In accordance with ASC 980, rates charged to utility customers are intended to recover the costs of the provision of service plus a reasonable return in the same period. Changes to the rates are made through formal rate applications with the ACC, which we have done for all of our operating utilities as described below.

On August 28, 2020, 12 of the Company's 18 regulated utilities each filed a rate case application with the ACC for water, wastewater, and recycled water rates, based on a 2019 test year. In addition to a rate increase, the Company requested, among other things, the consolidation of water and/or wastewater rates for certain of its utilities, including its Red Rock, Santa Cruz, Palo Verde, Picacho Water, and Picacho Utilities located in Pinal County. Of the Company’s utilities filing a rate case, these utilities make up approximately 96% of the Company's active service connections.

On July 27, 2022, the ACC issued Rate Decision No. 78644 relating to the Company's recent rate case. Pursuant to Rate Decision No. 78644, the ACC approved, among other things, a collective annual revenue requirement increase of approximately $2.2 million, (including the acquisition premiums discussed below) based on 2019 test year service connections, and phased-in over approximately two years, as follows:

The phase-in of additional revenues was determined using a 2019 test year. To the extent that the number of active service connections has increased and continues to increase from 2019 levels, the additional revenues may be greater than the amounts set forth above. On the other hand, if active connections decrease or the Company experiences declining usage per customer, the Company may not realize all of the anticipated revenues.

The ACC also approved; (i) the consolidation of water and/or wastewater rates to create economies of scale that are beneficial to all customers when rates are consolidated.; (ii) acquisition premiums relating to the Company’s acquisitions of its Red Rock and Turner Ranches utilities, which increase the rate base for such utilities and result in an increase in the annual collective revenue requirement included in the table above; (iii) the Company’s ability to annually adjust rates to flow through changes in property tax expense and/or changes in income tax expense, without the necessity of a rate case proceeding; and (iv) a sustainable water surcharge, which will allow semiannual surcharges to be added to customer bills based on verified costs of new water resources.

Finally, Rate Decision No. 78644 requires the Company to work with ACC staff and the Residential Utility Consumer Office to prepare a Private Letter Ruling request to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) to clarify whether the failure to eliminate the deferred taxes attributable to assets condemned in a transaction governed by Section 1033 of the IRC would violate the normalization provisions of Section 168(i)(9) of the Code. If the IRS accepts the request and issues its ruling, a copy must be provided to the ACC. Within 90 days after providing the ruling to the ACC, ACC Staff shall prepare, for ACC consideration, a memorandum and proposed order regarding guidance issued within the Private Letter Ruling. This may result in further action by the ACC, which we are unable to predict due to the uncertainties involved, that could have an adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

•Reclass Red Rock Water, Red Rock Wastewater, and Turner Ranches acquisition premiums of approximately $0.8 million from goodwill to regulatory assets to be included in rate base. The premiums are to be amortized over 25 years.

•Reversal of the 2017 TCJA tax reform regulatory liability of approximately $0.8 million, which was recorded as a reduction to income tax expense for approximately $0.7 million, and as a reduction to interest expense for approximately $0.1 million.

On September 20, 2018, the ACC issued Rate Decision No. 76901, which set forth the reductions in revenue for our Santa Cruz, Palo Verde, Greater Tonopah, and Northern Scottsdale utilities due to the TCJA. Rate Decision No. 76901 adopted a phase-in approach for the reductions to match the phase-in of our revenue requirements under Rate Decision No. 74364. Refer to Note 1 — "Basis of Presentation, Corporate Transactions, Significant Accounting Policies, and Recent Accounting Pronouncements — Corporate Transactions — ACC Tax Docket" for details regarding Rate Decision No. 76901.

Infrastructure Coordination and Financing Agreements – ICFAs are agreements with developers and homebuilders whereby GWRI, the indirect parent of the operating utilities, provides services to plan, coordinate, and finance the water and wastewater infrastructure that would otherwise be required to be performed or subcontracted by the developer or homebuilder.

Under the ICFAs, GWRI has a contractual obligation to ensure physical capacity exists through its regulated utilities for water and wastewater to the landowner/developer when needed. This obligation persists regardless of connection growth. Fees for these services are typically a negotiated amount per equivalent dwelling unit for the specified development or portion of land. Payments are generally due in installments, with a portion due upon signing of the agreement, a portion due upon completion of certain milestones, and the final payment due upon final plat approval or sale of the subdivision. The payments are non-refundable. The agreements are generally recorded against the land and must be assumed in the event of a sale or transfer of the land. The regional planning and coordination of the infrastructure in the various service areas has been an important part of GWRI’s business model.

In February 2014, the ACC issued Rate Decision No. 74364, and concluded ICFA funds already received would no longer be deemed CIAC for rate making purposes. ICFA funds already received or which had become due prior to the date of Rate Decision No. 74364 were recognized as revenue once the obligations specified in the ICFA were met. Rate Decision No. 74364 prescribes that of the ICFA funds which come due and are paid subsequent to December 31, 2013, 70% of the ICFA funds will be recorded in the associated utility subsidiary as a hook-up fee (“HUF”) liability, with the remaining 30% to be recorded as deferred revenue, which the Company accounts for in accordance with the Company's ICFA revenue recognition policy. A HUF tariff, specifying the dollar value of a HUF for each utility, was approved by the ACC as part of Rate Decision No. 74364. The Company is responsible for assuring the full HUF value is paid from ICFA proceeds, and recorded in its full amount, even if it results in recording less than 30% of the ICFA fee as deferred revenue.

The Company will account for the portion allocated to the HUF as a CIAC contribution. However, in accordance with the ACC directives the CIAC is not deducted from rate base until the HUF funds are expended for utility plant. Such funds will be segregated in a separate bank account and used for plant. A HUF liability will be established and will be amortized as a reduction of depreciation expense over the useful life of the related plant once the HUF funds are utilized for the construction of plant. For facilities required under a HUF or ICFA, the utilities must first use the HUF moneys received, after which, it may use debt or equity financing for the remainder of construction. The Company will record 30% of the funds received, up until the HUF liability is fully funded, as deferred revenue, which is to be recognized as revenue once the obligations specified within the ICFA are met, including construction of sufficient operating capacity to serve the customers for which revenue was deferred.

As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, ICFA deferred revenue recorded on the consolidated balance sheet totaled $20.9 million and $19.0 million, respectively, which represents deferred revenue recorded for ICFA funds received on contracts.

Intangible assets / Regulatory liability – Pursuant to Rate Decision No. 74364, approximately 70% of ICFA funds to be received in the future will be recorded as a HUF, until the HUF is fully funded at the Company’s applicable utility subsidiary.

The remaining approximate 30% of future ICFA funds will be recorded at the parent company level and will be subject to the Company’s ICFA revenue recognition accounting policy. As the Company now expects to experience an economic benefit from the approximately 30% portion of future ICFA funds, 30% of the regulatory liability, or $3.4 million, was reversed in 2014. The remaining 70% of the regulatory liability, or $7.9 million, will continue to be recorded on the balance sheet.

The intangible assets amortize when the corresponding ICFA funds are received in proportion to the amount of total cash expected to be received under the underlying agreements. The recognition of amortization expense will be partially offset by a corresponding reduction of the regulatory liability.