HomeMy Public PortalAboutExhibit MSD 86A MSD Response to RC 4th Discovery RequestEXHIBIT MSD 86A
BEFORE THE RATE COMMISSION OF THE
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 FOURTH DISCOVERY REQUEST
OF THE RATE COMMISSION
St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District Response
ISSUE: WASTEWATER RATE CHANGE PROPOSAL
WITNESS: METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
SPONSORING PARTY: RATE COMMISSION
DATE PREPARED: SEPTEMBER 26, 2011
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
2350 Market Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63132
BEFORE THE RATE COMMISSION
OF THE METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISTRICT
For Consideration of a Wastewater
Rate Change Proposal by the Rate
Commission of the Metropolitan
St. Louis Sewer District
SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 FOURTH DISCOVERY REQUEST
OF THE RATE COMMISSION
St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District Response
Pursuant to §§ 7.280 and 7.290 of the Charter Plan of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer
District (the "Charter Plan"), Operational Rule 3(2) and Procedural Schedule §§ 1, 14, 15 and 17
of the Rate Commission of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District ("Rate Commission"), the
Rate Commission requests additional information and answers from the Metropolitan St. Louis
Sewer District ("District") regarding the Rate Change Proposal dated May 10, 2011 (the "Rate
Change Proposal").
The District is requested to amend or supplement the responses to this Discovery
Request, if the District obtains information upon the basis of which (a) the District knows that a
response was incorrect when made, or (b) the District knows that the response, though correct
when made, is no longer correct.
The following Discovery Requests are deemed continuing so as to require the District to
serve timely supplemental answers if the District obtains further information pertinent thereto
between the time the answers are served and the time of the Prehearing Conference.
2
1. Please provide a rate change scenario using the assumptions included in the
analysis presented in Exhibit MSD 1 basing the CIRP on a projected expenditure basis instead of
the appropriation basis used in the Rate Change Proposal. Please provide the following
schedules reflecting this scenario:
a. Table 3-8 Wastewater Capital Improvement and Replacement Program
b. Table 3-9 Wastewater Capital Improvement Program Financing
c. Table 3-10 Projected Wastewater Debt Service Requirements
d. Table 3-11 Comparison of Projected Wastewater Revenue Under Existing Rates
with Projected Revenue Requirements
e. Table 3-21 Comparison of Existing and Proposed Wastewater Rates.
RESPONDER: Keith Barber, MSD Rate Consultant
RESPONSE:
a. Table 3-8 is provided as Exhibit MSD 86B. This table reflects the CIRP at a
2010 cost level included in the rate model (appropriations) adjusted to match the uninflated 2010
totals previously presented in Exhibit MSD 18V (cash). This includes $198,174,200 in 2013;
$214,995,800 in 2014; $211,568,500 in 2015; $224,290,750 in 2016 for a four-year total of
$849,029,250. Including the $35,719,000 of projects to be financed by 2017 revenues derives
the $884,748,250 amount presented in Exhibit MSD 18V. These annual values were inflated to
derive the values in Table 3-8. As indicated, the four-year inflated total is $971,599,000 which
is approximately 10 percent higher than the $849,029,250 uninflated value over the same four-
year period.
3
b. Table 3-9 is included in Exhibit MSD 86B. This table primarily reflects the CIRP
from Table 3-8 and required changes to annual bond amounts. Interest income is reduced and
issuance costs related to the bond amounts are also affected. End of year capital balances were
targeted to be approximately the same as those presented in the District's Rate Proposal.
c. Table 3-10 is included in Exhibit MSD 86B. The debt service on proposed
revenue bonds is related to the changes in bond issue amounts. No changes were made to
proposed SRF loans.
d. Table 3-11 is included in Exhibit MSD 86B. Annual revenue increases and debt
service amounts were revised in accordance with prior tables. Other line items were also
impacted by prior changes. End of year operating balances were targeted to be approximately
the same as those presented in the District's Rate Proposal.
e. Table 3-21 is included in Exhibit MSD 86B. Rates were developed to recover 100
percent of projected revenue requirements with the same phase -in of the five -tier environmental
compliance charge.
2. District witness Jeanne F. Vanda states, "We benchmark our projects based on the
average life of the bonds to be sold. The average life calculation takes into account how
principal is paid over the entire maturity schedule. MSD has issued 30 year final maturity senior
4
lien bonds in the past and would like issue 30 year bonds for the bonds contemplated during this
rate period. The average life of 30 year bonds tends to be in the 18 to 25 year range depending
on the structure of the principal payments. MSD's average life tends to be longer because the
senior lien bonds are structured to take into account debt service due on the subordinate SRF
debt, which is limited to 20 years. We used a 25 year average life based on the senior lien bonds
outstanding as follows:
Bond Series
Average Life
Average Interest Rate
Series 2004A
22.012 years
5.00%
Series 2006C
25.769 years
4.12%
Series 2008A
25.966 years
5.25%
Series 2010E (BABs)
27.529 years
Not comparable
Referring to sheet L-2 of Exhibit MSD 4A, the first principal payment on MSD's Series
2006c Revenue Bonds is scheduled to be paid on May 1, 2027, which means that these bonds
have 21 years of interest only payments. Referring to sheet L-3 of Exhibit MSD 4A, the first
principal payment on MSD's Series 2008A Revenue Bonds is scheduled to be paid on May 1,
2030, which means that these bonds have 22 years of interest only payments. Referring to sheet
L-4 of Exhibit MSD 4A, the First principal payment on MSD's Series 2010B Build America
Bonds is scheduled to be paid on May 1, 2035, which means that these bonds have 25 years of
interest only payments. See Q. 29 Response Surrebuttal Testimony of Jeanne F. Vanda
beginning at p. 15, 1. 18.
5
Please provide a rate change scenario using the assumptions included in the analysis
presented in Exhibit MSD 1 for projected debt service for the proposed revenue bonds to be
issued during the period Fiscal years 2012 through Fiscal year 2016 using interest only
payments.
Please provide the following schedules reflecting this scenario:
a. Table 3-10 Projected Wastewater Debt Service Requirements
b. Table 3-11 Comparison of Projected Wastewater Revenue Under Existing Rates
with Projected Revenue Requirements
c. Table 3-21 Comparison of Existing and Proposed Wastewater Rates
RESPONDER: Keith Barber, MSD Rate Consultant
RESPONSE:
a. Table 3-10 is provided as Exhibit 86C. This table shows proposed revenue bond
debt service assuming interest only payments during the study period. The District does not
have an option of interest only payments for SRF loans.
b. Table 3-11 is included in Exhibit 86C. Annual revenue increases and debt service
amounts were revised in accordance with Table 3-10. Other line items were also impacted by
this revision. End of year operating balances were targeted to be approximately the same as
those presented in the District's Rate Proposal.
6
c. Table 3-21 is included in Exhibit MSD 86C. Rates were developed to recover
100 percent of projected revenue requirements with the same phase -in of the five -tier
environmental compliance charge.
3. The Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act, S.727, introduced on April 5,
2011, if adopted, would end traditional tax exemption for newly issued municipal bonds and
provide that municipal bonds issued after December 31, 2011, would be taxable providing a 25%
tax credit only for non -corporate holders and would eliminate advance refunding for outstanding
tax-exempt bonds. The Tax Equity and Middle -Class Fairness Act, H.R.2495, introduced July
11, 2011, if adopted, would end traditional tax exemption after December 31, 2011, and require
all new municipal bonds to be issued as taxable direct -pay bonds with a 28% federal subsidy
rate. The Report of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, dated
December 2010 (Simpson -Bowles Commission), if implemented, would eliminate the exclusion
for interest on municipal bonds. The Reducing the Debt: Spending and Revenue Options,
Congressional Budget Office dated March 2011, if implemented, would replace the exclusion of
interest on state and local government bonds with a direct -subsidy payment equal to 15% of the
interest paid on the bonds.
Using the analysis presented in Exhibit MSD 1, please provide the information presented
in Table 5-6 for two alternative scenarios incorporating the following changes to the assumptions
used by MSD in its Rate Change Proposal:
a. A net revenue bond interest rate of 6.0%
b. A net revenue bond interest rate of 6.5%
7
RESPONDER: Keith Barber, MSD Rate Consultant
RESPONSE: The requested versions of Table 5-6 are provided as Exhibit MSD 86D.
These tables show the impact of changing the District's assumed 5.5 percent annual interest rate
on revenue bonds to 6.0 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively. The only compensating variable
changed in these scenarios was the annual revenue increases.
V)
Susan Myers, General Counsel
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISRICT
2350 Market Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
smyers@stlmsd.com
Tel: (314) 768-6200
Fax: (314) 768-6372
8
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
The undersigned certifies that on the 26th day of September, 2011:
An electronic copy of the foregoing instrument as e -mailed to the Secretary of the Rate
Commission c/o jfenton@stlrnsd.com.
SECRETARY OF RATE COMMISSION:
Ms. Nancy Bowser
Secretary of Rate Commission
Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District
2350 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
robowser@swbell.net
At the request of the Rate Commission Counsel, one paper original and associated Exhibits are
held at the Rate Commission office for Commissioner review.
An electronic copy of the foregoing instrument was e -mailed to:
RATE COMMISSION CONSULTANT: Mr. William G. Stannard
President
Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc.
3013 Main Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
wstannard roraftelis.com
COVIDIEN: Mr. Randy Meyer
Utility Manager
Covidien
3600 North 2"d Street
St. Louis, MO 63147
Randy.Meyer@covidien.com
ROBERT A. MUELLER: Mr. Robert A. Mueller
16 Ladue Crest Lane
St. Louis, MO 63124
ramreco@sbcglobal.net
BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL:
9
Lisa C. Langeneckert, Esq.
Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard, P.C.
600 Washington Avenue, 15111 Floor
St. Louis, MO 63101-1313
langeneckert@sandbergphoenix.com
MISSOURI INDUSTRIAL ENERGY
CONSUMERS:
AARP AND CONSUMERS COUNCIL OF
MISSOURI:
John R. Kindschuh, Esq.
Bryan Cave, LLP
211 N. Broadway, Suite 3 600
St. Louis, MO 63102
Telephone: 314-259-2313
john.kindschuh@bryancave.com
and
Diana M. Vuylsteke, Esq.
Bryan Cave, LLP
211 N. Broadway, Suite 3600
St. Louis, MO 63102
dmvuylsteke@bryancave.com
John B. Coffman, Esq.
John B. Coffman, LLC
871 Tuxedo Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63119
john cr johncoffnan.net
Susan Myers, General Counsel
METROPOLITAN ST. LOUIS SEWER DISRICT
2350 Market Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
smyers@,st1msd.com
Tel: (314) 768-6200
Fax: (314) 768-6372
10