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	<title>Stepwise &#187; News</title>
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	<description>Sound financial guidance that makes a difference</description>
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		<title>In Honor of Chips</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/in-honor-of-chips</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/in-honor-of-chips#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 May 2010 20:47:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Announcements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=999</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve had the great privilege to work as a consultant in the water utility industry for the last 15 years, all of which from offices in the Denver area. It would have been impossible for me to not have known who Chips Barry was, and I didn&#8217;t need to know him closely or personally to [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<title>Indianapolis Mayor a Believer in Efficiencies of Public vs. Private Water</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/indianapolis-mayor-a-believer-in-efficiencies-of-public-vs-private-water</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/indianapolis-mayor-a-believer-in-efficiencies-of-public-vs-private-water#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:11:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Privatization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[utility governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The City of Indianapolis, whose privately operated water system (Veolia has been the private owner/operator for several years)  was ever so recently facing a 35% increase in water rates just 6 months after an 11% increase, has even more recently decided to scrap their private ownership model. &#8220;With this agreement, I am rejecting private ownership [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/indianapolis-mayor-a-believer-in-efficiencies-of-public-vs-private-water/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NYT Story on Water Infrastructure is Telling</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/nyt-story-on-water-infrastructure-is-telling</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/nyt-story-on-water-infrastructure-is-telling#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:46:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Aging Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[infrastructure replacement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=918</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The latest NY Times article on water infrastructure does a good job of demonstrating the seemingly impossible issues between the great need for reinvestment in water and sewer infrastructure, the reluctance of the government owners of those systems to actually pay for that investment, and the increasing consequences of infrastructure failure.  The article focuses on [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/nyt-story-on-water-infrastructure-is-telling/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>JM Eagle Whistle Blower Lawsuit</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/jm-eagle-whistle-blower-lawsuit</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/jm-eagle-whistle-blower-lawsuit#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:50:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fdavis</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=887</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An ex-employee of JM Eagle files a lawsuit alleging impropriety in the manufacturing of water lines. Over 5 states have already joined this lawsuit. Does this impact your utility?]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/jm-eagle-whistle-blower-lawsuit/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>What&#8217;s Driving High Utility Rates?</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/whats-driving-high-utility-rates</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/whats-driving-high-utility-rates#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sewer rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=753</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;re a reader of this blog, you will have noted that we often cite news articles showing how utility rates are being increased in different parts of the US.  We track these stories because we feel it&#8217;s important for our clients, our readers, and our own staff to understand the political dynamics that make [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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		<title>Utility Rates and Legal Defensibility: A High Hurdle</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/utility-rates-and-legal-defensibility-a-high-hurdle</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/utility-rates-and-legal-defensibility-a-high-hurdle#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elected officials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rate lock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=694</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m not sure what&#8217;s going on in Naples, FL when their water rate consultant is telling the City Council that the City&#8217;s water rates are not legally defensible, but we can speculate if only to illustrate a point.  There are lots of reasons why utilities should address their rates on an ongoing basis, but legal [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How to Sink a Water Utility</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/how-to-sink-a-water-utility</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/how-to-sink-a-water-utility#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elected officials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[utility governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=690</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[City governments have long admired the money making ability of a water or sewer utility.  The enterprise funds are not tax based and, after all, they are natural monopolies where the cities could charge nearly anything they wanted.  Plundering enterprise funds to shore up budgets elsewhere is an old practice, and it&#8217;s one of the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>More Private Water Company Rate Problems</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/private-company-water-rate-problems</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/private-company-water-rate-problems#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:56:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Privatization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[utility governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=684</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Privatization is thought by many to be a panacea for lowering costs for water and wastewater systems.  Yet, here we have again another example of how a private owner/operator, in this case Indiana American (subsidiary of American Water, NYSE: AWK), seeking a very large increase in rates (click here for the news story).  We have [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/private-company-water-rate-problems/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Corporate Water Utility Rates &#8211; Show Me The Efficiencies</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/corporate-water-utility-rates-show-me-the-efficiencies</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/corporate-water-utility-rates-show-me-the-efficiencies#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:51:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Privatization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cost of capital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[regulations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sewer rates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[utility governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=681</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Illinois American water company serving about 10,000 customers in the Chicago area has asked the Illinois Commerce Commission to approve a 30% increase in water rates and a 50% increase in sewer rates. What the protesters probably don't understand, and what everyone who thinks substituting public ownership of their water/sewer utilities with private (corporate) ownership needs to know is that the private utility owner has a constitutional right to charge rates that will allow it the opportunity to earn a reasonable profit.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/corporate-water-utility-rates-show-me-the-efficiencies/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A Case of Politics vs. Practicality</title>
		<link>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/a-case-of-politics-vs-practicality</link>
		<comments>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/a-case-of-politics-vs-practicality#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:26:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>jgmumm</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cost of capital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[elected officials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water rates]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/?p=659</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We&#8217;ve been following the story in Oceanside, CA for several weeks now and were not surprised to awake to today&#8217;s headline that the city council rejected the water rate increases that had been proposed by the utility managers (Council Rejects Water, Sewer Rate Increases).  As this story has unfolded, we&#8217;ve learned a few things: a) [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stepwiseadvisors.com/a-case-of-politics-vs-practicality/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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