UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
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x
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Quarterly Report pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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For the quarterly period
ended June 30, 2010
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or
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o
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Transition report pursuant to
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
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For the transition
period
from to
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Commission
File Number 0-8176
(Exact name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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95-1840947
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(State or other
jurisdiction of
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(I.R.S. Employer
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incorporation or
organization)
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Identification
Number)
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One
Wilshire Building
624 South
Grand Avenue, Suite 2900
Los
Angeles, California 90017-3782
(Address of
principal executive offices, including zip code)
(213)
929-1800
(Registrants
telephone, including area code)
None
(Former name,
former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark
whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by
Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes
x
No
o
Indicate by check mark
whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate
website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and
posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (
§
232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or
for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post
such files). Yes
o
No
o
Indicate by check mark
whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a
non-accelerated filer. (Check one):
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Large accelerated filer
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o
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Accelerated filer
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x
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Non-Accelerated filer
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o
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Smaller reporting
company
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o
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Indicate by check mark
whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Act). Yes
o
No
x
Indicate the number of
shares outstanding of each of the issuers classes of common stock, as of the
latest practicable date.
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Class
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Outstanding as of
July 31, 2010
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Common Stock,
$.01 par value per share
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27,528,870 shares
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PART I
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(In thousands)
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June 30,
2010
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December 31,
2009
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ASSETS
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Current
assets:
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Cash
and cash equivalents
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$
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2,181
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$
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2,874
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Accounts
receivable, net
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28,561
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26,968
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Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
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12,944
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12,909
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Total
current assets
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43,686
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42,751
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Property,
plant and equipment, net
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313,454
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313,716
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Other
assets:
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Goodwill
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16,434
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16,434
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Intangible
assets
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2,793
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2,966
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Other
assets
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26,943
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24,228
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Total
assets
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$
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403,310
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$
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400,095
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LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY
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Current
liabilities:
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Accounts
payable
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$
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13,007
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$
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14,130
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Current
portion of long-term debt
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2,211
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2,171
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Other
current liabilities
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23,441
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21,213
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Total
current liabilities
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38,659
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37,514
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Other
liabilities and deferred credits:
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Long-term
debt, less current portion
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142,507
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152,820
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Deferred
income taxes
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12,521
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13,100
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Advances
for construction
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9,154
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8,784
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Contributions
in aid of construction
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53,547
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53,841
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Other
liabilities and deferred credits
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18,761
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18,122
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Commitments
and contingencies
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Stockholders
equity:
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Preferred
stock
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458
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458
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Common
stock
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275
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249
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Additional
paid-in capital
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164,885
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148,407
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Accumulated
deficit
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(37,457
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)
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(33,200
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)
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Total
stockholders equity
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128,161
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115,914
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Total
liabilities and stockholders equity
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$
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403,310
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$
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400,095
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See accompanying
notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
3
SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)
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Three
Months Ended
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Six
Months Ended
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June 30,
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June 30,
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(In
thousands, except per share data)
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2010
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2009
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2010
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2009
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Operating
revenue
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$
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53,883
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$
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52,416
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$
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100,729
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$
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102,508
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Expenses:
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Operating
expenses
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47,727
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50,052
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93,039
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99,959
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Depreciation
and amortization
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3,847
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3,857
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7,714
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7,690
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Impairment
of long-lived assets
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8,115
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8,115
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Total
operating expenses
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51,574
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62,024
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100,753
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115,764
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Operating
income (loss)
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2,309
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(9,608
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)
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(24
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(13,256
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Other
income (expense):
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Interest
expense
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(2,238
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(2,975
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(4,608
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(4,862
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Interest
income
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55
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48
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88
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84
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Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
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126
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(12,535
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(4,544
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(18,034
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Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes
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69
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(4,472
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(1,673
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(6,566
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Income
(loss) from continuing operations
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57
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(8,063
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(2,871
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(11,468
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Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
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17,559
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17,731
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Net
income (loss)
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57
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9,496
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(2,871
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)
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6,263
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Preferred
stock dividends
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(6
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)
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(6
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)
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(12
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)
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(6
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Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders
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$
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51
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$
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9,490
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$
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(2,883
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)
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$
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6,257
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Income
(loss) per common share - basic and diluted
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Income
(loss) from continuing operations
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$
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0.00
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$
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(0.33
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)
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$
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(0.11
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$
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(0.47
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)
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Income
from discontinued operations
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0.71
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0.72
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Net
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders
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$
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0.00
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$
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0.38
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$
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(0.11
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$
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0.25
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Weighted
average common shares outstanding:
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Basic
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27,361
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24,608
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26,240
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24,604
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Diluted
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27,486
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24,608
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26,240
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24,604
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See accompanying
notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF
CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (UNAUDITED)
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Preferred
Stock
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Common
Stock
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Additional
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Number
of
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Number
of
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Paid-in
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Accumulated
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Shares
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Amount
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Shares
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Amount
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Capital
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Deficit
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Total
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(In thousands, except per share data)
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Balance - December 31, 2009
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9
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$
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458
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24,887
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$
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249
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$
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148,407
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$
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(33,200
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)
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$
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115,914
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Net
loss
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(2,871
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)
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(2,871
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)
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Restricted
stock awards cancelled
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(80
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)
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(1
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)
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1
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Common
stock issuance
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2,700
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27
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16,092
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16,119
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Common
stock issuances from employee benefit plans, net of repurchases
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20
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197
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197
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Share-based
compensation
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188
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188
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Cash
dividends declared:
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Preferred
stock - $1.31 per share
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(12
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)
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(12
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)
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Common
stock - $0.05 per share
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(1,374
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)
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(1,374
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)
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Balance - June 30, 2010
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9
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$
|
458
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27,527
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$
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275
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$
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164,885
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$
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(37,457
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)
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$
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128,161
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See accompanying
notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
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Six Months Ended
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June 30,
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(In thousands)
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2010
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2009
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Cash
flows from operating activities of continuing operations:
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Net
Income (loss)
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$
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(2,871
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)
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$
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6,263
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Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
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Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
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(17,731
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)
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Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
7,714
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|
7,690
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|
Deferred
income taxes
|
|
(1,912
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)
|
2,963
|
|
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
|
371
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|
998
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Share-based
compensation expense
|
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188
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331
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Post-vest
cancellations of non-qualified stock options
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(178
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)
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Loss
(gain) on disposal of property, plant & equipment
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226
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(598
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)
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Impairment
of long-lived assets
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8,115
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Other,
net
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445
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|
543
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Changes
in assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions
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Accounts
receivable
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(1,964
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)
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(4,052
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)
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Other
current assets
|
|
1,298
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|
2,829
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|
Other
assets
|
|
(3,087
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)
|
1,043
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|
Accounts
payable
|
|
(1,727
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)
|
(2,872
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)
|
Other
current liabilities
|
|
2,264
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|
(484
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)
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Other
liabilities
|
|
(318
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)
|
(1,437
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)
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Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
|
627
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|
3,423
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|
|
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|
|
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Cash
flows from investing activities of continuing operations:
|
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|
|
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Additions
to property, plant and equipment
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(6,037
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)
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(6,306
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)
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Proceeds
from sale of business
|
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54,436
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|
Proceeds
from sales of equipment
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93
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|
125
|
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
|
(5,944
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)
|
48,255
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Cash
flows from financing activities of continuing operations:
|
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|
|
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Borrowings
under lines of credit
|
|
6,700
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28,000
|
|
Repayments
under lines of credit
|
|
(16,200
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)
|
(55,600
|
)
|
Payments
on long-term debt
|
|
(1,032
|
)
|
(13,131
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)
|
Capital
improvement reimbursements
|
|
959
|
|
3,389
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|
Proceeds
of stock issuance
|
|
16,119
|
|
|
|
Proceeds
from employee benefit plan stock issuances, net of repurchases
|
|
197
|
|
|
|
Dividends
paid
|
|
(1,380
|
)
|
(1,256
|
)
|
Repayment
of advances for construction
|
|
(619
|
)
|
|
|
Deferred
financing costs
|
|
(120
|
)
|
(2,579
|
)
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
|
4,624
|
|
(41,177
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash
flows from discontinued operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
activities
|
|
|
|
(8,095
|
)
|
Investing
activities
|
|
|
|
(291
|
)
|
Financing
activities
|
|
|
|
(1,647
|
)
|
Net
cash used in discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
(10,033
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
(693
|
)
|
468
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
|
2,874
|
|
1,112
|
|
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
|
$
|
2,181
|
|
$
|
1,580
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements.
6
SOUTHWEST
WATER COMPANY
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note
1. Basis of Presentation and Summary of
Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
These condensed
consolidated interim financial statements of SouthWest Water Company are
unaudited. We believe the interim financial statements are presented on a basis
consistent with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2009 and include all adjustments necessary for a fair
presentation of the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
for such interim periods. Unless context indicates otherwise, references to we,
us, our, the Company or SouthWest Water mean SouthWest Water Company and
its subsidiaries.
The December 31, 2009
condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from the audited
financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP).
Certain information and
disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance
with GAAP have been omitted in accordance with Securities and Exchange
Commissions (SEC) rules and regulations for interim financial
reporting. These condensed consolidated interim financial statements should be
read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and related notes
included in our 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our businesses are
seasonal because they are affected by weather; as a result, operating results
for interim periods are not necessarily predictive of the operating results for
any other interim period or for the full year.
Merger Agreement and Long-Term Infrastructure Investment
On March 2, 2010, we
entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) with SW
Merger Acquisition Corp. (Parent) and SW Merger Sub Corp., a direct
wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (Merger Sub). Parent and Merger Sub are
jointly owned by IIF Subway Investment LP and USA Water Services, LLC, which
are sponsored by J.P. Morgan IIF Acquisitions LLC and Water Asset Management,
LLC. Under the terms of the Merger
Agreement, all of our outstanding common stock would be converted into a right
to receive $11.00 per share in cash. On August 6,
2010, the Merger Agreement was adopted by an affirmative vote of a majority of
the combined voting power of our outstanding common stock and Series A
preferred stock as of June 14, 2010, voting together as a single
class. The completion of the merger is subject
to customary closing conditions, including regulatory notice and approvals.
If all remaining closing
conditions are met, we will be the surviving corporation of the merger and a
wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Upon completion of the merger, our common
stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and we will no
longer be a publicly held corporation.
The Merger Agreement contains restrictions on our operations prior to
the closing of the merger, including restrictions related to capital
expenditures, the incurrence of debt, acquiring and disposing of assets,
entering into material contracts and capital transactions.
In connection with the
Merger Agreement, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement and Investor
Rights Agreement (collectively, the Investment Agreements). Pursuant to the Investment Agreements and
effective March 16, 2010, Parent purchased 2,700,000 shares of our common
stock (the Purchased Stock) at a price of $6.00 per share, for an aggregate
purchase price of $16.2 million and we incurred related specific incremental
transactional costs of $0.1 million. As
permitted under the terms of the Investment Agreements, the Company applied the
proceeds derived from the sale of the Purchased Stock to reduce our revolving
line of credit, the borrowings of which are used for capital expenditures and
working capital purposes. The Investment
Agreements entitle Parent to appoint a designee to serve on our board of
directors (which right Parent has not exercised to date), and also to certain
registration rights with respect to the Purchased Stock in the event of the
termination of the Merger Agreement. The
Investment Agreements restrict Parents ability to sell or otherwise transfer
the Purchased Stock prior to the earlier of the consummation or termination of
the Merger Agreement. Except as
contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Parent and Merger Sub are also prohibited
from acquiring any additional shares of our common stock until the termination
of the Merger Agreement.
As the offering and sale
of the Purchased Stock pursuant to the Investment Agreements was not registered
under the Securities Act of 1933 or applicable state securities laws, the
Purchased Stock may not be offered or sold in the United States absent
registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
7
We only discuss recent
accounting pronouncements that will or could have a significant effect on our
financial statements or disclosures currently or in the near term.
In February 2010, the
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued accounting standards update
(ASU) No. 2010-09,
Subsequent Events
(Topic 855)Amendments to Certain Recognition and Disclosure Requirements
(ASU No. 2010-09). Among other amendments to Topic 855, ASU
No. 2010-09 reiterates that SEC filers are required to evaluate subsequent
events through the date the financial statements have been issued and
eliminates the requirement that SEC filers disclose the date through which
subsequent events have been evaluated. ASU No. 2010-09 became effective
upon issuance. Adoption of ASU No. 2010-09 had no impact on our
consolidated financial statements.
In January 2010, the
FASB issued ASU No. 2010-06,
Fair Value
Measurements and Disclosures (Topic 820)Improving Disclosures about Fair
Value Measurements
(ASU No. 2010-06). ASU No. 2010-06
requires: (1) fair value disclosures of assets and liabilities by class;
(2) disclosures about significant transfers in and out of Levels 1
and 2 on the fair value hierarchy, in addition to Level 3;
(3) purchases, sales, issuances and settlements be disclosed on gross
basis on the reconciliation of beginning and ending balances of Level 3
assets and liabilities; and (4) disclosures about valuation methods and
inputs used to measure the fair value of Level 2 assets and liabilities.
ASU No. 2010-06 became effective for the first financial reporting period
beginning after December 15, 2009, except for disclosures about purchases,
sales, issuances and settlements of Level 3 assets and liabilities, which
will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010.
Adoption of the currently effective provisions of ASU No. 2010-06 had no
impact on our consolidated financial statements. Presently, we are assessing
what impact, if any, Level 3 disclosure requirements regarding gross
presentation of purchases, sales, issuances and settlements will have on our
consolidated financial statements.
Other Comprehensive Income
We had no accumulated other comprehensive income as
of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009.
Accounting Adjustments Impacting Other Periods
For the quarter ended June 30,
2010 we recorded adjustments with a net impact of $0.1 million expense, net of
tax, related to prior periods. Management has determined that the effect of
recognizing these adjustments are not material to our results of operations for
the three months ended June 30, 2010 or for any prior period. For the six months ended June 30, 2010
we recorded adjustments with a net impact of $0.2 million expense, net of tax,
related to prior periods. Management has determined that the effect of
recognizing these adjustments are not material to our results of operations for
the six months ended June 30, 2010 or for any prior periods.
Fair Value Measurements
We use a valuation
hierarchy for disclosures of fair value measurement. The three levels are
defined as follows:
·
Level 1
Inputs Unadjusted quoted market prices for identical assets and liabilities
in an active market that the Company has the ability to access.
·
Level 2
Inputs Inputs, other than the quoted prices in active markets, that are
observable either directly or indirectly.
·
Level 3
Inputs Inputs based on prices or valuation techniques that are both
unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurements.
Our total long-term debt
with aggregate book values of $144.7 million and $155.0 million had fair values
of approximately $137.5 million and $145.5 million at June 30, 2010 and
December 31, 2009, respectively.
The estimated fair values are based on current rates for similar issues
for debt of the same remaining maturities. The carrying value of all other
financial instruments, such as cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable
and accounts payable, approximates fair value because of the short maturity of
the instruments. At June 30, 2010
and December 31, 2009, we had no derivative financial instruments, hedging
activities, financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk or financial
instruments with concentrations of credit risks.
Note
2. Dispositions and Impairments
New Mexico Utilities, Inc.
As more fully described in
Note 4, Commitments and Contingencies - Legal Proceedings, as part of a
settlement of eminent domain proceedings against our New Mexico utility, New
Mexico Utilities Inc. (NMUI), we completed the
8
sale of NMUI in
May 2009. As of June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, no assets
were held for sale. The results of operations of our NMUI operations have been
reclassified as discontinued operations for the three months and six months
ended June 30, 2009 in the consolidated statements of operations and are
summarized as follows:
|
|
Three
months ended
|
|
Six
months ended
|
|
|
|
June 30,
2009
|
|
June 30,
2009
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
revenue
|
|
|
$
|
2,425
|
|
|
$
|
4,729
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
|
1,034
|
|
|
|
2,895
|
|
Operating
income
|
|
|
|
1,391
|
|
|
|
1,834
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
|
(91
|
)
|
|
|
(270
|
)
|
Income
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
|
1,300
|
|
|
|
1,564
|
|
Provision
for income taxes
|
|
|
|
469
|
|
|
|
561
|
|
Income
before gain on sale of discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
831
|
|
|
|
1,003
|
|
Gain
on sale of discontinued operations, net of tax of $9,361
|
|
|
|
16,728
|
|
|
|
16,728
|
|
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
|
|
$
|
17,559
|
|
|
$
|
17,731
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note
3. Long-Term Debt
Long-term
debt consists of the following as of June 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009:
|
|
June 30,
|
|
December 31,
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revolving
credit facility
|
|
$
|
65,000
|
|
$
|
74,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.85%
convertible subordinated debentures due 2021
|
|
11,766
|
|
11,839
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Capital
leases
|
|
2,897
|
|
3,138
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Term
Loans:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Monarch
Utilities, Inc.:
|
|
|
|
|
|
7.37%
fixed rate term loan due 2022
|
|
9,112
|
|
9,497
|
|
5.77%
fixed rate term loan due 2022
|
|
627
|
|
654
|
|
6.10%
fixed rate term loan due 2031
|
|
20,000
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First
Mortgage Bonds:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Suburban
Water Systems:
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.09%
series B first mortgage bond due 2022
|
|
8,000
|
|
8,000
|
|
5.64%
series D first mortgage bond due 2024
|
|
15,000
|
|
15,000
|
|
6.30%
series E first mortgage bond due 2026
|
|
10,000
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Economic
Development Revenue Bonds:
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.0%
series 1998A due 2018
|
|
1,690
|
|
1,690
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Acquisition-related
indebtedness and other
|
|
78
|
|
78
|
|
Total
long-term debt payment obligations
|
|
144,170
|
|
154,396
|
|
Unamortized
Monarch term loan fair value adjustments
|
|
548
|
|
595
|
|
Total
long-term debt
|
|
144,718
|
|
154,991
|
|
Less
current portion of long-term debt
|
|
(2,211
|
)
|
(2,171
|
)
|
Long-term
debt, less current portion
|
|
$
|
142,507
|
|
$
|
152,820
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our revolving line of
credit reflects a credit agreement with several lenders, including Bank of
America as lender and Administrative Agent, KeyBank, CoBank, U.S. Bank,
JPMorgan Chase Bank, Comerica Bank, Bank of the West,
9
Citibank and Union Bank of
California (the Bank Group). The credit agreement provides for a $110.0
million revolving credit facility.
Borrowings under the
credit facility bear interest, at our option, based on either a margin over the
designated LIBOR rate or the prime rate. As of June 30, 2010 our
debt-to-capitalization ratio is 54%; therefore, the applicable margins are
3.50% over the LIBOR rate and 2.50% over the prime rate. The margins decline on
a sliding scale as our debt-to-capitalization ratio improves. The weighted
average annual interest rates, excluding bank amendment and waiver fees, on all
credit facility borrowings outstanding were 3.85% as of June 30, 2010 and
4.3% as of December 31, 2009.
As of June 30, 2010,
we had irrevocable standby letters of credit in the amount of $5.0 million
issued and outstanding under our revolving credit facility and our available
borrowing capacity was $40.0 million.
Note
4. Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Proceedings
Class Action
Litigation
Perrin v. SouthWest Water
Company, et al., Case No. CV 08-07844 (Central District of California) and
related, consolidated cases: On November 26, 2008, an alleged purchaser of
our publicly traded common stock filed a securities class action lawsuit in the
United States District Court for the Central District of California. The
complaint generally alleges that from May 10, 2005 through November 9,
2008, we made false statements or omitted to state facts necessary to make our
disclosures not misleading. Five additional and substantially similar
cases were filed in the same court. On January 26, 2009, motions for
consolidation and for the appointment of lead plaintiff and lead counsel were
filed by the plaintiffs. On February 12, 2009, the court granted the
motion for consolidation and for the appointment of lead plaintiff and lead
counsel. Pursuant to stipulation of the parties, the lead plaintiff on October 15,
2009, filed a consolidated complaint. On January 12, 2010, the Company
filed a motion to dismiss the consolidated amended complaint on the grounds
that it failed to allege a valid claim and a motion for partial summary
judgment on certain claims alleged in it on the grounds that the plaintiffs
lack standing to bring those claims. On
March 8, 2010, the plaintiffs filed oppositions to the Companys
motions. On April 15, 2010, the
Company filed reply briefs in support of its motions. The hearing on the motions was set for June 21,
2010, but the Court took the matter off the calendar. On June 30, 2010,
the Court ruled on the motions, denying the Companys motion for partial
summary judgment and granting the Companys motion to dismiss in its entirety
as to the entire complaint. On July 30,
2010, Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint.
Given the nature and preliminary status of these cases, we cannot yet
determine the amount or even a reasonable range of potential loss in these
matters, if any.
Derivative
Litigation
Sherman v. Christie, et
al., Case No. BC404946 (Los Angeles County Superior Court) and related
cases: On January 2, 2009, an alleged shareholder of our publicly traded
common stock filed a shareholder derivative case, alleging breach of fiduciary
duty arising from the announcement of our intent to restate financial
statements against certain present and former members of our Board of
Directors. Two additional, substantially similar cases were filed.
Stipulations were entered extending the time to respond to the
complaints. On April 23, 2009, the court found that the three
derivative suits were complex and related and transferred the cases to a
single judge for all purposes and ordered an initial status conference for
December 3, 2009. The cases were consolidated on May 19,
2009. The lead plaintiff by stipulation of the parties filed a
consolidated complaint on October 8, 2009. On December 7, 2009, the
Company filed a demurrer to the consolidated complaint on the grounds that the
consolidated complaint failed to allege sufficient facts to state a valid cause
of action and failed to allege facts showing that presuit demand on the board
of directors should be excused as futile.
On January 21, 2010, the plaintiffs filed an opposition to the
demurrer. On March 4, 2010, the
plaintiffs filed an amended consolidated complaint to add claims on behalf of
an alleged class of the Companys shareholders related to the proposed
merger. On April 2, 2010, the
plaintiffs filed a motion to consolidate the four class action suits pending in
the Los Angeles Superior Court related to the proposed merger. On April 2, 2010, the Company filed a
motion to sever the alleged class action claims related to the proposed merger
from the amended consolidated complaint and a demurrer to the entire complaint
on the grounds that the consolidated complaint failed to allege sufficient
facts to state a valid cause of action and failed to allege facts showing that
presuit demand on the board of directors should be excused as futile. On April 2, 2010, the Company also filed
an opposition to the motion to consolidate.
On April 15, 2010, the court denied the plaintiffs motion to
consolidate. On April 20, 2010, the
plaintiffs filed oppositions to the motion to sever and demurrer. On April 27, 2010, the Company filed
replies in support of the motion to sever and demurrer. On May 3, 2010, the plaintiffs agreed to
sever and dismiss without prejudice claims on behalf of an alleged class of the
Companys shareholders related to the proposed merger from the amended
consolidated complaint. On May 4,
2010, the court entered an order dismissing without prejudice claims on behalf
an alleged class of the Companys shareholders related to the proposed merger
from the amended
10
consolidated
complaint. Also on May 4, 2010, the
court sustained the Companys demurrer to the amended consolidated complaint
and gave the plaintiffs 20 days to file a further amended complaint. The Plaintiffs failed to timely file an
amended complaint, effectively ending this litigation.
Litigation
Related to the Merger Agreement
We are aware of seven
purported class action lawsuits related to the proposed merger filed against
the Company, some or all of our directors, Parent, and Merger Sub in the
Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, the Court of
Chancery of the State of Delaware, or the United States District Court for the
Central District of California.
The complaints are substantially
similar and allege, among other things, that the merger proposed under the
Merger Agreement is the product of a flawed process and that the consideration
to be paid to our stockholders in the merger would be unfair and inadequate. The complaints further allege, among other
things, that our officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties by,
among other things, taking actions designed to deter higher offers from other
potential acquirers and failing to maximize the value of SouthWest Water stock
for the benefit of our stockholders. The complaints further allege that Parent
and Merger Sub aided and abetted the actions of our officers and directors in
breaching their fiduciary duties. The
complaints seek, among other relief, an injunction preventing consummation of
the merger, an order rescinding the merger or any of the terms of the merger to
the extent already implemented, costs and disbursements of the lawsuits,
including attorneys and experts fees, and such other relief as the court
might find just and proper. On July 27,
2010, we and the other defendants entered into a memorandum of understanding
with the plaintiffs regarding the settlement of all of these actions. In connection with the settlement
contemplated by the memorandum of understanding, we made certain additional
disclosures related to the proposed merger.
Subject to completion of certain confirmatory discovery by counsel to
the plaintiffs, the memorandum of understanding contemplates that the parties
will enter into a stipulation of settlement which will provide, among other
things, for the conditional certification of a settlement class. The stipulation of settlement will be subject
to customary conditions, including Court approval following notice to our
stockholders. If the settlement is
finally approved by the Court, it will resolve and release on behalf of the
class all claims in all actions that were or could have been brought
challenging any aspect of the proposed merger, the merger agreement, and any
disclosure made in connection therewith.
There can be no assurance that the parties will ultimately enter into a
stipulation of settlement or that Court will approve the settlement, in which
such event the proposed settlement as contemplated by the memorandum of
understanding may be terminated. The
memorandum of understanding would limit the settlement to $0.5 million in total
of which the Companys insurance would cover $0.2 million directly and the
Company would be responsible for $0.3 million, which was accrued during the
three-month period ended June 30, 2010.
If the agreement is not finalized, we would not yet be able to determine
the amount or even a reasonable range of potential loss in these matters, if
any.
New
Mexico Utilities, Inc.
NMUI, one of the Companys
wholly-owned regulated utilities, had an agreement with the Albuquerque
Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority, a political subdivision of the State
of New Mexico (the ABCWUA), whereby the ABCWUA treated the effluent from NMUIs
wastewater collection system for a fee. The treated effluent is returned to the
Rio Grande Underground Basin, creating return flow credits. Return flow credits
supplemented NMUIs existing water rights, enabling it to pump additional water
from the basin.
In August 2004, the ABCWUA
increased the fee charged to NMUI, using a different formula than had been used
to calculate fee increases since 1973. The Company believed the increase
violated the terms of a 1973 written agreement between the parties.
Subsequently, the ABCWUA also claimed ownership of the return flow credits. On
September 13, 2004, the Company filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment
in the Second Judicial District Court, County of Bernalillo, State of New
Mexico (the Court), requesting that the Court settle these disputes.
In addition, in
January 2007, the ABCWUA and the City of Rio Rancho, a
home-rule municipal corporation, as Petitioners, filed a Petition for
Condemnation against NMUI and others, as defendants, in the Court (the Petition).
The Petition sought to acquire, by condemnation, all of the assets of NMUI,
including all real property, through the stated power of eminent domain. The
Petition also alleged that the Petitioners need to acquire the NMUI assets for
the public purposes of providing water and wastewater services to NMUI
customers and that the acquisition of NMUI is necessary, appropriate and in the
public interest. The Company contested the Petition.
In October 2008, the
Company attempted to settle the sewer rate and return flow credit issues with
an $8.0 million cash offer. The settlement offer was not accepted by
ABCWUA.
On January 29, 2009,
NMUI and the ABCWUA entered into a Settlement, Arbitration Award, and
Acquisition Agreement (the Agreement) to resolve all outstanding claims, demands
and existing lawsuits between them. Under the Agreement, the ABCWUA acquired
certain of the assets of NMUI necessary for the ABCWUA to own, operate and
11
maintain the water and
wastewater system of NMUI in settlement of condemnation. In consideration of
the assets acquired, the ABCWUA agreed to pay to NMUI at the Closing as full,
final and complete consideration the sum of: (i) $60.0 million;
(ii) an amount equal to the NMUI accounts receivable at the date of
Closing; and (iii) an amount equal to the unbilled services at the date of
Closing. The Agreement closed on May 8, 2009.
NMUI also received the
right to customer billings previously placed into escrow. The total amount
received by the Company on May 8, 2009 from these escrow funds was $1.3
million.
In addition, the
settlement resolves all other legal issues between NMUI and ABCWUA, including
the dispute over the sewer fee the ABCWUA charged NMUI for the treatment of
wastewater and the ownership of the return flow credits from that treated
wastewater, as well as all other disputed amounts of the ABCWUA. As part of the
settlement, NMUI agreed to pay $7.0 million to the ABCWUA at the time of
closing to resolve the sewer fee issue. This amount was accrued prior to the
closing of the Agreement.
Net cash proceeds from
settlement were $53.9 million and the resulting gain, net of direct
transactional costs of $0.1 million, was $26.1 million. Substantially all
of the utility plant assets of NMUI were pledged as collateral for $12.3
million in first mortgage bonds with an original maturity of 2024 and related
accrued interest. We repaid these bonds in full, including accrued
interest of $0.3 million. The remaining cash proceeds of $41.6 million were used
to pay the balance of liabilities of NMUI, and to pay down our revolving credit
facility. The sale reflects a $107.2 million reduction in assets, offset by a
reduction in liabilities of $79.5 million, which includes a $69.0 million
reduction in contributions in aid of construction.
Investigations
On May 18, 2005, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) executed a search warrant at our
Texas-based testing laboratory and on July 20, 2006 the laboratory
received a subpoena to provide additional records and information to a grand
jury. We have cooperated fully with the EPAs investigation and have provided
the records requested. We remain in close cooperation and coordination with
both Department of Justice (DOJ) and EPAs counsel in an attempt to resolve the
matter favorably. In April 2009, we submitted our formal request that the
DOJ not pursue criminal sanctions. By letter dated November 10, 2009, that
request was granted. Civil action by the government is still possible but we
have not been made aware that any action will be pursued. As a result, no
amounts have been accrued related to any possible civil fines, penalties or
liabilities.
We received a letter dated
January 28, 2008 from the California State Water Resources Control Board
Office of Enforcement (the Board). The letter indicated that the Board has
conducted an investigation of the operations of one of our subsidiaries with
respect to various California wastewater treatment facilities which are
operated, but not owned, by the subsidiary. The Board alleges that the
subsidiary has violated certain provisions of the California Water Code and may
be subject to civil administrative liability in excess of $15.0 million, and
possible administrative action against the subsidiarys status as a contract
operator in California. Since receipt of the letter, we have conducted an
internal investigation and worked in cooperation with the Board to resolve the
matter favorably. We have reached a preliminary settlement, requiring that we
implement an acceptable compliance program valued at $0.5 million and pay fines
and penalties of up to $0.75 million, all of which we have accrued.
Environmental
Matters
Some of our groundwater
sources for our California water utility have been affected by the presence of
certain groundwater contaminants. These contaminants consist mainly of
chemicals disposed of by various industrial companies in the 1940s and 1950s.
In 2001 and 2002, this contamination necessitated the shutdown of a number of
our wells, and we purchased replacement water at a cost substantially higher
than the cost of water pumped from our own wells. Prior to May 2002, these
costs were recorded as operating expenses and reduced our operating income.
In May 2002, a
settlement agreement was reached between some of the parties allegedly
responsible for the contamination (Cooperating Respondents) and certain water
entities, including our California water utility. As a result of this
settlement agreement, we have received payments during the last several years,
and we continued to receive payments until the completion of remediation. These
payments represent the incremental cost of purchasing water over the cost that
would have been incurred by us to pump water from our wells had they not been
shut down as a result of contamination. The settlement agreement provided for
ongoing reimbursement of our excess water costs and we bill and collect this
reimbursement monthly. These monthly reimbursements are recorded as a reduction
to operating expenses. The reimbursements were $0.07 million and $0.24 million
for the three months and six months ended June 30, 2010, respectively, and
$0.2 million and $0.3 million for the three months and six months ended June 30,
2009, respectively.
The settlement agreement
also provides for contributions by the Cooperating Respondents for construction
of new wells and interconnections with nearby water sources. These
contributions were $0.1 million for the six months ended
12
June 30, 2009 and
were recorded as contributions in aid of construction. There were no
contributions for the six months ended June 30, 2010. On April 20,
2010 a mediation was conducted to address certain disputes raised by the
Cooperating Respondents related to activity in executing the May 2002
settlement agreement. Through the mediation, the parties resolved all
outstanding issues without additional costs to our California water utility,
essentially ending such disputes.
Other
Matters
We are also involved in
other routine legal and administrative proceedings arising during the ordinary
course of business. We believe that the ultimate disposition of such matters
will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position,
results of operations or cash flows. Any related legal costs are expensed
when incurred.
Certain
Contractual Commitments and Indemnities
During the normal course
of business, we have entered into agreements containing indemnities pursuant to
which we may be required to make payments in the future. These indemnities are
in connection with facility leases and liabilities and operations and
maintenance and construction contracts entered into by our contract services
businesses. The duration of these indemnities, commitments and guarantees
varies, and in certain cases, is indefinite. Substantially all of these
indemnities provide no limitation on the maximum potential future payments the Company
could be obligated to make and is not quantifiable. The Company has not
recorded any liability for these indemnities.
13
Note 5. Earnings per Share
The following table is a
reconciliation of the numerators (income or loss) and denominators (shares)
used in both the basic and diluted earnings per share calculations.
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NumeratorsNet
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
|
|
$
|
57
|
|
|
|
$
|
(8,063
|
)
|
Less
preferred stock dividends
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
applicable to common stockholders
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
|
(8,069
|
)
|
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
17,559
|
|
Income
applicable to common stockholders
|
|
|
$
|
51
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,490
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominators
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
weighted average common shares outstanding
|
|
|
27,361
|
|
|
|
24,608
|
|
Diluted
weighted average common shares outstanding
|
|
|
27,486
|
|
|
|
24,608
|
|
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
|
2009
|
|
NumeratorsNet
income (loss) applicable to common stockholders:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
from continuing operations
|
|
|
$
|
(2,871
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(11,468
|
)
|
Less
preferred stock dividends
|
|
|
(12
|
)
|
|
|
(6
|
)
|
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
applicable to common stockholders
|
|
|
(2,883
|
)
|
|
|
(11,474
|
)
|
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
|
|
-
|
|
|
|
17,731
|
|
Income
(loss) applicable to common stockholders
|
|
|
$
|
(2,883
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
6,257
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominators
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
weighted average common shares outstanding
|
|
|
26,240
|
|
|
|
24,604
|
|
Diluted
weighted average common shares outstanding
|
|
|
26,240
|
|
|
|
24,604
|
|
The
Company has $11.8 million of 6.85% fixed-rate convertible subordinate
debentures outstanding as June 30, 2010. The debentures are convertible
into common stock at any time prior to maturity, unless previously redeemed, at
a conversion price of $11.018 per share which totals 1.1 million shares at June 30,
2010. At such time as the assumed conversion of the debentures has a dilutive
effect on earnings per share, the debentures will be included in the
calculation of diluted earnings per share after adjusting net income for the
after-tax effect of the debenture interest expense.
Note 6. Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
The
following information supplements the Companys consolidated statements of cash
flows.
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|
|
|
|
June 30,
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
Cash
paid during the period for:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
|
|
|
$
|
4,387
|
|
$
|
4,641
|
|
Income
taxes paid
|
|
|
423
|
|
422
|
|
Non-cash
investing and financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-cash
contributions in aid of construction and advances for construction
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
conveyed
to the Company by developers
|
|
|
345
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14
Note 7. Dividend
Reinvestment and Direct Stock Purchase Plan (DRIP / DSPP)
We have a dividend
reinvestment and stock purchase plan that gives common stockholders the option
of receiving their dividends in cash or in common stock at a discount from
prevailing market prices (DRIP). The plan also permits existing stockholders
to purchase additional common stock, up to a maximum of $10,000 per month, at a
discount (DSPP); new investors may participate in the plan, subject to a $250
minimum initial investment. The Company may, at its sole discretion, permit
purchases above the $10,000 stated maximum. The discounts may range from 0% to
5%, as determined from time to time by the Company. As of June 30,
2010, there are 3.7 million shares authorized for issuance under the plan,
of which 0.7 million shares remain available for issuance. However, under
the terms of the Merger Agreement, we have agreed that we will not issue any
additional shares of common stock or other equivalent interest until the
consummation of the Merger, at which time the plan will be terminated.
Note 8. Segment
Information
The Companys principal
business activity is to operate and maintain water and wastewater
infrastructure. Through its operating
subsidiaries, the Company owns 144 systems and operates hundreds more under
contract to cities, utility districts and private companies. The Company has
four reporting segments. The Company separates its segments first by whether it
owns the utility or provides contract services to others. Its owned water and
wastewater utilities are referred to as its Utilities operations. In its
financial statements the Company reports its Texas Utilities operations as a separate
reporting segment because of different economic characteristics. This is
principally due to the fact that Texas Utilities are under-recovering their
current cost of service as the Company has made large investments in these
operations that are not yet being recovered through the rates it charges. The
Companys contract operations are segmented by contract type into those that
are generally larger, stand-alone operations (O&M Services) and those
that are small, full service contracts operated by a common team of personnel
resulting in a model that proportions a fractional cost to each client (Texas
MUD Services).
15
The following table
presents information about the operations of each segment for the three and
six-month periods ended June 30, 2010 and 2009:
(In thousands)
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
Texas
Utilities
|
|
|
|
O&M
Services
|
|
|
|
Texas
MUD
Services
|
|
|
|
Corp.
(1)
|
|
|
|
Consol-
idated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
16,940
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,685
|
|
|
|
$
|
10,501
|
|
|
|
$
|
16,757
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
53,883
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
9,915
|
|
|
|
6,493
|
|
|
|
10,402
|
|
|
|
16,976
|
|
|
|
3,941
|
|
|
|
47,727
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
2,082
|
|
|
|
1,099
|
|
|
|
153
|
|
|
|
180
|
|
|
|
333
|
|
|
|
3,847
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
11,997
|
|
|
|
7,592
|
|
|
|
10,555
|
|
|
|
17,156
|
|
|
|
4,274
|
|
|
|
51,574
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
income (loss)
|
|
|
4,943
|
|
|
|
2,093
|
|
|
|
(54
|
)
|
|
|
(399
|
)
|
|
|
(4,274
|
)
|
|
|
2,309
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
expense
(2)
|
|
|
(456
|
)
|
|
|
(679
|
)
|
|
|
(52
|
)
|
|
|
(145
|
)
|
|
|
(906
|
)
|
|
|
(2,238
|
)
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
55
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing
operations before income taxes
|
|
|
$
|
4,538
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,417
|
|
|
|
$
|
(106
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(544
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(5,179
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
126
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
Texas
Utilities
|
|
|
|
O&M
Services
|
|
|
|
Texas
MUD
Services
|
|
|
|
Corp.
(1)
|
|
|
|
Consol-
idated
|
|
Three Months Ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
16,433
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,005
|
|
|
|
$
|
8,981
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,997
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
52,416
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
8,333
|
|
|
|
5,785
|
|
|
|
9,007
|
|
|
|
17,617
|
|
|
|
9,310
|
|
|
|
50,052
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
1,998
|
|
|
|
1,180
|
|
|
|
140
|
|
|
|
199
|
|
|
|
340
|
|
|
|
3,857
|
|
Impairment
of long-lived assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
122
|
|
|
|
7,993
|
|
|
|
8,115
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
10,331
|
|
|
|
6,965
|
|
|
|
9,147
|
|
|
|
17,938
|
|
|
|
17,643
|
|
|
|
62,024
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
income (loss)
|
|
|
6,102
|
|
|
|
2,040
|
|
|
|
(166
|
)
|
|
|
59
|
|
|
|
(17,643
|
)
|
|
|
(9,608
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
expense
(2)
|
|
|
(466
|
)
|
|
|
(668
|
)
|
|
|
(113
|
)
|
|
|
(98
|
)
|
|
|
(1,630
|
)
|
|
|
(2,975
|
)
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
26
|
|
|
|
16
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
|
48
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing
operations before income taxes
|
|
|
$
|
5,662
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,388
|
|
|
|
$
|
(278
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(37
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(19,270
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(12,535
|
)
|
(1) Reflects corporate headquarters, general and administrative
expenses and interest expense, net of interest income charged on intercompany
debt.
(2) Segment interest expense includes
inter-segment interest expense or income on related inter-segment payables and
receivables.
16
(In thousands)
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
Texas
Utilities
|
|
|
|
O&M
Services
|
|
|
|
Texas
MUD
Services
|
|
|
|
Corp.
(1)
|
|
|
|
Consol-
idated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
30,163
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,360
|
|
|
|
$
|
19,548
|
|
|
|
$
|
32,658
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
100,729
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses
|
|
|
18,597
|
|
|
|
13,064
|
|
|
|
19,229
|
|
|
|
32,460
|
|
|
|
9,689
|
|
|
|
93,039
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization
|
|
|
4,127
|
|
|
|
2,279
|
|
|
|
300
|
|
|
|
359
|
|
|
|
649
|
|
|
|
7,714
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
|
|
22,724
|
|
|
|
15,343
|
|
|
|
19,529
|
|
|
|
32,819
|
|
|
|
10,338
|
|
|
|
100,753
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
income (loss)
|
|
|
7,439
|
|
|
|
3,017
|
|
|
|
19
|
|
|
|
(161
|
)
|
|
|
(10,338
|
)
|
|
|
(24
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
expense
(2)
|
|
|
(856
|
)
|
|
|
(1,303
|
)
|
|
|
(76
|
)
|
|
|
(228
|
)
|
|
|
(2,145
|
)
|
|
|
(4,608
|
)
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
81
|
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
88
|
|
Income
(loss) from continuing
operations before income taxes
|
|
|
$
|
6,664
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,720
|
|
|
|
$
|
(57
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(389
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(12,482
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(4,544
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
Texas
Utilities
|
|
|
|
O&M
Services
|
|
|
|
Texas MUD
Services
|
|
|
|
Corp.
(1)
|
|
|
|
Consol-
idated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
29,812
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,596
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,128
|
|
|
|
$
|
36,972
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
102,508
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
16,721
|
|
|
|
10,837
|
|
|
|
17,884
|
|
|
|
35,944
|
|
|
|
18,573
|
|
|
|
99,959
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
3,951
|
|
|
|
2,340
|
|
|
|
273
|
|
|
|
413
|
|
|
|
713
|
|
|
|
7,690
|
|
Impairment of long-lived assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
122
|
|
|
|
7,993
|
|
|
|
8,115
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
20,672
|
|
|
|
13,177
|
|
|
|
18,157
|
|
|
|
36,479
|
|
|
|
27,279
|
|
|
|
115,764
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating income (loss)
|
|
|
9,140
|
|
|
|
4,419
|
|
|
|
(29
|
)
|
|
|
493
|
|
|
|
(27,279
|
)
|
|
|
(13,256
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest expense
(2)
|
|
|
(926
|
)
|
|
|
(1,255
|
)
|
|
|
(203
|
)
|
|
|
(175
|
)
|
|
|
(2,303
|
)
|
|
|
(4,862
|
)
|
Interest income
|
|
|
53
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
84
|
|
Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
|
|
$
|
8,267
|
|
|
|
$
|
3,184
|
|
|
|
$
|
(230
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
323
|
|
|
|
$
|
(29,578
|
)
|
|
|
$
|
(18,034
|
)
|
(1) Reflects corporate headquarters, general and administrative
expenses and interest expense, net of interest income charged on intercompany
debt.
(2) Segment interest expense includes inter-segment interest expense
or income on related inter-segment payables and receivables.
17
Note 9. Subsequent
Events
Monarch
Utilities, Inc. (Monarch), a Texas utility company, filed a rate
increase application with the TCEQ in July 2007 which resulted in an all
party settlement on December 12, 2008 which provided for a 2-year phase-in
of the settled rates. Monarch also agreed to provide a market valuation
for and to negotiate the sale of our Blue Mound, Texas; Kyle, Texas; and
Southmayd, Texas water and wastewater assets to the respective
municipalities. Management discussed the sale with officials of each
city; however, as of June 30, 2010 no terms had been agreed upon. In
April 2010, Blue Mound and Southmayd provided purchase proposals and
management now believes a sale agreement may be reached with Southmayd for the
respective assets. The company is preparing a proposal to the city of Blue
Mound in order to retain ownership of this system after meeting with city
officials during May 2010. The Southmayd sale will be contingent upon the
municipality raising financing and will require the approval of Monarchs
lender and the TCEQ. Should agreement be reached on the proposal
provided, the sale transaction may be consummated by the end of 2010.
ITEM 2.
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
SPECIAL
NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Managements Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is
intended to help the reader understand the results of operations, financial
condition and cash flows of SouthWest Water Company and is provided as a
supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated
financial statements and the accompanying notes to the financial statements
included in this report. This MD&A also contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All
statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature are
forward-looking, and the words anticipate, believe, belief, expect, estimate,
project, plan, intend, continue, predict, may, will, should, strategy,
will likely result, will likely continue, and similar expressions are
generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present
expectations or projections. A detailed discussion of these and other risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially
from such forward-looking statements is included in the section entitled Item
1A. Risk Factors in our 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Caution should
be taken not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements
since such statements speak only as of the date when made. Other than as
required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or
revise forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise.
OVERVIEW
SouthWest Waters
principal business activity is to operate and maintain water and wastewater
infrastructure. Through our operating subsidiaries, we own 144 systems and
operate hundreds more under contract to cities, utility districts and private
companies. SouthWest Water was incorporated in California in 1954 and
reincorporated in Delaware in 1988. We maintain our corporate offices in Los
Angeles, California.
Merger Agreement and Long-Term Infrastructure Investment
On March 2, 2010, we
entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the Merger Agreement) with SW
Merger Acquisition Corp. (Parent) and SW Merger Sub Corp., a direct
wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent (Merger Sub). Parent and Merger Sub are jointly
owned by IIF Subway Investment LP and USA Water Services, LLC, which are
sponsored by J.P. Morgan IIF Acquisitions LLC and Water Asset Management,
LLC. Under the terms of the Merger
Agreement, all of our outstanding common stock would be converted into a right
to receive $11.00 per share in cash. On August 6,
2010, the Merger Agreement was adopted by an affirmative vote of a majority of
the combined voting power of our outstanding common stock and Series A
preferred stock as of June 14, 2010, voting together as a single
class. The completion of the merger is
subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory notice and
approvals.
If all remaining closing
conditions are met, we will be the surviving corporation of the merger and a
wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Upon completion of the merger, our common
stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and we will no
longer be a publicly held corporation.
The Merger Agreement contains restrictions on our operations prior to
the closing of the merger, including restrictions related to capital
expenditures, the incurrence of debt, acquiring and disposing of assets,
entering into material contracts and capital transactions.
In connection with the
Merger Agreement, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement and Investor
Rights Agreement (collectively, the Investment Agreements). Pursuant to the Investment Agreements and
effective March
18
16, 2010, Parent purchased
2,700,000 shares of our common stock (the Purchased Stock) at a price of
$6.00 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $16.2 million and we
incurred related specific incremental transactional costs of $0.1 million. As permitted under the terms of the
Investment Agreements, the Company applied the proceeds derived from the sale
of the Purchased Stock to reduce our revolving line of credit, the borrowings
of which are used for capital expenditures and working capital purposes. The Investment Agreements entitle Parent to
appoint a designee to serve on our board of directors (which right Parent has
not exercised to date), and also to certain registration rights with respect to
the Purchased Stock in the event of the termination of the Merger Agreement. The Investment Agreements restrict Parents
ability to sell or otherwise transfer the Purchased Stock prior to the earlier
of the consummation or termination of the Merger Agreement. Except as contemplated by the Merger
Agreement, Parent and Merger Sub are also prohibited from acquiring any
additional shares of our common stock until the termination of the Merger
Agreement.
As the offering and sale
of the Purchased Stock pursuant to the Investment Agreements was not registered
under the Securities Act of 1933 or applicable state securities laws, the
Purchased Stock may not be offered or sold in the United States absent
registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.
Segments
We separate our four
reporting segments first by whether we own the utility or provide contract
services to others. Our owned water and wastewater utilities are referred to as
our Utilities operations (Utilities). In our financial statements the Company
reports our Texas Utilities operations (Texas Utilities) as a separate
reporting segment because of different economic characteristics. This is
principally due to the fact that Texas Utilities are under-recovering their
current cost of service as the Company has made large investments in these
operations that are not yet being recovered through rates it charges. Our
contract operations are segmented by contract type into those that are
generally larger, stand-alone operations (O&M Services) and those that
are small, full service contracts operated by a common team of personnel
resulting in a model that proportions a fractional cost to each client (Texas
MUD Services).
Utilities
consist of our owned water and wastewater
utilities located in California, Alabama, and Mississippi. In previous periods,
the utilities segment included the business activities of our New Mexico
Utility (NMUI) that was sold on May 8, 2009. The NMUI activities are now
included in discontinued operations for all periods presented. See Note 2
Dispositions and Impairments included in Item 1 Financial Statements for
the summary of the historical results of discontinued operations. Residential
customers make up the largest component of our Utilities customer base, with
these customers representing approximately 94% of our water and wastewater
connections. Substantially all of our Utilities customers are metered which
allows us to measure and bill for each customers water consumption. Each of
the operations in this segment has a unique service territory that is subject
to state and federal regulations regarding standards of water quality, safety,
environmental and other matters. The rates that we can charge for water and
wastewater service include the opportunity to earn a reasonable rate of return
on investments in these utilities. Except for some of our Alabama wastewater
rates which are governed by our service agreements, the rates our utilities
charge are subject to the approval of state regulatory agencies. Some of these
governmental agencies approve a forward looking recovery of costs and some
approve recovery of costs based on a historical test year. Our Utilities
operations require ongoing capital investments to maintain and enhance the
reliability and quality of the service we provide, as well as the opportunity
for revenue growth from rate increases and new connections.
Texas
Utilities
consists
of 123 small, mostly rural systems that are grouped into nine jurisdictional
utilities across Texas and one small system in Oklahoma. Residential customers
represent approximately 98% of our Texas water and wastewater connections.
Substantially all of our Texas Utilities customers are metered which allows us
to measure and bill for each customers water consumption. These systems are
broadly dispersed geographically. The majority of the systems are organized as
one utility, known as Monarch Utilities, with a single tariff. The Monarch
systems, as well as two smaller systems acquired in 2007, were in various
stages of disrepair at the time of acquisition and we continue to spend significant
capital to maintain regulatory compliance and to improve the quality of
service. We are not yet recovering all of these costs in our rates and, as a
result, the Texas Utilities have a lower rate of return than typically expected
from a utility. We intend to actively pursue recovery of these costs in the
rate setting process. All other aspects of operations of these utilities are
the same as our Utilities operations; therefore, as soon as we are recovering
our costs, including a reasonable rate of return on investment, we expect to
aggregate this segment with our Utilities segment.
O&M
Services
generally
consists of operations that are project-specific contracts with cities, public
agencies and private owners. Most contracts are stand-alone operations staffed
with project-specific personnel, with an average contract life of two to three
years. Under a typical O&M contract, we charge a fee that covers a
specified level of service that includes facility operations and maintenance
and may include other water or wastewater related services. Services are
typically provided evenly throughout the contract period and are billed on a
monthly basis. If we provide services beyond the scope of a contract, we bill
for the additional services on a time-and-materials basis or negotiate a unique
price. These contracts are largely located in California, Colorado, Alabama,
Mississippi, and Georgia.
19
Texas MUD
Services
is a full
service provider of utility services to a large number of small utilities in
Texas that are mostly owned by municipal utility districts (MUD). A MUD is
created to provide water supply, wastewater treatment and drainage service to
areas where municipal services are not available. We service over 250 MUD
clients with a common team of client managers, operators, customer service and
billing personnel. Therefore these contracts are allocated a proportional
amount of each cost center creating a business model that is significantly
different from that of O&M Services. Under a typical MUD contract, we bill
a monthly base fee to provide a specified level of service; usually water
and/or wastewater facility inspections, routine operations, equipment
maintenance, and utility customer service including meter reading, call center,
dispatch, billing and collection services. We bill for any additional services
provided beyond the basic contract on a time-and-materials basis as such
services are rendered. Most contracts provide for an increase in the monthly
base fee as the number of customer connections increases and generally include
inflation adjustments. The majority of our MUD contracts are cancelable with 30
to 60 day prior notice by either party, but tend to last for long periods
due to the close working relationships between the operators and the clients.
Impacts to Results of Operations
2010 and 2009
Utilities & Texas
Utilities:
Our
Utilities segments results of operations are influenced by factors that are
similar to the industry in general. A more complete understanding of these
factors can be gained by reviewing this section along with the Risk Factors
section in Part 1, Item 1A, in our 2009 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
As we review and discuss performance, the general areas of impact we evaluate
are as follows:
·
Growth related
: Growth in our utilities segments is
generally characterized by the following drivers: 1) growth in the number of
connections served within existing utility certified service areas and
2) acquisition of new service areas. In our Utilities segment, our largest
utility is our California utility which is a substantially built-out system
that does not generally see much change in connection count. The majority of
our other utilities are in markets that experienced significant new home
construction in the past (ranging from 2% to 8% annual growth). We have seen
this significantly decline with growth averaging less than 1% across all
systems throughout 2009 and the first six months of 2010.
·
Rate related
: Each of our utilities will increase
rates from time to time to recover expenses and realize a return on invested
capital as allowed by the regulator or governing contract. Rate cases can take
months or years to impact results due to the time needed to prepare, present
and ultimately receive approval from the regulator. In each of our utilities,
we have a long-term rate strategy that matches our expectation for growth,
regulatory change and demand. Our California utility benefited from a 1.5%
step-rate increase implemented on January 1, 2010. Our Texas Utilities
benefited from step-rate increases at one utility in late 2009 and two in the
first half of 2010. In Alabama our Shelby County and Riverview wastewater
utilities have contractual agreements with the local government that provide us
with the ability to request rate increases annually. Accordingly, we requested
and received increases in January 2010 of 10.8% at our Shelby County
utility and an approximate 2.5% increase at our Riverview utility.
·
Demand related
: The demand for our water, a major driver
of our operating results, reflects seasonal rainfall and temperature
fluctuations, which vary not only season to season, but also from year to year.
The uniform rate design that regulators require for our utilities can result in
unrecovered fixed costs and lower earnings during periods of abnormally low
water use. This can occur during abnormal weather conditions, such as when
temperatures are cooler than normal, when there is greater than normal precipitation,
during mandatory restrictions on water use because of drought, consumer
conservation and socio-economic events. Demand related changes often impact
both the revenue of the utility and the cost of production. We experienced
lower demand at our California utility in the first six months of 2010, largely
due to weather and conservation.
·
Supply related
: The cost of water and related
commodities is a major driver of our results. Utilities that pump and purchase
water are subject to changes in operations due to the amount and cost of that
water. Pumped and purchased water supply changes are typically driven by longer
term climate issues such as extended drought but can also be driven by
short-term maintenance needs. In California the unit cost of water increased in
the first six months of 2010. This is related to the increased price of
Metropolitan Water District and other supply purchases and the increased cost
of locally produced water following the
Main San Gabriel Watermaster action of raising the rate for replacement water
for water pumped in excess of water rights held. This caused an additional
increase in the cost of pumped and purchased water sources. It should be noted
that in California pricing changes from price levels adopted in rate cases
receive balancing account treatment and the cost variance is deferred and
charged or credited to customers in a future period at cost.
·
Operation & Maintenance
related
: Our
operation and maintenance costs include fuel, power, labor, labor benefits,
facility costs, and other ordinary costs of producing or treating water. These
costs are impacted by compliance with environmental and health safety
standards. They are also typically subject to inflation effects
20
and while we can
file for recovery after inflation effects are incurred in backward looking rate
making jurisdictions, we often experience a lag between the time we incur these
costs and when we receive the rate increase to cover these costs. In
California, which is a forward looking rate making environment, we estimate the
impacts of inflation in our rate filings and must absorb any costs that are
different than our estimates.
·
General & Administrative
related
: Our
general and administrative costs include management expenses directly incurred
by the segment as well as costs for services performed by centralized support
functions that are allocated to each segment. These support function costs
include IT, shared financial services, and environmental health and safety. We
anticipate that in the near term we will continue to experience higher costs
due to the remediation of our material internal control weaknesses (see Item 4
Controls and Procedures for a detailed discussion of our material internal
control weaknesses).
·
Other
: Other is reserved for unusual items that
may impact results from time to time.
O&M Services Segment
: Our O&M Services segments results
of operations are generally influenced by a variety of events. As we review and
discuss performance, the general areas of impact we evaluate are as follows:
·
Contract growth:
Growth is generally due to new contracts, additional
project work under existing contracts and contract price increases. Our primary
driver of contract growth in the first half of 2010 has been from new contracts
and expanding the scope of work provided to existing customers.
·
Lost work:
Lost work is generally driven by lost contracts or a
reduction in project work for existing contracts. The primary driver in the
first half of 2010 was reduced project work.
·
General & administrative
related
: Our
general and administrative costs include management expenses directly incurred
by the segment as well as costs for services performed by centralized support
functions that are allocated to each segment. These support function costs
include IT, shared financial services and environmental health and safety.
·
Other:
Other is reserved for unusual items that may impact
results from time to time.
Texas MUD Services Segment
: Our Texas MUD Services segments results
of operations are influenced by contract growth or loss and changes in contract
scope:
·
Contract growth:
New contracts, additional project work and
contract price increases are offset by lost contracts, reductions in project
work, or a reduction in other ancillary services such as new taps and
inspection services for new home construction. We lost a number of contracts in
the first half of 2010 compared to the first half of 2009 due to increased
competition in our service territories.
·
General & administrative
related:
Our
general and administrative costs include expenses directly incurred by the
segment such as management expense as well as costs for services performed by
centralized support functions that are then allocated to each segment. These
support costs include information technology costs, shared financial services
and environmental health and safety.
·
Other:
Other is reserved for unusual items that may impact
results from time to time.
Corporate Segment
: Our corporate segment includes costs
related to executive management, investor relations, human resources, finance,
treasury, internal audit, general legal and insurance and public company needs,
audit costs, and other expenses generally related to the parent organization.
Most of the costs are general and administrative in nature and not subject to
much variation. However, in both the
first half of 2010 and 2009, we had expenses that were not routine to on-going
operations. In the first half of 2010, costs were primarily impacted by
expenses associated with our proposed Merger Agreement. In the first half of
2009, costs were primarily impacted by expenses associated with the restatement
of our historical financial results and a write-off of software assets.
Discontinued
Operations
As discussed in Note 2, Dispositions
and Impairments in Part I, Item 1 Financial Statements, we completed
the sale of NMUI in May 2009 and the operating results of NMUI are
included in discontinued operations for the three and six-month periods ended
June 30, 2009.
21
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Three
months ended June 30, 2010 Compared to 2009
Consolidated operating
revenue increased $1.5 million, or 2.8%, to $53.9 million for the three-month
period ended June 30, 2010 from $52.4 million for the same period in the prior
year. Consolidated operating expenses decreased $10.5 million, or 16.8%, to
$51.6 million for the three-month period ended June 30, 2010 from $62.0 million
for the 2009 period. Resulting operating income increased $11.9 million to $2.3
million for the three-month period ended June 30, 2010, from an operating loss
of $9.6 million for the same period in the prior year. The second quarter of 2010 operating income
includes the impact of $1.9 million of costs associated with proposed Merger
Agreement and related retention expense, as well as other costs described below
while the second quarter of 2009 operating loss includes $5.2 million of costs
associated with the restatement process and $8.0 million of impairment of
Cornerstone related assets.
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Percent
of Revenue
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Increase (Decrease)
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
16,940
|
|
$
|
16,433
|
|
|
$
|
507
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
11,997
|
|
10,331
|
|
|
1,666
|
|
|
70.8%
|
|
62.9%
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
$
|
4,943
|
|
$
|
6,102
|
|
|
$
|
(1,159
|
)
|
|
29.2%
|
|
37.1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas
Utilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
9,685
|
|
$
|
9,005
|
|
|
$
|
680
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
7,592
|
|
6,965
|
|
|
627
|
|
|
78.4%
|
|
77.3%
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
$
|
2,093
|
|
$
|
2,040
|
|
|
$
|
53
|
|
|
21.6%
|
|
22.7%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M
Services
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
10,501
|
|
$
|
8,981
|
|
|
$
|
1,520
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
10,555
|
|
9,147
|
|
|
1,408
|
|
|
100.5%
|
|
101.8%
|
|
Operating
Loss
|
|
|
$
|
(54
|
)
|
$
|
(166
|
)
|
|
$
|
112
|
|
|
(0.5%)
|
|
(1.8%)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas
MUD Services
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
16,757
|
|
$
|
17,997
|
|
|
$
|
(1,240
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
17,156
|
|
17,938
|
|
|
(782
|
)
|
|
102.4%
|
|
99.7%
|
|
Operating
Income (Loss)
|
|
|
$
|
(399
|
)
|
$
|
59
|
|
|
$
|
(458
|
)
|
|
(2.4%)
|
|
0.3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
4,274
|
|
17,643
|
|
|
(13,369
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Loss
|
|
|
$
|
(4,274
|
)
|
$
|
(17,643
|
)
|
|
$
|
13,369
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
53,883
|
|
$
|
52,416
|
|
|
$
|
1,467
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
51,574
|
|
62,024
|
|
|
(10,450
|
)
|
|
95.7%
|
|
118.3%
|
|
Operating
Income (Loss)
|
|
|
$
|
2,309
|
|
$
|
(9,608
|
)
|
|
$
|
11,917
|
|
|
4.3%
|
|
(18.3%)
|
|
22
Utilities
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
16,433
|
|
|
|
$
|
10,331
|
|
|
|
$
|
6,102
|
|
Growth
related
|
|
|
93
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rate
related
|
|
|
299
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Demand
related
|
|
|
(415
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balancing
account
|
|
|
530
|
|
|
|
530
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supply
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(199
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
94
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
16,940
|
|
|
|
$
|
11,997
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,943
|
|
Operating revenue
increased $0.5 million, or 3.1 %, to $16.9 million for three months ended June
30, 2010 from $16.4 million for the same period in the prior year. The net increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Growth related: A $0.1 million increase
primarily due to connection growth in Alabama.
·
Rate related: A $0.3 million increase due
to rate increases in California and Alabama, of which approximately $0.2
million is due to our California utility implementing a step rate increase in
January 2010 and the remainder is due to rate increases in our Alabama
utilities.
·
Demand related: A $0.4 million decrease
primarily due to lower consumption at our California utility resulting from
cooler weather and higher precipitation in the second quarter of 2010 compared
to the second quarter of 2009 and from continuing customer conservation
efforts.
·
Balancing account: A $0.5 million increase
related to balancing account surcharges approved by the CPUC and collected in
California to recover certain deferred water supply costs which is offset by
the same amount in balancing account expenses. No return is earned on
surcharges.
Operating expenses
increased $1.7 million, or 16.1%, to $12.0 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, from $10.3 million for same period in the prior year. The net increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Balancing account: A $0.5 million increase
in costs recognized related to the balancing account surcharges described
above.
·
Supply related: A $1.2 million increase
primarily due to higher production costs of delivered water in California due
to a change in pricing for Main San Gabriel Basin replacement water.
·
O&M related: A $0.2 million decrease
primarily due to increased capitalized costs and lower repairs and maintenance
costs.
·
Other: A $0.1 million increase due to
proposed Merger related retention expense.
As a result of the above
events, operating income decreased $1.2 million, to $4.9 million for the three
months ended June 30, 2010, from $6.1 million for the same period in the prior
year.
23
Texas Utilities
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
9,005
|
|
|
|
$
|
6,965
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,040
|
|
Growth
related
|
|
|
81
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rate related
|
|
|
805
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Demand
related
|
|
|
(206
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
180
|
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
447
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
9,685
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,592
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,093
|
|
Operating revenue
increased $0.7 million, or 7.6%, to $9.7 million for three months ended June
30, 2010 from $9.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase
was primarily due to the following events:
·
Growth related: A $0.1 million increase
primarily due to an increase in connection count and tap fees.
·
Rate related: A $0.8 million increase
primarily due to a step-rate increase in rates at three of our utilities.
·
Demand related: A $0.2 million decrease
due to lower volume of delivered water as a result of more normalized weather
patterns in the second quarter of 2010 compared to hotter and drier climatic
conditions in the corresponding period of 2009.
Operating expenses
increased $0.6 million, or 9.0%, to $7.6 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, from $7.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
O&M related: A $0.2 million increase
primarily due to higher repairs and maintenance costs, increases in salaries
and wages associated with increased personnel in operations, and higher fuel
and supply costs, offset by lower expenses associated with retirement of fixed
assets.
·
G&A related: A $0.4 million increase
primarily due to increases in salary and wages associated with increased
financial services head-count.
As a result of the above
events, operating income increased $0.1 million, to $2.1 million for the three
months ended June 30, 2010, from $2.0 million for the same period in the prior
year.
O&M
Services
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
8,981
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,147
|
|
|
|
$
|
(166
|
)
|
Contract
growth
|
|
|
2,008
|
|
|
|
1,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lost
work
|
|
|
(488
|
)
|
|
|
(309
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
97
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
370
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
10,501
|
|
|
|
$
|
10,555
|
|
|
|
$
|
(54
|
)
|
Operating revenue
increased $1.5 million, or 16.9%, to $10.5 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010 compared to $9.0 million for the same period in the prior year:
·
Contract growth: A $2.0 million increase
due to $0.9 million from new contracts in California and Alabama and $1.1
million from increased project work primarily in Colorado and California.
·
Lost work: A $0.5 million decrease due to
decreased project work in Mississippi and lost contracts in California.
Operating expenses
increased $1.4 million, or 15.4%, to $10.6 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, from $9.1 million for the same period in the prior year:
24
·
Contract growth: A $1.3 million increase
due to new contracts and project work identified above.
·
Lost work: A $0.3 million decrease due to
lost contracts and reduced project work.
·
G&A related: A $0.1 million increase
primarily due to increase in insurance costs.
·
Other: A $0.4 million increase due to
legal, severance, and proposed Merger related retention expense.
As a result of the above
events, operating loss was $0.1 million for the three months ended June 30,
2010 compared to an operating loss of $0.2 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2009.
Texas
MUD Services
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
17,997
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,938
|
|
|
|
$
|
59
|
|
Contract
growth
|
|
|
(1,240
|
)
|
|
|
(621
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(796
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
635
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
16,757
|
|
|
|
$
|
17,156
|
|
|
|
$
|
(399
|
)
|
Operating revenue
decreased $1.2 million, or 6.9%, to $16.8 million for three months ended June
30, 2010 from $18.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The decrease
was primarily due to the following:
·
Contract growth: A $1.2 million decrease
in revenue due to $0.9 million from lost contracts and $0.3 million primarily
related to a reduction in pass-through revenue from materials purchased for
clients.
Operating expenses
decreased $0.8 million, or 4.4%, to $17.2 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, from $17.9 million for the same period in the prior year. The net decrease was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Contract growth: A $0.6 million decrease
due to $0.3 million from lost contracts and $0.3 million primarily related to a
reduction in pass-through costs from materials purchased for clients.
·
G&A related: A $0.8 million decrease,
primarily due to savings and efficiency gains in general and administrative
costs, particularly in the customer service center.
·
Other: A $0.6 million change primarily due
to a gain on sale of our environmental testing laboratory that was realized in
the second quarter of 2009.
As a result of the above
events, operating income decreased $0.5 million to an operating loss of $0.4
million for the three months ended June 30, 2010, compared to an operating
income of $0.1 million in the same period of the prior year.
Corporate
Operating expenses
decreased $13.4 million, or 75.8%, to $4.3 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, from $17.6 million for the same period in the prior year.
·
General & administrative related:
A $1.3 million decrease primarily due to lower salaries and wages expenses and
lower bonus accruals.
·
Other: A $12.1 million decrease primarily
driven by a reduction of $5.2 million related to the financial restatement
expenses in the second quarter of 2009 and $8.0 million related to a write-off
of Cornerstone assets, offset by an increase of $1.5 million in costs
associated with the proposed Merger Agreement and related retention expense.
Other Income (Expense)
25
Aggregate other expenses
decreased $0.7 million, or 25.2% to $2.2 million for the three months ended
June 30, 2010, compared to $2.9 million for the same period in the prior year
as follows:
|
|
|
Three
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Change
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
$
|
(2,238
|
)
|
$
|
(2,975
|
)
|
|
$
|
737
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
55
|
|
48
|
|
|
7
|
|
Total
|
|
|
$
|
(2,183
|
)
|
$
|
(2,927
|
)
|
|
$
|
744
|
|
Interest expense decreased
by $0.7 million, or 24.7%, to $2.2 million for the three months ended June 30,
2010 from $3.0 million for the same period during the prior year as a result of
the write-off of debt financing fees of $0.4 million in 2009 and a decrease in
the average interest cost of $0.3 million.
Provision
for Income Taxes
Our effective consolidated
income tax rate on continuing operations was 54.8% for the three months ended
June 30, 2010 compared to a benefit of 35.7% for the same period in 2009. The
variance of our effective tax rate from expected statutory rates reflects the
effects of Texas franchise tax on the small amount of net income in 2010 and
non-recurring adjustments in both periods.
Income from Discontinued
Operations
Income from discontinued
operations, net of tax, of $17.6 million during the three month period ended June 30,
2009 reflects primarily the $16.7 million gain on sale of our New Mexico
utility, net of taxes. The sale reflects a $107.2 million reduction in assets,
offset by reduction in liabilities which include $69.0 million of contributions
in aid of construction.
26
Six
months ended June 30, 2010 Compared to 2009
Consolidated operating
revenue decreased $1.8 million, or 1.7%, to $100.7 million for the six-month
period ended June 30, 2010 from $102.5 million for the same period in the
prior year. Consolidated operating expenses decreased $15.0 million, or 13.0%,
to $100.8 million for the six-month period ended June 30, 2010 from $115.8
million for the 2009 period. Resulting operating income increased $13.2 million
to break-even for the six-month period ended June 30, 2010, from an
operating loss of $13.3 million for the same period in the prior year. The operating loss for the six-month period
ended June 30, 2010 includes the impact of $3.1 million of costs
associated with the proposed Merger Agreement and related retention expense, as
well as other items described below while the 2009 operating loss includes
$10.6 million of costs associated with the restatement process and $8.0 million
of impairment of assets related to the Cornerstone project as well as other
items described below.
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Percent
of Revenue
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Increase (Decrease)
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Utilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
30,163
|
|
$
|
29,812
|
|
|
$
|
351
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
22,724
|
|
20,672
|
|
|
2,052
|
|
|
75.3%
|
|
69.3%
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
$
|
7,439
|
|
$
|
9,140
|
|
|
$
|
(1,701
|
)
|
|
24.7%
|
|
30.7%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas Utilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
18,360
|
|
$
|
17,596
|
|
|
$
|
764
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
15,343
|
|
13,177
|
|
|
2,166
|
|
|
83.6%
|
|
74.9%
|
|
Operating
Income
|
|
|
$
|
3,017
|
|
$
|
4,419
|
|
|
$
|
(1,402
|
)
|
|
16.4%
|
|
25.1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M Services
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
19,548
|
|
$
|
18,128
|
|
|
$
|
1,420
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
19,529
|
|
18,157
|
|
|
1,372
|
|
|
99.9%
|
|
100.2%
|
|
Operating
Income (Loss)
|
|
|
$
|
19
|
|
$
|
(29
|
)
|
|
$
|
48
|
|
|
0.1%
|
|
(0.2%)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Texas MUD Services
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
32,658
|
|
$
|
36,972
|
|
|
$
|
(4,314
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
32,819
|
|
36,479
|
|
|
(3,660
|
)
|
|
100.5%
|
|
98.7%
|
|
Operating
Income (Loss)
|
|
|
$
|
(161
|
)
|
$
|
493
|
|
|
$
|
(654
|
)
|
|
(0.5%)
|
|
1.3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corporate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
10,338
|
|
27,279
|
|
|
(16,941
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Income (Loss)
|
|
|
$
|
(10,338
|
)
|
$
|
(27,279
|
)
|
|
$
|
16,941
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Revenue
|
|
|
$
|
100,729
|
|
$
|
102,508
|
|
|
$
|
(1,779
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
Expense
|
|
|
100,753
|
|
115,764
|
|
|
(15,011
|
)
|
|
100.0%
|
|
112.9%
|
|
Operating
Loss
|
|
|
$
|
(24
|
)
|
$
|
(13,256
|
)
|
|
$
|
13,232
|
|
|
(0.0%)
|
|
(12.9%)
|
|
27
Utilities
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
29,812
|
|
|
|
$
|
20,672
|
|
|
|
$
|
9,140
|
|
Growth
related
|
|
|
93
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rate
related
|
|
|
561
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Demand
related
|
|
|
(979
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balancing
account
|
|
|
676
|
|
|
|
676
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supply
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
795
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
74
|
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
238
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
269
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
30,163
|
|
|
|
$
|
22,724
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,439
|
|
Operating revenue
increased $0.4 million, or 1.2 %, to $30.2 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010 from $29.8 million for the same period in the prior year. The net increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Growth related: A $0.1 million increase primarily
due to connection growth in Alabama.
·
Rate related: A $0.6 million increase due
to rate increases in California and Alabama, of which approximately half is due
to our California utility implementing a step rate increase in
January 2010 and the remainder is primarily due to rate increases in our
Alabama utilities.
·
Demand related: A $1.0 million decrease
primarily due to lower consumption at our California utility resulting from
cooler temperatures and higher precipitation in the first half of 2010 compared
to the first half of 2009 and from continuing customer conservation efforts.
·
Balancing account: A $0.7 million increase
related to balancing account surcharges approved by the CPUC and collected in
California to recover certain deferred water supply costs which is offset by
the same amount in balance account expenses. No return is earned on surcharges.
Operating expenses
increased $2.1 million, or 9.9%, to $22.7 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, from $20.7 million for same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Balancing account: A $0.7 million increase
in costs recognized related to the balancing account surcharges described
above.
·
Supply related: A $0.8 million increase
primarily due to higher production costs of delivered water in California
offset by lower volume of delivered water in California.
·
O&M related: A $0.1 million increase
primarily due to an increase in depreciation expense resulting from capital
additions offset by increase in capitalized costs.
·
G&A related: A $0.2 million increase
primarily due to an increases in salaries and wages and insurance expenses.
·
Other: A $0.3 million increase due to
legal fees, severance expenses, and proposed Merger related retention expense.
As a result of the above
events, operating income decreased $1.7 million, to $7.4 million for the six
months ended June 30, 2010, from $9.1 million for the same period in the
prior year.
28
Texas Utilities
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
17,596
|
|
|
|
$
|
13,177
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,419
|
|
Growth
related
|
|
|
196
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rate
related
|
|
|
884
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Demand
related
|
|
|
(316)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
O&M
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,120
|
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,046
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six months
ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
18,360
|
|
|
|
$
|
15,343
|
|
|
|
$
|
3,017
|
|
Operating revenue
increased $0.8 million, or 4.3%, to $18.4 million for six months ended June 30,
2010 from $17.6 million for the same period in the prior year. The net increase
was primarily due to the following events:
·
Growth related: A $0.2 million increase
primarily due to an increase in connection count and tap fees.
·
Rate related: A $0.9 million increase
primarily due to a step-rate increase in rates at three of our utilities.
·
Demand related: A $0.3 million decrease
due to lower volume of delivered water as a result of more normalized weather
patterns in the first half of 2010 compared to hotter and drier climatic
conditions in the corresponding period of 2009.
Operating expenses
increased $2.2 million, or 16.4%, to $15.3 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, from $13.2 million for the same period in the prior year. The increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
O&M related: A $1.1 million increase
primarily due to higher repairs and maintenance costs, increases in salaries
and wages associated with increased personnel in operations, and higher fuel
and supply costs.
·
G&A related: A $1.0 million increase
due to increases in salary and wages associated with increased financial
services head-count as well as information technology costs and professional
fees.
As a result of the above
events, operating income decreased $1.4 million, to $3.0 million for the six months
ended June 30, 2010, from $4.4 million for the same period in the prior
year.
O&M Services
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
18,128
|
|
|
|
$
|
18,157
|
|
|
|
$
|
(29
|
)
|
Contract
growth
|
|
|
2,596
|
|
|
|
1,676
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lost
work
|
|
|
(1,176
|
)
|
|
|
(675
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(155
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
526
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
19,548
|
|
|
|
$
|
19,529
|
|
|
|
$
|
19
|
|
Operating revenue
increased $1.4 million to $19.5 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010 compared to $18.1 million for the same period in the prior year:
·
Contract growth: A $2.6 million increase
due to $1.1 million from new contracts in California and Alabama and $1.5
million primarily from increased project work in Colorado and California.
·
Lost work: A $1.2 million decrease due to
decreased project work and lost contracts.
Operating expenses
increased $1.4 million, or 7.6%, to $19.5 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, from $18.2 million for the same period in the prior year. The net increase was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Contract growth: A $1.7 million increase
due to new contracts and project work identified above.
·
Lost work: A $0.7 million decrease due to
lost contracts and reduced project work.
29
·
G&A related: A $0.2 million decrease
due to lower salary and wages, associated with lower head-count, and insurance
expenses.
·
Other: A $0.5 million increase related to
legal, severance, and proposed Merger related retention expense.
As a result of the above
events, operating income was essentially break-even for both the six months
ended June 30, 2010 and the six months ended June 30, 2009.
Texas MUD Services
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
|
|
Operating
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
|
Revenue
|
|
|
|
Expense
|
|
|
|
Income
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2009
|
|
|
$
|
36,972
|
|
|
|
$
|
36,479
|
|
|
|
$
|
493
|
|
Contract
growth
|
|
|
(4,314
|
)
|
|
|
(1,989
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
G&A
related
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,538
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
867
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
months ended June 30, 2010
|
|
|
$
|
32,658
|
|
|
|
$
|
32,819
|
|
|
|
$
|
(161
|
)
|
Operating revenue
decreased $4.3 million, or 11.7%, to $32.7 million for six months ended June 30,
2010 from $37.0 million for the same period in the prior year. The decrease was
primarily due to the following:
·
Contract growth: A $4.3 million decrease
in revenue due to $2.8 million from lost contracts, $1.0 million primarily
related to a reduction in pass-through revenue from materials purchased for
clients , and $0.5 million related to the sale of our environmental testing
laboratory on April 1, 2009, and.
Operating expenses
decreased $3.7 million, or 10.0%, to $32.8 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, from $36.5 million for the same period in the prior year. The net decrease was primarily due to the
following events:
·
Contract growth: A $2.0 million decrease
due to $0.9 million from lost contracts, $0.2 million due to the sale of our
environmental testing laboratory, and $0.9 million primarily related to a
reduction in pass-through costs from materials purchased for clients.
·
G&A related: A $2.5 million decrease,
primarily due to decreases in salary and wages expenses, associated with lower
head-count, and other savings and efficiency gains in general and
administrative costs, particularly in the customer service center.
·
Other: A $0.9 million increase due to gain
on sale of our environmental testing laboratory that was realized in the second
quarter of 2009, legal and severance expenses, and proposed Merger related
retention expense.
As a result of the above
events, operating income decreased $0.7 million to a loss of $0.2 million for
the six months ended June 30, 2010, compared to $0.5 million of operating
income in the same period of the prior year.
Corporate
Operating expenses
decreased $16.9 million, or 62.1%, to $10.3 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, from $27.3 million for the same period in the prior year.
·
General & administrative related:
A $1.0 million decrease primarily due to decreases in salaries and wages and
lower bonus accruals, and stock based compensation expense offset by increases
in professional fees, related to the preparation and audit of our annual
financial statements and internal control remediation efforts.
·
Other: A $16.0 million decrease primarily
driven by a reduction of $10.6 million related to the financial restatement
expenses and $8.0 million related to a write-off of Cornerstone assets offset
by a $2.7 million increase in costs associated with the proposed Merger
Agreement.
30
Other
Income (Expense)
Aggregate other expenses
decreased $0.3 million, or 5.4% to $4.5 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, compared to $4.8 million for the same period in the prior year as
follows:
Other income (expense)
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Change
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
$
|
(4,608
|
)
|
$
|
(4,862
|
)
|
|
$
|
254
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
88
|
|
84
|
|
|
4
|
|
Total
|
|
|
$
|
(4,520
|
)
|
$
|
(4,778
|
)
|
|
$
|
258
|
|
Interest expense decreased
by $0.3 million, or 5.2%, to $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010 from $4.9 million for the same period during the prior year as a result of
a reduction in the average interest-bearing debt outstanding to $149.3 million
in 2010 from $171.8 million in 2009, offset by an increase in the effective
interest rate to 6.2% in the first two quarters of 2010 from 5.7% in the same
period in the prior year.
The increase in the
effective interest rate in 2010 over 2009 reflects the increased borrowing
margins on our credit facility due to the 2009 credit facility amendments
discussed in the
Financial Condition
section
below.
Provision
for Income Taxes
Our effective consolidated
income tax rate on continuing operations was a benefit of 36.8% for the six
months ended June 30, 2010 compared to a benefit of 36.4% for the same
period in 2009. The slight variance of our effective tax rate from expected
statutory rates reflects non-recurring adjustments in both periods.
Income from Discontinued
Operations
Income from discontinued
operations of $17.7 million during the six month period ended June 30,
2009 reflects primarily the $16.7 million gain on sale of our New Mexico utility,
net of tax. The sale reflects a $107.2 million reduction in assets, offset by a
reduction in liabilities including a $69.0 million reduction in contributions
in aid of construction.
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
See the discussions under
the caption Recent Accounting Pronouncements contained in Note 1 to the
consolidated financial statements included in Part I, Item 1 of this
report.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Our overall objectives
with respect to liquidity and capital resources are to:
·
Generate sufficient operating cash flows
to service our debt and tax obligations, fund capital improvements and organic
growth, and pay dividends to our stockholders;
·
Utilize our credit facility for major
capital improvements and to manage seasonal cash needs;
·
Obtain external financing for major
acquisitions; and
·
Maintain approximately equal levels of
debt and equity consistent with the investor-owned water utility industry.
31
Our statements of cash
flows are summarized as follows:
|
|
|
Six
Months Ended June 30,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010
|
|
2009
|
|
|
Change
|
|
Net
cash provided by (used in):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Continuing
operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
activities
|
|
|
$
|
627
|
|
$
|
3,423
|
|
|
$
|
(2,796
|
)
|
Investing
activities
|
|
|
(5,944
|
)
|
48,255
|
|
|
(54,199
|
)
|
Financing
activities
|
|
|
4,624
|
|
(41,177
|
)
|
|
45,801
|
|
Total
continuing operations
|
|
|
(693
|
)
|
10,501
|
|
|
(11,194
|
)
|
Discontinued
operations:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
activities
|
|
|
|
|
(8,095
|
)
|
|
8,095
|
|
Investing
activities
|
|
|
|
|
(291
|
)
|
|
291
|
|
Financing
activities
|
|
|
|
|
(1,647
|
)
|
|
1,647
|
|
Total
discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
|
(10,033
|
)
|
|
10,033
|
|
Increase
(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
$
|
(693
|
)
|
$
|
468
|
|
|
$
|
(1,161
|
)
|
Revolving lines of credit
were primarily used to fund our investing activities and, to a lesser extent,
to fund operations. Additional borrowing availability under our revolving
credit facility was $40.0 million as of June 30, 2010.
Cash Flows from Operating
Activities of Continuing Operations.
Net cash provided by operating activities was $0.6
million for the six months ended June 30, 2010 as compared to $3.4 million
for the same period last year. Operational aspects of our businesses that
affected working capital in 2010 versus 2009 are highlighted below:
·
A fluctuation of $9.1 million from net
income in 2009 of $6.2 million to a 2010 net loss of $2.9 million, offset by a
$4.9 million fluctuation in non-cash adjustments from 2009 to 2010.
·
$1.4 million increase in cash provided by
working capital and other balance sheet account management, primarily related
to the timing of payments for other liabilities.
Cash Flows from Investing
Activities of Continuing Operations.
Cash used in investing activities representing
purchases on property, plant and equipment, principally within our utility
segments, decreased by $0.2 million, or 4.9%, compared to the prior year
period. This excludes the proceeds from the NMUI sale of $54.4 million in the
six months ended June 30, 2009.
Cash Flows from Financing
Activities of Continuing Operations.
During the six months ended June 30, 2010, we
reduced our total borrowing and financed our capital expenditures, working
capital and dividend payments.
·
We received $16.1 million from the
issuance of 2,700,000 shares of common stock sold through the Investment
Agreements in connection with the Merger Agreement and used the proceeds from
the stock sale to pay down our revolving credit facility by $16.2 million. In
2009 we used the proceeds from the sale of NMUI to pay down $55.6 million of
debt.
·
We borrowed $6.7 million under our
revolving line of credit, a reduction of $21.3 million in borrowings compared
to comparable period last year;
·
Borrowings were used for the purchase of
property, plant and equipment, as well as working capital needs, including
paying $1.4 million in dividends during the first quarter of 2010.
32
CONTRACTUAL
OBLIGATIONS
The following table
summarizes our known contractual obligations to make future cash payments as of
June 30, 2010, as well as an estimate of the periods during which these
payments are expected to be made.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Years
Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remainder
|
|
2011
|
|
2013
|
|
2015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
of
|
|
and
|
|
and
|
|
and
|
|
(In thousands)
|
|
|
Total
|
|
2010
|
|
2012
|
|
2014
|
|
Beyond
|
|
Long-term
debt:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
payment obligations
(1)
|
|
|
$
|
144,170
|
|
$
|
1,224
|
|
$
|
4,063
|
|
$
|
67,100
|
|
$
|
71,783
|
|
Interest
payments on fixed rate debt
(2)
|
|
|
70,301
|
|
2,592
|
|
10,047
|
|
9,664
|
|
47,998
|
|
Interest
payments on bank line of credit
(3)
|
|
|
6,564
|
|
1,250
|
|
5,001
|
|
313
|
|
-
|
|
Repayment
of advances for construction
(4)
|
|
|
9,531
|
|
296
|
|
1,269
|
|
764
|
|
7,202
|
|
Water
purchase commitment
(5)
|
|
|
115,304
|
|
594
|
|
7,782
|
|
9,450
|
|
97,478
|
|
Operating
lease obligations
(6)
|
|
|
19,628
|
|
2,442
|
|
7,236
|
|
3,221
|
|
6,729
|
|
Total
obligations as of June 30, 2010
(7)
|
|
|
$
|
365,498
|
|
$
|
8,399
|
|
$
|
35,399
|
|
$
|
90,511
|
|
$
|
231,190
|
|
(1)
|
|
Excludes interest
payments, which are described in the following notes. The terms of the
long-term debt are more fully described in the notes to the consolidated
financial statements included in this report and in our 2009 Annual Report on
Form 10-K.
|
|
|
|
(2)
|
|
Reflects scheduled
interest payments on all fixed rate debt obligations.
|
|
|
|
(3)
|
|
As of June 30,
2010, there was $65.0 million of borrowings outstanding under our $110.0
million bank line of credit which is scheduled for repayment in 2013. The
line of credit bears interest at variable rates and the principal amount
outstanding will vary from time to time in future periods. As a result, the
amount of future interest payments is uncertain. Borrowings bear interest, at
our option, based on a margin a) over the LIBOR rate, or b) over the prime
rate. The margins also vary based on our consolidated debt-to-capitalization
ratio. The interest obligations reflected in the table were computed based on
$65.0 million of borrowings outstanding at the 3.85% weighted average annual
interest rate in effect on our bank line of credit borrowings as of
June 30, 2010.
|
|
|
|
(4)
|
|
Advances for
construction are non-interest bearing. Our repayment assumptions on certain
obligations are based upon forecasted connection growth. If forecasted
connections do not materialize, the related payments are not due and
corresponding amounts become contributed property.
|
|
|
|
(5)
|
|
Reflects the minimum
annual contractual commitments in the Texas Utilities segment to purchase
water through 2037. The amount is subject to increases in future periods for
production costs increases and may also increase, but not decrease, if
average actual usage exceeds a specified amount.
|
|
|
|
(6)
|
|
As of June 30,
2010, leased office commitment is $15.6 million of which $1.3 million is
payable during the remainder of 2010. The vehicles and machinery lease
commitment at June 30, 2010 is $4.0 million of which $1.1 million is
payable during the remainder of 2010.
|
|
|
|
(7)
|
|
Excludes preferred stock
dividend obligations. Preferred stockholders are entitled to receive annual
dividends of $2.625 per share and there are 9,156 shares of preferred stock
outstanding at June 30, 2010. The preferred stock is redeemable by the
Company at any time for $52.00 per share and, from time to time, we have
elected to repurchase shares offered to us by preferred stockholders at
prices less than $52.00 per share.
|
FINANCIAL
CONDITION
We believe our existing
sources of liquidity are adequate to meet our anticipated needs in the coming
year. Our business is capital intensive, requiring significant resources to
fund operating expenses, construction expenditures, and interest and dividend
payments. During 2010 and in subsequent years, we may from time to time satisfy
these requirements with a combination of cash generated by operations, borrowings
under our revolving credit facility or funds from the capital markets as
conditions allow. We expect that borrowing capacity under our revolving credit
facility will continue to be available to manage working capital during those
periods.
33
At June 30, 2010, we
had working capital of $5.0 million compared to working capital of $5.2 million
at December 31, 2009.
We have access to $110.0
million in financing under our credit facility that expires February 15,
2013. A total of nine banks participate in the facility. As of June 30,
2010, we had $40.0 million of borrowing capacity available under our credit
facility. The impact of the prior period restatement on our retained earnings,
combined with the additional borrowings on the facility during 2008, and the
lack of timeliness of SEC financial filings created a number of defaults under
our credit facility agreement at March 31, 2009. The defaults were cured
with several amendments to the credit facility agreement dated from
November 28, 2008 through July 31, 2009. Under the amendments, our
credit facility was reduced from $150.0 million to its current availability of
$110.0 million. The facility was also secured with certain assets of the Company
and our borrowing margins were significantly increased. As of June 30,
2010 our debt-to-capitalization ratio is 54%, therefore, the applicable margins
are 3.50% over the LIBOR rate and 2.50% over the prime rate. Fees and expenses
charged by the Bank Group for all the amendments were $3.4 million, of which
$0.1 million were charged for the six months ended June 30, 2010. These
fees were capitalized and are being amortized as interest expense over the
remaining life of the facility which extends through February 2013.
Our ability to comply with
financial covenants, pay principal or interest and refinance our debt
obligations will depend on our future operating performance as well as other
factors that may be beyond our control.
The continued opportunity for operating improvements, enhanced cash
management and suspension of elective capital expenditures should improve our
ability to comply with the revised covenants in the revolving credit facility.
As part of the amended
credit agreement for our credit facility, we have agreed to utilize only $12.5
million under our capital lease facility.
Our California mortgage bond indentures permit the issuance of an
additional $58.4 million of first mortgage bonds as of June 30, 2010.
However, the terms of our revolving credit facility do not permit additional
first mortgage bond indebtedness without prior consent from the credit facility
lenders. The mortgage bond indentures also limit the amount of cash and
property dividends our California utility company pays to the parent Company.
Dividends have historically averaged $5.0 million to $5.6 million per year and
are less than the aggregate cumulative dividend restriction threshold by $21.1
million as of June 30, 2010. The dividend payments in 2010 may represent a
return of capital as the Company is in a negative accumulated earnings and
profit position as of December 31, 2009. We were in compliance with, or
had obtained waivers for, all loan agreement covenants during the six months
ended June 30, 2010.
In connection with the execution
of the Merger Agreement, we executed Investment Agreements under which we sold
2,700,000 shares of our common stock at a purchase price of $6.00 per share,
for an aggregate purchase price of $16.2 million. The Investment Agreements
were consummated on March 16, 2010. With the related proceeds, we paid
down our credit line which increased our available credit under the line.
We have previously filed a
shelf registration statement with the SEC for the issuance of up to $50.0
million aggregate principal amount of common stock, debt securities and
warrants. We issued approximately $43.6 million of common stock under the shelf
registration. However, under terms of the Merger Agreement, we have agreed not
to sell additional shares of common stock or other equity interests in the
Company until the termination of the Merger Agreement.
CERTAIN
CONTRACTUAL COMMITMENTS AND INDEMNITIES
At June 30, 2010, we
had irrevocable standby letters of credit in the amount of $5.0 million issued
and outstanding under our credit facility.
During our normal course
of business, we have entered into agreements containing indemnities pursuant to
which we may be required to make payments in the future. These indemnities are
in connection with facility leases and liabilities and operations and
maintenance contracts entered into by our contract services businesses. The
duration of these indemnities, commitments and guarantees varies, and in
certain cases, is indefinite. Substantially all of these indemnities provide no
limitation on the maximum potential future payments we could be obligated to
make and is not quantifiable. We have not recorded any liability for these
indemnities.
OFF-BALANCE
SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
Through the date of this
report, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or
financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured
finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the
purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually
narrow or limited purposes. In addition, we do not engage in trading activities
involving non-exchange traded contracts. We are not materially exposed to any
financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged
in these relationships. We do not have relationships or transactions with
persons or entities that derive benefits from their non-independent
relationship with us or our subsidiaries.
34
We lease some of our
equipment and office facilities under operating leases which are deemed to be
off-balance sheet arrangements. Our future operating lease payment obligations
are more fully described under the caption Contractual Obligations above.
ITEM 3.
QUANTITATIVE
AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
As of June 30, 2010,
we had $144.7 million of long-term variable and fixed-rate debt. We are exposed
to market risk based on changes in prevailing interest rates.
Market risk related to our
variable-rate debt is estimated as the potential decrease in pre-tax earnings
resulting from an increase in interest rates. We have $65.0 million of
long-term debt that bears interest at variable rates based on either the prime
rate or LIBOR rate. Our variable-rate debt had a weighted average annual
interest rate of 3.85% as of June 30, 2010. A hypothetical one percent
(100 basis points) increase in the average annual interest rates charged on our
variable-rate debt would reduce our pre-tax earnings by approximately $0.6
million per year.
Our fixed-rate debt, which
has a carrying value of $79.7million, has a fair value of $72.5 million as of June 30,
2010. Market risk related to our fixed-rate debt is deemed to be the potential
increase in fair value resulting from a decrease in prevailing interest rates.
Our fixed-rate debt had a weighted average annual interest rate of 6.6% as of June 30,
2010. A hypothetical ten percent decrease in annual interest rates, from 6.6%
to 5.9%, would increase the fair value of our fixed-rate debt by approximately
$4.6 million.
We do not use derivative
financial instruments to manage or reduce these risks although we may do so in
the future. We do not enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for
trading or speculative purposes.
ITEM 4.
CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
This report includes the
certifications attached as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 of our CEO and CFO
required by Rule 13a-14 of the Exchange Act. This Item 4 includes
information concerning the controls and control evaluations referred to in those
certifications.
EVALUATION
OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under
the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act) are
designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be
disclosed in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the
rules and forms of the SEC and that such information is accumulated and
communicated to our management, including the CEO and CFO, as appropriate to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Our management, under the
supervision and with the participation of our CEO and CFO, evaluated the
effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of June 30, 2010. Based on our evaluation and the
identification of the material weaknesses in internal control over financial
reporting described below, our CEO and CFO concluded that, as of June 30,
2010, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective.
INHERENT
LIMITATIONS OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
We do not expect that our
disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial
reporting will prevent or detect all errors. A control system, no matter how
well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute,
assurance that the control systems objectives will be met. Further, the design
of a control system must acknowledge the fact that there are resource
constraints and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their
costs. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in
decision making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple
error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the deliberate acts of
one or more persons. The design of any system of controls is based, in part,
upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events and there can be
no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under
all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance
with associated policies or procedures. Because of the inherent limitations in
a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur
and not be detected.
MANAGEMENTS
REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Management is responsible
for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial
reporting as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and
15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial
reporting is a
35
process designed to
provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Internal control over
financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that
(i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail,
accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
(ii) provide reasonable assurance that our transactions are recorded as
necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with
GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance
with authorizations of management and our directors; and (iii) provide
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized
acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material
effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent
limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or
detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to
future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate
because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the
policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Under the supervision and
with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we
conducted an assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30,
2010. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth in Internal
Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).
A material weakness is a
deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over
financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a
material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be
prevented or detected on a timely basis. In connection with managements
assessment of our internal control over financial reporting described above,
management has identified control deficiencies that constituted material
weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2009 as described below:
1. We did not maintain an effective control environment
because of the following material weaknesses:
·
We did not maintain an environment that
consistently emphasized strict adherence to GAAP. This control deficiency, in
certain instances, led to inappropriate accounting decisions and audit adjustments
that have been recorded in 2009 and 2008.
This control deficiency was magnified in prior years by the
decentralized nature of the accounting function that existed at our various
operating locations.
·
In certain areas (internal audit,
finance, tax and accounting departments), we did not maintain a sufficient
complement of resources with an appropriate level of accounting knowledge,
experience and training commensurate with our structure and financial reporting
requirements.
·
We did not maintain complete and accurate
business documentation to support certain transactions and accounting records.
The controls in these areas with respect to the creation, maintenance and
retention of complete and accurate business records were not effective.
2. We did not maintain effective monitoring of
controls in certain areas, including period end financial reporting process,
goodwill, regulatory accounting, stock-based compensation, lease accounting,
property, plant and equipment, estimates and accruals. This deficiency resulted
in either not having adequate controls designed and in place or not achieving
the intended operating effectiveness of controls.
3. We did not maintain effective controls over
risk assessments. Specifically, we did not maintain processes to evaluate
certain business and fraud risks. This deficiency resulted in either not having
adequate controls designed and in place or not achieving the intended operating
effectiveness of controls.
The material weaknesses in
our control environment, monitoring of controls and risk assessments described
above contributed to the material weaknesses set forth below:
4. We did not maintain effective controls over
accounting policies and application of GAAP.
Specifically, we did not maintain and communicate sufficient and
consistent accounting policies, which limited our ability to make accounting
decisions and to detect and correct accounting errors. This deficiency contributed to other control
deficiencies, some of which have resulted in material weaknesses, as further
described below.
5. We did not maintain effective controls over
the recording of journal entries, both recurring and non-recurring.
Specifically, effective controls were not in place to ensure that journal
entries were properly prepared with sufficient supporting documentation or were
reviewed and approved to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the journal
entries. This deficiency contributed to other control deficiencies, some of
which have resulted in material weaknesses, as further described below.
36
6. We did not maintain
effective controls over the completeness and accuracy of key spreadsheets and
system-generated reports. Specifically, effective controls were not designed
and in place to ensure that key spreadsheets and system-generated reports were
properly reviewed for accuracy and completeness. This deficiency contributed to other control
deficiencies, some of which have resulted in material weaknesses, as further
described below.
7. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of our accounting for acquisitions. Specifically,
we did not design and maintain effective controls with respect to the
application of relevant GAAP and the deficiency resulted in errors, including
audit adjustments in 2008, in the allocation of the purchase price to the
underlying assets acquired, including goodwill and liabilities assumed. This deficiency affected property, plant and
equipment, deferred income tax and liabilities, goodwill and long-term
liability accounts.
8. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of our accounting estimates related to
self-insurance. Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective controls
with respect to the maintenance and reconciliation of claims and the review of
actuarial valuations. This deficiency
affected accrued liabilities and expense accounts in prior years. This control deficiency resulted in
adjustments identified through additional procedures performed by management in
2009 and audit adjustments in 2008.
9. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of our accounting for the impairment of goodwill.
Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective controls to ensure
proper identification of reporting units, triggering events and fair value
estimates. This control deficiency
resulted in audit adjustments in 2008.
10. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of our accounting for regulated entities.
Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective controls with respect to
the application of relevant GAAP in the areas of regulatory assets and
liabilities. This control deficiency
resulted in audit adjustments in 2009 and 2008.
11. We did not maintain effective controls over the
accuracy and valuation of stock-based compensation. Specifically, we did not
maintain effective controls over the assumptions used in the calculation of
stock-based compensation. This control
deficiency resulted in audit adjustments in 2008.
12. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of property, plant and equipment and related
depreciation expense. Specifically, we did not design and maintain effective
controls to ensure that there was timely transfer of property, plant and
equipment additions from construction work in progress; that retirements were
properly recorded; that depreciation expense was accurately recorded based on
appropriate useful lives assigned to the related property, plant and equipment;
that assets are capitalized properly; that contributions of cash were timely
transferred to CIAC for amortization; and that impairment losses are timely
identified and determined. This control
deficiency resulted in adjustments identified through additional procedures
performed by management in 2009 and audit adjustments in 2008.
13. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness and accuracy of unbilled revenue. Specifically, we did not
maintain effective controls to standardize a process and methodology of
calculating and recording unbilled revenue in the proper period. This control deficiency resulted in audit
adjustments in 2009 and 2008 and adjustments identified through additional
procedures performed by management in 2009.
14. We did not maintain effective controls to
ensure the completeness of the recording of accounts payable and accrued
liabilities on a timely basis. Specifically, we did not review and approve
invoices and their supporting documentation on a timely basis. This control deficiency resulted in audit
adjustments in 2008.
15. We did not maintain effective controls to
ensure the completeness, accuracy and valuation of the revenue recorded by our
Southeast Utility operation.
Specifically, we did not maintain appropriate controls over the design
or identify appropriate controls over the systems, invoicing, and other
processes performed at the Southeast Utilities.
This control deficiency could result in a misstatement of accounts
receivable and revenue that would result in a material misstatement in our
annual or interim consolidated financial statements that would not be prevented
or detected in a timely manner.
16. We did not maintain effective controls over
the completeness, accuracy and valuation of our deferred tax assets and
liabilities. Specifically, we did not
design and maintain effective controls with respect to accounting for the
difference between book and tax basis of the companys property, plant and
equipment and intangible assets. This control deficiency could result in a
misstatement of deferred tax assets and liabilities, and the tax provision that
would result in a material misstatement in our annual or interim consolidated
financial statements that would not be prevented or detected in a timely
manner.
The material weaknesses
described above could result in misstatements of substantially all of the
accounts and disclosures related to it that would result in a material
misstatement in our annual or interim consolidated financial
37
statements that would not
be prevented or detected in a timely manner. Although the deficiencies did not
result in the identification of a material misstatement in the first half of
2010, management has not performed comprehensive testing of the controls in
place as of June 30, 2010 and, therefore, is not able to conclude that they are
sufficiently designed and effectively operating to prevent or detect such
misstatement. Accordingly, management has determined that each of the control
deficiencies above constitutes a material weakness and concluded that we did
not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of June 30,
2010.
Based on the performance
of additional procedures by management designed to ensure the reliability of
our financial reporting, we believe the consolidated financial statements
included in this report as of and for the periods ended June 30, 2010 are
fairly stated in all material respects.
PLANS FOR
REMEDIATION OF MATERIAL WEAKNESSES
We have engaged in and are
continuing to engage in efforts to improve our internal control over financial
reporting and our disclosure controls and procedures. Specific initiatives to
date have been focused on the following:
(i)
Communicating, both internally and
externally, our commitment to a strong effective control environment, high
ethical standards and financial reporting integrity, emphasizing a strict
adherence to GAAP accounting;
(ii)
Implementing a comprehensive review and
approval of all material accounting decisions by the Principal Financial
Officer, including the documentation of key accounting issues which are used to
train our accounting staff;
(iii)
Taking certain personnel actions including
supplementing existing accounting staff with additional permanent or contract
employees;
(iv)
Improving and standardizing
system-generated financial reports, developed to support operations management
and financial reporting;
(v)
Specific training for Finance and
Accounting Department personnel to reinforce the importance of our control
environment in addition to internal controls training to all Managers across
the Company which reinforced the importance of controls;
(vi)
Implementing of policies and procedures to
ensure that we retain business and accounting records and documenting the
application of GAAP for business transactions;
(vii)
Implementing period end reporting
processes including a consolidated monthly close checklist, journal entry
approval, account reconciliations with supporting documentation, documentation
supporting accruals and estimates, additional processes for the valuation and
recognition of utility unbilled revenue and additional processes around
manually prepared spreadsheets;
(viii)
Implementing formal procedures over valuation of our
accounting estimates related to our claims process associated with medical,
automobile and workers compensation self-insurance, including the increased
use of outside actuarial experts, the systematic review of claims by the
appropriate department manager and the review and roll forward of actuarial
analyses;
(ix)
Implemented a risk assessment process to
evaluate the business and fraud risks within the company to ensure we have
control activities that are designed and operating effectively to address the
areas considered at-risk that have been determined by the risk assessment;
(x)
Documented narratives for all significant
processes to generate an accurate representation of current processes providing
a baseline for performing risk analysis, internal controls testing, and
implementing process improvements;
(xi)
Engaged a professional services firm to
assist with conducting the evaluation of the design and implementation of the
internal controls environment and to assist with identifying opportunities to
improve the design and effectiveness of the control environment; and
(xii)
Implemented a monthly business process and
controls certification process requiring the respective process owners attest
to the design and operating effectiveness of their controls.
We have also implemented a
remediation plan (the Plan) to address the material weaknesses for each of
the affected areas presented above. The Plan ensures that each area affected by
a material weakness is put through a
38
comprehensive remediation
process. The remediation process entails a thorough analysis which includes the
following phases:
(a)
Define and assess the control deficiency:
ensure a thorough understanding of the as is state, process owners, and gaps
in the control deficiency;
(b)
Design and evaluate a remediation action
for each weakness for each affected area: validate or improve the related
policy and procedures, evaluate skills of the process owners with regards to
the policy and adjust as required;
(c)
Implement specific remediation actions:
train process owners; allow time for process adoption and adequate transaction
volume for next steps;
(d)
Test and measure the design and
effectiveness of the remediation plan, and test and provide feedback on the
design and operating effectiveness of the updated controls; and
(e)
Management review and acceptance of
completion of the remediation effort.
The Plan is administered
by key leaders from cross functional portions of the organization, including
the CFO. The Committee reports on progress quarterly (or more frequently, as
needed) to the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.
We believe the steps taken
to date have improved the effectiveness of many of our internal controls over
financial reporting; however, we have not completed all of the corrective
processes, procedures and related evaluation or remediation identified herein,
that we believe are necessary. As we continue to monitor the effectiveness of
our internal control over financial reporting in the areas affected by the
material weaknesses described above, we will perform additional procedures
prescribed by management, including the use of manual mitigating control
procedures, to ensure that our financial statements continue to be fairly
stated in all material respects.
CHANGES
IN INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
As of June 30, 2010, we
implemented certain measures to improve our internal controls over financial
reporting and to remediate previously identified material weaknesses. Specifically, we have segregated
responsibility for the initiation and approval of wire transfer requests
between treasury and accounting personnel and have implemented controls over
confirmation and review of the executed wire transfers.
Although we have begun to
take other specific actions to improve the overall effectiveness of our
internal controls over financial reporting during the quarter ended June 30,
2010, there were no other changes that have materially affected, or are reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial
reporting. Furthermore, the design or operating effectiveness of
additional changes in internal control over financial reporting have not yet
been evaluated through our remediation process.
REMEDIATION OF PREVIOUSLY
REPORTED MATERIAL WEAKNESS
As previously reported in
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009
and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarter ended March 31, 2010, we
determined that our internal controls and procedures around the wire transfer
process was ineffective resulting in a material weakness. The material weakness
was the result of inadequate policies and procedures and ineffective internal
controls and inadequate policies and procedures regarding the initiation,
approval and confirmation of wire transfers. Specifically, we did not maintain
adequate segregation of duties allowing a single individual exclusive rights to
execute wire transfers without independent review or confirmation. As a result, this control deficiency could
have resulted in unauthorized or inappropriate cash disbursements. As of June 30, 2010, the following measures
to remediate the control deficiency have been implemented:
(1)
We implemented a formal wire transfer
policy requiring an authorized manager, independent from the requestor, review
and approve all wire transfer requests.
(2) The chief financial officer delegated approval authority to the
group controller for wire transfers.
39
(3)
We implemented a process documenting calling
instruction for the wire transfer confirmation from our bank that is an
independent authorized manager.
(4)
We implemented a settlement process that requires the
cash management function to reconcile the approved and confirmed wire transfer
against the daily bank transaction report.
Based on the
implementation of the additional processes and internal controls discussed
above and the subsequent substantive testing of those internal controls for a
sufficient period of time, management has concluded that the material weakness
has been remediated and that our wire transfer procedures and the related
internal control over financial reporting are now effective.
We have evaluated the effectiveness
of the design and operation of our wire transfer controls and procedures as of
June 30, 2010. Based on that evaluation the Chief Executive Officer and the
Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our wire transfer procedures and
the related internal control activity are effective in initiating, approving,
confirming and reconciling wire transfers with adequate segregation of
functions.
PART II
OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Other than those stated in
Part 1- Item 1- Note 4. Commitments and Contingencies Legal
Proceedings, there have been no new, material developments to or terminations
of legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to the
business, to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of
which any of their property is the subject during the period covered by this
Quarterly Report.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
There have been no
material changes in our risk factors since we last reported under Part I,
Item 1A, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009.
ITEMS 2, 3, 4 AND 5 ARE NOT APPLICABLE AND HAVE
BEEN OMITTED.
ITEM 6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit
|
|
|
Number
|
|
Exhibit Description
|
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
Certificate of Amendment
to Restated Certificate of Incorporation of SouthWest Water Company
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 included in the Companys
Form 8 K filed with the Commission on May 22, 2008)
|
3.1.1
|
|
Certificate of Amendment
to Certificate of Incorporation of SouthWest Water Company (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3.1 included in the Companys Form 8-K filed
on May 22, 2008
|
3.2
|
|
Amended and Restated
Bylaws of SouthWest Water Company dated August 20, 2009 (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 3.2 included in the Companys Form 10-Q filed
with the Commission on September 18, 2009)
|
31.1
|
*
|
Certification of
Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes
Oxley Act of 2002
|
31.2
|
*
|
Certification of
Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes
Oxley Act of 2002
|
32.1
|
*
|
Certification of Chief
Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of
2002
|
32.2
|
*
|
Certification of Chief
Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of
2002
|
*
Filed herewith
40
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly
authorized.
|
SOUTHWEST WATER COMPANY
(REGISTRANT
)
|
|
|
|
|
Dated: August 6, 2010
|
/s/ BEN SMITH
|
|
|
Ben Smith
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial
Officer)
|
41
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