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Fr_ I <br />Burton & Associates <br />Water Resources Economics Qualifications Summary <br />NOVEMBER 5, 1997 <br />-16- <br />Introduction <br />Burton & Associates is a leader in the State in water <br />resources economics, that is, water and waste- <br />water rate structure development, rate making, <br />utility financial planning, and the integration of <br />financial planning and rate making with the capital <br />planning process. Burton & Associates has <br />developed proprietary software specifically to <br />accomplish the integration of the financial planning <br />and rate making process with the capital planning <br />process. <br />Cost of Service/Rate Studies & <br />Financial Manaaement Programs <br />We regularly use our proprietary Funding Analysis <br />and Management System ( FAMS), in the conduct <br />of cost of service and rate studies. In the <br />development of rate programs, including the <br />development of fair and equitable rate structures, <br />FAMS allows 1) cost effective testing of "what-ir <br />scenarios regarding funding of alternative capital <br />requirements, 2) evaluation of alternative sources <br />and means of financing, and 3) development of <br />viable short term (five years) and long term (20+ <br />years) financial management programs, including <br />a capital finance plan to provide adequate funding <br />to meet projected CIP requirements and a rate <br />plan to meet annual revenue requirements. <br />IMPORTANT - Rate structure changes <br />can be developed interactively with <br />customer impact assessment allowing <br />clear vision of the implications of rate <br />making decisions. <br />Interactive Decision Workshons <br />We use our FAMS automated model as a decision <br />support tool in the conduct of "real time" decision <br />workshops with utility staff, management and <br />elected officials. In these sessions, we use state of <br />the art automated presentation and analysis <br />technics to demonstrate, with the FAMS model "up <br />and running", the impact of various assumptions. <br />Through this interactive process, we are able to <br />assist in the develop of optimum solutions <br />regarding alternative capital improvement <br />programs, service delivery configurations, financing <br />sources, rates and charges and the impact of each <br />alternative scenario upon rate payers within various <br />classes of customers. <br />