It is often noted “the budget is a guide.” That said, when developing a “guide” that is a good faith estimate of actual expected expenditures, experience-based assumptions are critical. Inflation assumptions are one key consideration to ensuring near-term utility budgets or long-term forecasts will meet the actual revenue requirements of the utility. The practice of … Read more
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) signed a Federal Register notice finalizing the 2021 Financial Capability Assessment (FCA) for Clean Water Act (CWA) Obligations. A pre-publication of the 2021 FCA is available until the official version is published in the Federal Register, which has been delayed until the document can be reviewed by the Biden … Read more
Watch your email inbox or mailbox for the 20th Annual Rate Survey questionnaire. The digital and print versions of the survey will be sent in February to utilities. Each year, AE2S conducts a survey of water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste utility rates throughout the region. Two unique reports are prepared based on community population. One … Read more
Special assessments are a commonly used tool to finance the construction of improvements in parts of the country. The basic idea is that the cost of improvements is assigned to the individual properties that benefit and in relation to how much benefit is received. In other words, when a new water pipeline is installed along … Read more
The year 2020 brought many words and phrases to the forefront of the public’s collective consciousness. The idea of equity is being considered more carefully in many communities across the country. For instance, the City of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota included Equity as one of six goals to accomplish within the next five years in the … Read more
The Federal year-end Omnibus Appropriations Bill was grouped with the high profile COVID relief legislative package. Several appropriations benefit the water sector, including: Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF): $1,638,826,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): $1,126,088,000 Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA): $59.5M U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Overflow Control & Stormwater Municipal … Read more