Franchise License Commission Meeting - October 24, 2023

[A regular meeting of the Bullhead City Franchise License Commission was held on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. (estimated). Four commissioners were present, including Chairwoman Corbett (by telephone), with Commissioner Hippensteel absent. The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance, no public comments were made, and agenda modifications were none. Commissioners provided announcements regarding upcoming community events.]

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes (July 25, 2023): A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the July 25, 2023 meeting. After a brief procedural clarification to ensure a clear vote, the motion passed unanimously with all commissioners voting aye.

Discussion Items

• Unisource Energy Corporation Quarterly Report (Pamela Lyman): Ms. Lyman presented customer counts adjusted after a prior audit: residential customers were 1,083 in April, 1,212 in July, and 1,195 in October 2023; commercial customers were 56 in April, 55 in July, and 43 in October. No power outages have occurred since January 2023. A holiday safety reminder was provided, and the utility’s website was noted for rate proposal updates, though no recent changes were identified.
• Southwest Gas Quarterly Report (Submitted via email by Aaron Dervaj, read by a commissioner): Active customers totaled 22,983. Year-to-date emergency response time averaged 27.5 minutes. No major projects are underway in Bullhead City currently; 2024 replacement projects involving Arizona Pipeline and Southwest Gas were noted. The fiber project continues, and safety performance showed 100% Fuel for Life participation. All 26 employees donated to the Bullhead City community. A public liaison meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. at Anderson Field House. A rate case website (swgas.com/en/rates-and-regulation) was provided.
• Vermita Waters Quarterly Report (Submitted via email by Steven Keller, read by a commissioner): Total customers are 9,813, of which 1,968 are within the city. No new rate cases and no street closures were reported.
• Ultima Quarterly Report (Submitted via email and phone by James Campbell, presented orally by Commissioner Jason): Commissioner Jason summarized a flyer distribution campaign: 28,000 homes reached in October 2020; 28,477 in 2021; 28,786 in 2022; and 28,887 in October 2023. Commercial flyers reached 1,986 in 2020 and 2,292 in 2023. However, residential customer counts have declined over the same period: 6,361 in October 2020; 6,031 in 2021; 5,029 in 2022; and 4,569 in October 2023. Commercial customer counts were 128 in 2020, 137 in 2021, 126 in 2022, and 122 in October 2023.
• Republic Services Quarterly Report (Presented by Chris Klein, Operations Manager, representing Brad Brown): In Q3 2023, Republic Services collected 4,619.76 tons of residential trash from 18,446 customers. Six bulky-item pickups per household per year are provided, and the company collected 2,775 tons of bulky waste during the quarter. No rate changes were announced. An app is available for billing and scheduling pickups.

Key Outcomes

• The commission approved the minutes of the July 25, 2023 meeting unanimously.
• All quarterly reports were received and acknowledged by the commission; no votes were taken on the reports themselves.
• The meeting concluded with a brief mention of setting future agenda topics, but no decisions or actions were taken on that matter.