Phoenix, Ariz. — At the Arizona Corporation Commission’s (ACC) July 9, 2025, regular open meeting, Vice Chairman Nick Myers voted with the Commission (5-0) to approve new rates for EPCOR San Tan Water and Wastewater Districts (WS-01303A-24-0130). This was the first rate case filed by EPCOR after acquiring ownership of the systems from Johnson Utilities.

“This case hits pretty close to home for me,” Vice Chair Myers commented in his vote explanation, “As many of you know, this particular issue, which started by me having to take Johnson Utilities to task for a water dispute, ultimately snowballed into me being here today.”

After years of serious longstanding, and pervasive regulatory violations by Johnson Utilities, the Commission found that an interim manager should be appointed in 2018 (Decision No. 76785). The Commission eventually selected EPCOR as the interim manager, which assumed operation of Johnson Utilities in August 2018, after the Commission obtained a court order directing George Johnson, the owner of Johnson Utilities, to provide full and exclusive access of the utility to EPCOR. After two tumultuous years of Johnson interfering with EPCOR’s attempts to improve the water and wastewater systems as interim manager, the Commission approved EPCOR’s acquisition of Johnson Utilities in December 2020 (Decision No. 77854).    

“As I recall, it literally came down to EPCOR purchasing the system, or EPCOR abandoning the interim manager position and things going back to the way they were,” stated Vice Chair Myers, “So when I say that this decision today is just a little bit ‘bittersweet,’ I don’t think it comes as much of a surprise. I have a deep understanding of just how bad things were back then. On the one hand, I understand the enormity of the scale of work EPCOR had to endure to make things better (and is still continuing to this day). On the other hand, I also have compassion for my neighbors, many of whom became friends. I also understand how they feel they have had to pay three or four times for the same utility system.”

“I consider this rate case, the first one filed with EPCOR being the owner, as the end of an era,” concluded Vice Chair Myers, “It is sad that it got so bad that this increase in rates was so inevitable and now I, as the guy that fought so hard for so many years, must approve this rate increase largely due to the mismanagement under Johnson Utilities. I don’t like being in this position; I don’t like voting for this increase (or any increase for any company for that matter) and I am truly sorry for everything my friends and neighbors have had to go through for the last thirty years, which is now culminating in one final blow to their budgets albeit with a much-improved water and wastewater system.”

For more information, please contact Vice Chairman Myers at myers-web@azcc.gov.