Water and Electric Rate Study
The City of Aspen (City) retained Raftelis to conduct a technical review of their consultant of record’s most recent water and electric rate study. Raftelis reviewed the consultant’s rate study and determined that a complete revision was required. The City had developed its own financial plan. We used that financial plan and 2019 as the test year to develop rates. We projected revenues for 2019 from a detailed billing analysis. The City does not have customer classes rather customers are separated by their bill cycle location and specific pressure zones. The City also has 4 components to their rate – a demand charge, a variable charge, a fire charge, and a pumping charge. The demand and fire charge is assessed on a per equivalent capacity unit or ECU. The ECU is related to the number of fixtures in the house. The variable charge is a 4-tiered structure where the thresholds are a multiple of the number of ECUs for each customer. The pumping charge is a uniform volume rate which varies based on the number of pump zones.
Working with City Staff we completed a cost allocation to their five cost components – demand, variable, fire, pumping and raw water. We allocated line operation and maintenance costs, their capital program, debt service, and changes in reserves. The City had determined that they were incurring significant increases in fire-related costs. This was due in part to increased O&M associated with maintaining the various fire-related facilities and capital costs associated with fire protection. The City’s topography and customer density presents a number of challenges with having a system properly sized for fire protection.
Police Department Staffing and Operations Assessment
The City of Aspen (City) retained Raftelis to conduct a staffing and operations assessment of its Police Department. Aspen is a ski resort community with a year-round population of 7,365 that swells to approximately 27,000 during “high season.” This study evaluated the City’s police staffing and deployment approach within the context of workload patterns and trends to determine what opportunities may exist to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the City’s public safety services.
To accomplish these tasks, we conducted extensive fieldwork that involved interviews with members of the Police Department and the City’s administrative support team, as well as tours of the City and the police facility. Our team also requested and analyzed background information provided by Police Department staff. A thorough review of its core functions and activities was accomplished by evaluating budget information, workload measures, performance indicators, and other relevant data about operations and administration. This data was evaluated using a multi-faceted analytical approach that takes into account service expectations and goals, practical operational constraints, and data-derived issue analysis and validation. This process resulted in a series of staffing, administrative, and operational recommendations unique to Aspen’s specific operating environment.
