v3.25.1
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

Note 7 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

 

Water Supply – Middlesex has an agreement with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) for the purchase of untreated water through November 30, 2048. This agreement with the NJWSA provides for an average purchase of 27 million gallons a day (mgd) with a peak up to 47.0 mgd. Pricing is set annually by the NJWSA through a public rate making process. The agreement has provisions for additional pricing in the event Middlesex overdrafts or exceeds certain monthly and annual thresholds.

 

Middlesex also has an agreement with a non-affiliated NJBPU-regulated water utility for the purchase of treated water. This agreement, which expires February 27, 2026, provides for the minimum purchase of 3.0 mgd of treated water with provisions for additional purchases if needed.

 

Tidewater contracts with the City of Dover in Delaware to purchase treated water of up to 75.0 million gallons annually.

 

Purchased water costs are shown below:

 

   (In Thousands) 
   Three Months Ended 
   March 31, 
   2025   2024 
         
Treated  $887   $909 
Untreated   992    850 
Total Costs  $1,879   $1,759 

 

Leases – The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Generally, a lease agreement exists if the Company determines that the arrangement gives the Company control over the use of an identified asset and obtains substantially all of the benefits from the identified asset.

 

The Company has entered into an operating lease of office space for administrative purposes, expiring in January 2030. The Company has not entered into any finance leases. The exercise of a lease renewal option for the Company’s administrative offices is solely at the discretion of the Company.

 

The right-of-use (ROU) asset recorded represents the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liability represents the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company’s operating lease does not provide an implicit discount rate and as such the Company used an estimated incremental borrowing rate (4.03%) based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments.

Given the impacts of accounting for regulated operations, and the resulting recognition of expense at the amounts recovered in customer rates, expenditures for operating leases are consistent with lease expense and were $0.2 million for each of the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

 

Information related to operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities is as follows:

 

   (In Millions) 
   As of 
   March 31, 2025   December 31, 2024 
ROU Asset at Lease Inception  $7.3   $7.3 
Accumulated Amortization   (4.9)   (4.7)
ROU Asset  $2.4   $2.6 

 

The Company’s future minimum operating lease commitments as of March 31, 2025 are as follows:

 

   (In Millions) 
2025  $0.5 
2026   0.9 
2027   0.9 
2028   0.9 
2029   0.9 
Total Lease Payments  $4.1 
Imputed Interest   (1.3)
Present Value of Lease Payments   2.8 
Less Current Portion*   (0.5)
Non-Current Lease Liability  $2.3 
      
*Included in Other Current Liabilities  

 

Construction – In connection with the Company’s planned capital expenditures, the Company has entered into several contractual construction agreements that total obligate it to expend an estimated $20.0 million in the future. The actual amount and timing of capital expenditures is dependent on the need for replacement of existing infrastructure, customer growth, residential new home construction and sales, project scheduling, supply chain issues and continued refinement of project scope and costs.

 

Contingencies – Based on our operations in the heavily-regulated water and wastewater industries, the Company is routinely involved in disputes, claims, lawsuits and other regulatory and legal matters, including responsibility for fines and penalties relative to regulatory compliance. At this time, Management does not believe the final resolution of any such matters, whether asserted or unasserted, will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, the Company maintains business insurance coverage that may mitigate the effect of any current or future loss contingencies.

 

Change in Control Agreements – The Company has Change in Control Agreements with its executive officers that provide compensation and benefits in the event of termination of employment under certain conditions in connection with a change in control of the Company.