Preservation of Records

PURPOSE: This rule prescribes the standards and retention of records of all water utilities. PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The secretary of state has determined that the publication of the entire text of the material which is incorporated by reference as a portion of this rule would be unduly cumbersome or expensive. Therefore, the material which is so incorporated is on file with the agency who filed this rule, and with the Office of the Secretary of State. Any interested person may view this material at either agency’s headquarters or the same will be made available at the Office of the Secretary of State at a cost not to exceed actual cost of copy reproduction. The entire text of the rule is printed here. This note refers only to the incorporated by reference material. (1) The Public Service Commission adopts and prescribes for the use of all water utilities subject to its jurisdiction, Regulations to Govern the Preservation of Records of Electric, Gas and Water Utilities, published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) in April 1974 with the following modifications of retention periods for the item number shown: (A) Item 30. Plan ledgers: a) Ledgers of utility plant accounts including land and other detailed ledgers showing the cost of utility plant by classes—life of the corporation; (B) Item 31. Construction work in progress ledgers, work orders and supplemental records: a) work order sheets to which are posted in summary form or in detail the entries for labor, materials and other charges for utility plant additions and the entries closing the work orders to utility plant in service at completions—life of the corporation; (C) Item 32. Retirement work in progress ledgers, work orders and supplemental records: a) work order sheets to which are posted the entries for removal costs, materials recovered and credits to utility plant accounts for cost of plant retired—life of the corporation; and (D) Item 62. Budgets and other forecasts: (prepared for internal administrative or operating purposes) of estimated future income, receipts and expenditures in connection with financing, construction and operations and acquisition or disposals of properties or investments by the company and its associate companies, including revisions of estimates and memoranda showing reasons for revisions; also records showing comparison of actual income and receipts and expenditures with estimates—three (3) years beyond the latest period covered by the forecast. (2) The NARUC regulations apply to all books of account and other records prepared by the water utilities. It provides for protection and storage of records, the use and life of record media (microfilm, magnetic tape, etc.) and then a listing of records by type and their retention periods. The type of records are—corporate and general; automatic data processing; general accounting; insurance, operations and maintenance; personnel; plant and depreciation; purchases and stores; revenue accounting and collecting; tax; treasury; and miscellaneous. A copy of the NARUC regulations may be obtained from NARUC, P.O. Box 684, Washington, D.C. 20044. AUTHORITY: section 393.140, RSMo 1986.* This rule originally filed as 4 CSR 240-50.020. Original rule filed May 7, 1975, effective June 6, 1975. Moved to 20 CSR 4240-50.020, effective Aug. 28, 2019. *Original authority: 393.140, RSMo 1939, amended 1949, 1967.