Attorney General Mayes Challenges Picacho Water and Sewer Rate Hikes That Doubled Residential Bills

Attorney General Mayes Challenges Picacho Water and Sewer Rate Hikes That Doubled Residential Bills Kiley.Bishop@a… Tue, 10/06/2026 - 10:01 Image Press Release Date Tue, 10/06/2026 - 12:00 PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced her office has filed its opening brief in the Arizona Court of Appeals, challenging the Arizona Corporation Commission's March 2026 approval of rate increases for Picacho Water and Picacho Sewer serving Robson Ranch near Eloy. The new rates nearly doubled the average residential customer's combined monthly bill, from $72.01 to $143.59. The brief argues the Commission violated its constitutional duty to set "just and reasonable" rates by never examining the details of JW Water Holdings' purchase of the utilities, which closed just four months before the rate applications were filed. Under Arizona Corporation Commission v. Arizona Water Company , the Commission must consider all relevant evidence of a utility's fair value, which can include a recent purchase transaction. The State argues the Commission itself found those documents relevant during the rate case, and that the documents bear on the rate base, the cost of equity, and the cost of deb

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