HomeMy WebLinkAbout20182204.tiffDecision No. C18-0517
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
PROCEEDING NO. 18A -0304T
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF THE WELD COUNTY 911 EMERGENCY
TELEPHONE AUTHORITY FOR AN EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS SURCHARGE
INCREASE.
COMMISSION DECISION GRANTING APPLICATION
Mailed Date:
Adopted Date:
I. BY THE COMMISSION
A. Statement
June 27, 2018
June 27, 2018
1. On May 16, 2018, the Weld County 911 Emergency Telephone Authority
(Applicant or Company) filed its application pursuant to § 29-11-102(2)(b), C.R.S., for approval
of an emergency telephone charge increase from $0.70 to $1.20 per service user per month
(Application).
2. On May 17, 2018, the Commission gave notice of the Application stating that
parties wishing to participate in this Proceeding should file an Intervention or other appropriate
pleading within 30 days after the date of the Notice.
3. On June 4, 2018, the Applicant filed Proof of Publication of notice of the
Application, pursuant to 4 Code of Colorado Regulations (CCR) 723-2-2147(e) of the Rules
Regulating Telecommunications Services and Providers of Telecommunications Services.
4. No public comment was received in response to the Application.
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Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado
Decision No. C18-0517 PROCEEDING NO. 18A -0304T
II. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
5. Since the Application is now uncontested, the matter will be considered pursuant
to the Commission's modified procedure, § 40-6-109(5), C.R.S., and the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedure, 4 CCR 723-1-1403.
6. A governing body' may incur equipment, installation, and other costs directly
related to the continued operation of emergency telephone service pursuant to § 29-11-102,
C.R.S. As provided in paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of that statute, such allowable costs may
be categorized as equipment directly related to the receipt and routing of emergency calls,
monthly recurring charges for the emergency telephone service, reimbursement of costs for
equipment changes necessary for the provision or transmission of wireless Automatic Number
Identification or wireless Automatic Location Identification to a public safety answering point
(PSAP), costs related to the provision of emergency notification service and emergency
telephone service, and "other" directly related costs. Personnel expenses necessarily incurred for
a PSAP may also be paid with funds collected from 911 charges.' § 29-11-104(2)(b), C.R.S.
7. A governing body is statutorily authorized to collect up to $0.70 per month per
exchange access facility, per wireless communications access, and per interconnected Voice over
Internet Protocol service to cover such costs of service within its jurisdiction. In the event a
charge in excess of $0.70 is necessary to provide adequate emergency telephone service, the
governing body shall obtain the approval of the Commission before imposing such higher
charge. § 29-11-102(2), C.R.S.
As defined at § 29-11-101(4), C.R.S.
2 Such personnel include employees who take and dispatch telephone calls, or who maintain the computer
database of the PSAP.
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Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado
Decision No. C18-0517 PROCEEDING NO. 18A -0304T
8. Currently, the monthly emergency telephone surcharge is $.70 in the Applicant's
service territory. The Application seeks to increase the charge to $1.20 per month.
9. The Company is supported by the affidavit and verification of the information
filed with the Commission by the Applicant. The Applicant is an emergency telephone service
authority comprised of a group of local government entities whose jurisdictional boundaries are
within Weld County. Those governmental entities cooperate pursuant to the terms and
conditions of the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) concerning the establishment of an
emergency telephone service authority. That IGA was provided as Exhibit 10 to the Application.
10. The Company was formed in 1987 when several parties desired to enter into an
IGA. The parties to the IGA include 27 municipalities, 1 law enforcement authority, 24 separate
fire and ambulance districts, and the Weld County Board of County Commissioners.
11. The Applicant provides funding to one PSAP within its service area, that PSAP
being the Weld County Regional Communications Center.
12. The Applicant has determined that an increase in the emergency telephone
surcharge is needed for one primary purpose: to fund a ten-year capital maintenance and
improvement plan for the PSAP, which was included as Exhibit 7 to the Application. This capital
plan has been adopted by the Applicant to maintain the PSAP's current service levels as well as
to accommodate an increasing demand. Over the last four years, the PSAP has experienced an
average 16 percent annual increase in the number of calls for service for the 20 law enforcement
agencies, 19 fire districts, and 4 EMS agencies that rely on the PSAP for dispatch services.
13. The Applicant has estimated that it will require $2,225,000 per year to fulfill the
annualized costs of its ten-year capital plan. The increase requested by the Applicant will
increase revenues for the Applicant by an average of slightly over $1.7 million per year, or
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Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado
Decision No. C18-0517 PROCEEDING NO. 18A -0304T
$8.7 million over the next five years. Without any increase, Applicant will exhaust its funds in
2019.
14. Based on this evidence, the Commission agrees with Applicant that additional
funding is necessary in order to maintain the current level of expenditure of all categories of
expense allowed pursuant to § 29-11-104(2), C.R.S., including the funding of the Applicant's
ten-year capital plan. Increasing the surcharge to $1.20 per month is necessary, reasonable, and
in the public interest.
III. ORDER
A. The Commission Orders That:
1. The application of the Weld County 911 Emergency Telephone Authority
(Applicant) seeking to increase the emergency telephone charge to $1.20 per access line per
month is granted.
2. The Applicant shall notify each affected service provider of the increase in the
emergency telephone surcharge by registered mail at least 60 days prior to the new rate
becoming effective.
3. The 20 -day time period provided by § 40-6-114, C.R.S., to file an application for
rehearing, reargument, or reconsideration shall begin on the first day after the effective date of
this Decision.
4. This Decision is effective upon its Mailed Date.
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Before the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado
Decision No. C18-0517
PROCEEDING NO. 18A -0304T
B. ADOPTED IN COMMISSIONERS' WEEKLY MEETING
June 27, 2018.
(SEAL)
ATTEST: A TRUE COPY
Doug Dean,
Director
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
OF THE STATE OF COLORADO
JEFFREY P. ACKERMANN
FRANCES A. KONCILJA
WENDY M. MOSER
Commissioners
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