Arkansas Public Service Commission
| Arkansas Public Service Commission | |
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| General information | |
| Office Type: | Nonpartisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $150,000 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $15,650,344 |
| Total Seats: | 3 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 6 years |
| Authority: | Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101 |
| Leadership: | Doyle Webb |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by governor |
| Current Officeholder | |
| Katie Anderson, Justin Tate, Doyle Webb | |
| Other Arkansas Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Commissioner of State Lands • Natural Resources Exec. Director • Labor Director • Public Service Commission | |
The Arkansas Public Service Commission is an appointed executive board in the Arkansas state government. This three-member commission is responsible for regulating the rates and services of Arkansas' electricity, natural gas, water, phone and pipeline safety utilities. The board also determines property taxes for public utilities and carriers.[1]
Current officeholder
The current officeholders are:
- Katie Anderson (nonpartisan)
- Justin Tate (nonpartisan)
- Doyle Webb (nonpartisan)
Authority
The office of chairman is authorized by Arkansas statute.[2]
Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101
| (a)(1) The Arkansas Public Service Commission shall consist of three (3) members to be known as commissioners, one (1) of whom shall be a lawyer.
[...] (f) The Governor shall designate one (1) of the commissioners as chair. |
Qualifications
There are no particular qualifications required for the office of chair, though individual commissioners must have resided in the state for five years and be a qualified elector.[2] To be a qualified elector, one must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Arkansas and at least 18 years old. Additionally, the chair may not have been judged mentally incompetent by a court, be a convicted felon or have ever been convicted of embezzlement or any other infamous crime. Finally, public service commissioners must swear that they have no pecuniary interest in any of the utilities they regulate.
During their tenure, commissioners may not hold any other state, federal or civil office, and may not have ever been convicted of "embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery, or other infamous crime."
Arkansas Code, Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101
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(2) Each commissioner shall have resided in the state for five (5) years and shall be a qualified elector. |
Constitution of Arkansas, Article 5, Section 9
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No person hereafter convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery or other infamous crime, shall be eligible to the General Assembly or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this State. |
Constitution of Arkansas, Article 19, Section 3
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No persons shall be elected to, or appointed to fill a vacancy in, any office who does not possess the qualifications of an elector. |
Appointments
Members of the commission are appointed by the governor with the consent of the state Senate. One commissioner is designated by the governor as chairman and serves in that capacity until their six-year term as commissioner expires.[2]
Term limits
There are no term limits associated with the offices of commissioner or chair.
Vacancies
State law prescribes no special procedure for dealing with vacancies in the office of public service commissioner/chair.
Duties
The Arkansas Public Service Commission is a quasi-executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial body that regulates the state's public utilities, including electricity, natural gas, telecommunications and water firms. It manages the rates utilities charge customers, seeking to provide companies a fair return on investment, and sets operational/safety standards. As part of the regulatory process, the commission's administrative judges hold hearings and receive testimony from various stakeholders -- industry representatives, experts, consumer advocates, etc. The commission also coordinates its rulemaking with various federal regulatory bodies.
Besides its regulatory duties, the commission provides customer service to Arkansas consumers; it answers questions and addresses complaints against regulated companies.[3]
Divisions
As of January 5, 2021, the commission is composed of the following divisions:
- Administrative Law Judges and Legal
- Legal
- Research and Policy Development
- Administrative Services
- Office of Information Technology
- Support Staff
- Secretary of the Commission
- Executive Director's Office
- Electric Utilities
- Natural Gas and Water Utilities and Pipeline Safety
- Telecommunications Utilities and Quality of Service
- Financial Analysis
- Cost Allocation and Rate Design
- Audits
- Legal
- Consumer Services
- Tax Division[4]
State budget
- See also: Arkansas state budget and finances
The budget for the Arkansas Public Service Commission in Fiscal Year 2025 was $15,650,344.[5]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
2023
In 2023, each commissioner received a salary of $150,000, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2022
In 2022, each commissioner received a salary of $146,912, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, each commissioner received a salary of $142,632, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, each commissioner received a salary of $139,836, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, each commissioner received a salary of $137,094, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, each commissioner received a salary of $126,748, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, each commissioner received a salary of $126,748, according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, each commissioner received a salary of $126,748, according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, each commissioner received a salary of $125,493, according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the public service commission chair received a salary of $125,493 and other commissioners received $121,090, according to the Council of State Governments.[15][16]
2013
In 2013, each public service commissioner received a salary of $116,501, according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
Historical officeholders
For a full list of commissioners going back to 1930, visit this page.
| List of officeholders from 2000-Present[18] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | ||||
| Sandra Hochstetter | 2000-2007 | ||||
| Randy Bynum | 2002-2009 | ||||
| Daryl Bassett | 2002-2009 | ||||
| Paul Suskie | 2007-2010 | ||||
| David Newbern | 2008 | ||||
| Colette Honorable | 2007-2014 | ||||
| Butch Reeves | 2009-2015 | ||||
| Elana Wills | 2011-2019 | ||||
| Lamar Davis | 2015-2016 | ||||
| Ted Thomas | 2015-2022 | ||||
| Kimberly O'Guinn | 2016-2023 | ||||
| Justin Tate | 2019-Present | ||||
| Katie Anderson | 2022-Present | ||||
| Doyle Webb | 2023-Present | ||||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arkansas Public Service Commission. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact
Mailing Address:
Arkansas Public Service Commission
P.O. Box 400
Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-0400
Physical Location:
Arkansas Public Service Commission
1000 Center Street
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201-4314
Tel: (501)682-2051
See also
| Arkansas | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arkansas Public Service Commission, "Commission History," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Arkansas Code, "Title 23, Chapter 2, Section 101" accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Public Utilities Commission, "2019 Annual Report," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Public Service Commission, "Commission Information," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, "Funded Budget - Fiscal Year 2025," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2020," accessed January 12, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2019," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2018," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2017," accessed January 5, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Online, "Right 2 Know State Salaries 2014," accessed November 26, 2014
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2013, Table 4.11," accessed February 2, 2014
- ↑ Arkansas Public Service Commission, "List of Arkansas Public Service Commissioners," accessed January 5, 2021
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