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Fitch Affirms Pasadena, CA’s Water Revenue Bonds at ‘AA+’; Outlook Revised to Positive

Published on Wednesday, July 1, 2020 | 12:59 pm
 

Fitch Ratings has affirmed the ‘AA+’ rating on the $53.6 million water revenue refunding bonds issued by the City of Pasadena on behalf of Pasadena Water and Power (PWP), a Fitch Ratings announcement Tuesday said.

The bonds were series 2010A, 2011A and 2017A, the announcement said.

Additionally, Fitch has assessed PWP’s stand-alone credit profile at ‘aa+,’ and revised its Rating Outlook from Stable to Positive.

Fitch said the ‘aa+’ stand-alone credit profile and ‘AA+’ bond rating reflect PWP’s strong financial profile and low net leverage, as represented by net adjusted debt to adjusted Funds Available for Debt Service (FADS), within the framework of very strong revenue defensibility and low operating risks. Net leverage over the last five fiscal years (2015-2019) is stable, ranging from 3.0x to 4.0x.

The Positive Outlook is based on projections that continue to point to low net leverage below 5.0x, with the assumption that future rate action is taken beyond fiscal 2021. The Fitch report said PWP’s Water Master Plan and Integrated Resource Plan is in the final stages of completion and is expected to propose rate adjustments for fiscal 2022 and several years beyond.

The ratings agency also took note of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and related government containment measures worldwide, which has created an uncertain global environment for the water and sewer sector.

Fitch said while PWP’s most recently available performance data does not indicate impairment, material changes in revenue and cost profile are occurring across the sector. PWP management attributes slightly lower sales – less than three percent year-to-date compared with the same time last year – more to cooler weather conditions rather than the coronavirus. No rate deferral or rollback occurred and the Pasadena City Council adopted the previously approved rate increase for fiscal 2021, effective July 1, as planned, the report said.

PWP also reported increased delinquencies in water service fees, but the amounts remain immaterial – less than 0.1 percent of projected fiscal 2021 operating revenues. The water utility said payment plan options are being finalized, which should eventually allow for most past-due balances to be recouped.

PWP provides retail water services to approximately 38,000 customers in the City and in Altadena, with about 80 percent of the customer base residing within Pasadena’s city limits. The majority of the water supply comes from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the regional wholesale provider of imported water to serve communities in the region.

Purchases from MWD typically account for 60 to 65 percent of supply annually. The balance of the City’s supply is from local groundwater, which costs significantly less than MWD purchased water, but there are limitations on how much the City can pump from the local Raymond Basin, an adjudicated water basin.

Fitch said projects to expand and improve access to local supply are included in PWP’s current capital improvement plan (CIP), and the system is working toward increasing local sources to around 50 percent of supply over the next five to 10 years.

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