Rate-Setting Essentials | American Water Works Association

Rate-Setting Essentials

Rate-Setting Essentials: Connecting Financial Planning, Cost-of-Service and Rate Design

This three-day in-person Seminar provides an updated lens on how to evaluate and develop financial policies and proposed rates that are cost-based and equitable. Additionally, this Seminar will give guidance on how to effectively communicate those policies and rate impacts to customers in these current times. The program combines time honored strategies with modern approaches to get the rate levels your utility needs to be successful, while still promoting community objectives.

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Speaker Bios

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who participated in 2023. Join us in Schaumburg, Illinois (near Chicago's O'Hare Airport) November 18-20, 2024.

SAN DIEGO, CA
November 15-17, 2023
Hilton Garden Inn Bayside San Diego, California

Who Attends

Water utility managers
Rate analysts or designers
Accounting or budget professionals
Utility board members
Municipal or regional government officials
Water rate attorneys

Please note: Registration for the San Diego seminar reached capacity and is now closed.

2023 Registration Rates	Member Early	Non member Early	Member Late	Non member Late
Seminar Registration Includes Day 1 lunch	$995	$1095	$1095	$1195

*Registration fee also includes optional complimentary digital PDF version of AWWA's Manual M1: M1 Principles Water Rates, Fees, and Charges, Seventh Edition. You may add this to your cart during registration for no additional fee - simply click the 'Add' button next to M1 when prompted. Register 14 days in advance for the best rates.

Policies & Release

Seminar Cancellation Policy:AWWA must receive cancellations in writing. All cancellations dated on or before 21 days prior to first day of seminar will receive a refund, minus a 25% administrative fee. Cancellations received after this deadline will not be refunded; however, substitute registrants are welcome. Email requests for substitutions or cancellations to service@awwa.org.

INFORMATION RELEASE, CONFERENCE POLICIES, AND CODE OF CONDUCT:
By registering for an AWWA event or program, attendees agree to abide by the conference policies and code of conduct. As part of your event registration, personal contact data such as name, address, and email address will be collected and used by AWWA Show Management. By registering for this event, you agree to allow AWWA to use your photo in any AWWA-related publication or website.

COVID-19 REQUIREMENTS & RELEASE

Attendance at or participation in any AWWA Event is subject to the release below, and compliance with AWWA’s and the conference and event facilities’ policies and procedures to implement current CDC and applicable state’s recommendations, including, retreating immediately if feeling unwell or showing certain symptoms.
By registering for this event, you acknowledge that attendance at and participation in AWWA conferences brings some risk of being exposed to or contracting COVID-19, and that you fully assume and accept such risk in order to attend.

In light of the ongoing spread of COVID-19, individuals who currently or within ten (10) days prior to AWWA conferences who have experienced COVID 19 or any of its variants, any symptoms associated with COVID-19, which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath should not attend.

RELEASE:

By registering for this event, I agree to the following: I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless AWWA and its affiliates, including their respective employees, officers, directors, agents, and/or representatives, from any claim or cause of action, including all liabilities, penalties, losses, damages, costs, or expenses of any kind, arising out of or relating to exposure to COVID-19. I agree that the foregoing release, discharge, and covenants apply even when AWWA or its affiliate directly or indirectly caused injury, losses, or other harm related to COVID-19, whether by negligent acts or omissions, and whether a COVID-19 infection occurs before, during, or after participation in any AWWA (or affiliate) program. This release is binding on my heirs, administrators, executors, successors, and assigns.

Visit our COVID-19 resources page for details on AWWA's current response to the pandemic.

Learning Objectives

Evaluate financial policies and rate impacts
Develop defendable policies that are fair, equitable and objective
Get the rate your utility needs to be successful and still promote community objectives
Avoid rate shock by using proven techniques for capital budgeting and analysis
Establish cost-of-service rates by applying fundamental methodologies
Set fair revenue requirements Classify and allocate costs equitably

Schedule at a glance*

Day One (6 Education Hours)
8:00 - 8:30 a.m.	Registration Open
8:30 - 10:00 a.m.	Financial Management, Policies, and Rates
10:00 - 10:15 a.m.	Break
10:15 a.m. - noon	Budgeting and Financing, Key Issues
noon - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch (Included)
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.	Consideration in Setting Utility Revenue Requirements
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.	Break
3:15 - 4:30 p.m.	Introduction to Cost of Service

Day Two (6 Education Hours)
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.	Water Cost of Service Case Study
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.	Break
10:45 a.m. - noon	Water Allocation Procedures
noon - 1:00 p.m.	Lunch (on your own)
1:00 - 4:30 p.m.	Water Distribution Procedures
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.	Break
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.	Optional Session: Fundamentals of System Development Charges

Day Three (3 Credit Hours)
8:30 - 10:30 a.m.	Wastewater Allocation and Distribution
10:30 - 10:45 a.m.	Break (Note: we will work through the lunch hour today)
10:45 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.	Water and Wastewater Rate Design

Who Should Attend?

Water utility managers
Rate analysts or designers
Accounting or budget professionals
Utility board members
Municipal or regional government officials
Water rate attorneys

AWWA’s long-standing Seminar was revamped and updated in 2021. This three-day Seminar provides an updated lens on how to evaluate and develop financial policies and proposed rates that are cost-based and equitable. Additionally, this Seminar will give guidance on how to effectively communicate those policies and rate impacts to customers in these current times. This program combines time honored strategies with modern approaches to get the rate levels your utility needs to be successful, while still promoting community objectives.

Seminar includes lunch on day one, and a completion certificate. The AWWA M1 Principles of Water Rates, Fees and Charges manual is also available to seminar registrants at no additional cost (normally $106 member, $173 nonmember) and can be added to your purchase by checking the M1 Manual option during registration. Manual is optional and not required for the seminar.

*Subject to change

Todd Cristiano is a Manager at Raftelis Financial Consulting. He has over 17 years' experience - 11 years as a consultant to utilities and 6 1/2 years as the Manager of Rates at Denver Water. His work includes most municipal services; water, wastewater, reclaimed water, electric and sanitation utilities across the United States. His expertise includes financial planning, cost-of-service analysis, rate design and development of impact fees for both utility and general government. As a consultant and a former water utility employee, Mr. Cristiano knows first-hand the challenges of navigating rate studies from both sides of the table. Todd has a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tulsa and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Shawn Koorn is an associate vice president with HDR Engineering Inc. specializing in the area of cost of service and rates for municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, solid waste, and electric utilities. Shawn has over 15 years of experience in providing financial planning, cost benefit analysis, valuation studies, and rate and cost of service studies for municipal utilities across the United States and Canada.