By Greg Baird Let’s face it, if our roots are in government finance, we are a conservative breed. Our backgrounds prior to becoming a water finance manager, director or CFO have been from accounting, budgeting or investments. In any case, our training and experience have included conservative investments and low rates of return, declining revenues,…
By Jeff Lipton Collecting revenue is the lifeblood of any business. Without timely and predictable collections, business operations are strained, budgeting for expenses falters and long-term planning becomes increasingly difficult. Investment decisions are delayed and the impending uncertainty can create an environment of fear among staff. BE SURE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2018 WATER FINANCE CONFERENCE TO…
By Kristy Neckowicz Each year, financial and capital program managers must strike a balance between rate increases and the requirement to modernize our water and wastewater utilities. As our sights are fixated on the nation’s aging and failing water infrastructure, we have neglected to look internally at the costly and manual processes that desperately need…
By Diane VanDe Hei Washington has heard a lot of talk over the past year about the need to address the nation’s aging infrastructure, but there has been little agreement among Democrats and Republicans about how to go about it. However, a program created by Congress four years ago is actually starting to fulfill its potential…
New Financing Options Demand New Evaluation Tools By Mike Matichich Water agencies are faced with a widening array of delivery and finance options for their major capital programs. That is good news, as the industry likely will need everything from the U.S. EPA’s relatively new WIFIA loan program to ‘pay for performance’ models and long-term…
By Alyse Greenberg As water utilities work to upgrade aging infrastructure, address changes in water supply and demand, and meet regulatory requirements, many of the increased costs are passed through to customers. Increased rates mean that more utility customers may face difficulties in paying their bills. This can lead to increased arrearages, late payments, disconnection notices,…