UC Summary - July 2015

Part of our charter, and at the core of our purpose, is the sharing of information with our residents as broadly as possible.  To help achieve that goal, we will share our efforts and accomplishments in many ways.  

Our charter was approved in June of this year, and, since then, we've been off and running.  Not only do we have the next phase of our EPCOR effort beginning in earnest in September, but we also have to establish new relationships and inroads into the gas and electric utilities as well.  So far, I think you'll agree, we've made excellent progress.

ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH UTILITIES:

We have established points of contact and met directly with representatives from EPCOR, APS, and Southwest Gas.  They are as excited about this initiative as we are, and have offered to participate in workshops and other community education efforts going forward.  They are also our direct ear to voice concerns and get answers on behalf of our residents.  

GETTING THE EAR OF THE AZ CORPORATION COMMISSION:

In July, we met with the staff and/or commissioners from four of the five sitting commissioners on the ACC (Little, Forese, Burns, and Chariman Bitter-Smith).  We used these one-hour 1-on-1 sessions to introduce ourselves and the community, to express our continued desire for full consolidation in the EPCOR case, and to try and ascertain what the most relevant policy concerns may be from each commissioner.  They couldn't come out and share their position, according to commission rules, but it was extremely productive dialog.  This was an important accomplishment, because once the rate case starts, we won't be able to speak with them outside of the hearing process.

RE-ENGAGING WITH OUR FELLOW EPCOR COMMUNITIES:

We also sat down for the first time since the settlement with representatives from Northeast Agua Fria and Anthem, in order to level-set our positions.  These relationships and "back-channel" communications were essential to success in getting the settlement last time, and we continue to collectively feel their value.  As a group, we are, somewhat laughingly, referring to ourselves as the "Alliance".  We've also continued to stay in touch with the fifth district in Mohave, via phone and email. 

EDUCATION AND INFORMATION IN VERRADO:

We have already held our first workshop, this one on getting savings out of your water bill, and we are already working on the next round.  We've helped a number of residents switch out their 1" water meters, and continued to put out information via the Community Pride Facebook page.  We will be represented in the August Leadership meeting, as well as the HOA Board Meeting.  

Establishing a rhythm of communication in a community this size takes a little time, but we are working on multiple fronts to ensure word gets out. Word of mouth is our most powerful tool.  Please talk with your neighbors and let them know what we are doing and how you keep up to date.  

EASIER TO REACH US:

We now have space on Verrado.net and our own custom email account: utilitiescouncil@verrado.com.