Environmental Consulting Practice. He has assisted more than 500 water and wastewater utilities worldwide. He received a BS in mathematics with a minor in economics from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, 1969. He attended the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and received an MBA with a concentration in finance in 1975. He is the author of The Comprehensive Guide to Water and Wastewater Finance and Pricing, third edition; written technical articles for various periodicals; chaired major committees of water and wastewater industry associations tasked with developing financial and rate best practices; has been a frequent speaker on financial issues in association conferences, and served as coauthor and/or editor of several manuals.
"This book should be on every water/wastewater utilities bookshelf."
—Timothy A Houghton, City and County of Honolulu, Department of Environmental Services, Hawaii, USA