Fair Value Of Financial Instruments

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2014

Fair Value Of Financial Instruments [Abstract]

Note 6 – Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company follows the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) accounting guidance for fair value measurements and disclosures, which defines fair value and establishes a framework for using fair value to measure assets and liabilities. That framework provides a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1: unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access;

Level 2: inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted market prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in non-active markets, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; or

Level 3: inputs that are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.

The asset’s or liability’s fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Valuation techniques used need to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. There have been no changes in the valuation techniques used to measure fair value or asset or liability transfers between the levels of the fair value hierarchy for the quarter ended September 30, 2014.

Financial instruments are recorded at carrying value in the financial statements and approximate fair value as of the dates presented. The fair value of these instruments is disclosed below in accordance with current accounting guidance related to financial instruments.

The fair value of funds restricted for construction activity and loans payable are determined based on their carrying amount and utilizing Level 1 methods and assumptions. As of both September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying amount of the Company’s funds restricted for construction activity was $47, which equates to their estimated fair value. As of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying amount of the Company’s loans payable was $6,997 and $36,740, respectively, which equates to their estimated fair value. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, which is comprised of a money market fund, is determined based on the net asset value per unit utilizing Level 2 methods and assumptions. As of September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the carrying amounts of the Company's cash and cash equivalents was $4,843 and $5,058, respectively, which equates to their fair value.

The carrying amounts and estimated fair values of the Company’s long-term debt is as follows:

The fair value of long-term debt has been determined by discounting the future cash flows using current market interest rates for similar financial instruments of the same duration utilizing Level 2 methods and assumptions. The Company’s customers’ advances for construction have a carrying value of $77,215 as of September 30, 2014, and $73,892 as of December 31, 2013. Their relative fair values cannot be accurately estimated because future refund payments depend on several variables, including new customer connections, customer consumption levels, and future rate increases. Portions of these non-interest bearing instruments are payable annually through 2029 and amounts not paid by the respective contract expiration dates become non-refundable. The fair value of these amounts would, however, be less than their carrying value due to the non-interest bearing feature.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References+ Details

September 30,

December 31,

Carrying Amount

Estimated Fair Value