The procedures contained in this section shall apply to monitoring reports related to the quarter ending December 31.
(1) The utility shall file the monitoring reports annually with the commission and Office of Regulatory Staff on or before March 15.
(2) In cases where the monitoring report indicates rate adjustments are required, or where it otherwise appears to the commission or the Office of Regulatory Staff that an adjustment in rates may be warranted under this article, the commission shall issue a Notice of Filing annually on or before March 31 and require interested persons to file a petition to intervene annually on or before May 15. The commission shall maintain a register of parties who have notified the commission in writing that they wish to be provided with any Notice of Filing related to specified utilities and the commission shall use reasonable efforts to provide such parties with Notices of Filing by such utilities, provided that the failure to do so shall not invalidate any subsequent proceedings. Intervenors shall have discovery rights related to the matters set forth in Section 58-27-2730.
(3) The Office of Regulatory Staff shall conduct an audit of the monitoring report to ascertain the reasonableness and prudency of all matters contained therein and specify any changes that the Office of Regulatory Staff determines to be necessary to correct errors in the report or to otherwise bring the report into compliance with this article. The Office of Regulatory Staff's audit report shall be verified and provided to the commission and to the utility and made available annually to all parties of record no later than June 1. Other parties of record shall also be allowed until June 1 of each year to file verified written comments and submit documentary evidence to the commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff in response to the utility's monitoring report.
(4) The utility shall be allowed until June 15 of each year to file verified written comments and submit documentary evidence to the commission and the Office of Regulatory Staff related to the utility's monitoring report and may request a non-evidentiary hearing before the commission concerning the utility's monitoring report.
(5) On or before July 15 of each year, the commission shall issue an initial order setting forth any changes required in the utility's request to adjust rates under this article (the "Initial Order"). In the absence of such an Initial Order, the electric rate adjustment contained in the utility's filing shall be considered granted as filed.
(6) Any electric rate adjustments authorized under the terms of this article shall take effect for all bills rendered on or after the first billing cycle of August of that year.