Garth Ashpaugh Biography
Mr. Ashpaugh is the President and a Member of Ashpaugh & Sculco, CPAs, PLC (“A&S”), an accounting firm started in 1999. A&S provides consulting services to business and government organizations in such areas as financial analysis, cost of service studies and regulatory accounting.Mr. Ashpaugh graduated from the University of Missouri – Columbia with a B. S. Degree in Business Administration (Accounting Major) in 1977. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the States of Missouri and Florida. He was employed by the Missouri Public Service Commission (“MPSC”) from August 1978 through January 1991, where he held the position of Staff Accountant until he was promoted to Accounting Manager of the MPSC’s St. Louis Office in 1987. During his tenure with the MPSC, he testified on a variety of financial, accounting and regulatory issues as well as held numerous responsibilities for audits of electric, gas, telephone, water and wastewater rate filings made by utilities with the MPSC. He also formulated many policies and procedures adopted by the MPSC, including phase-in ratemaking plans for three nuclear plants and filings of the MPSC with the Financial Accounting Standards Board. He participated in two audits of BellCore conducted under the auspices of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions, heading the second audit until my resignation in January 1991.
In February 1991, Mr. Ashpaugh joined R. W. Beck and Associates, an engineering and consulting firm, where he was initially involved in reviewing formula rates applied to our municipal clients and associated matters before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In late 1992, he began assisting municipal clients of R. W. Beck with respect to the regulation of cable television in accordance with rules that the Federal Communications Commission had promulgated pursuant to the 1992 Cable Act. Mr. Ashpaugh left R. W. Beck in February 1997 to join the consulting firm of Public Resources Management Group, Inc. whose clients were also primarily municipal government entities. Over the course of his professional career, he has testified as an expert witness in numerous proceeding with respect to the various matters outlined above.
Since forming A&S in late 1999, Mr. Ashpaugh has assisted local governments in the review of franchise fees, in issues concerning franchise renewal and transfers and in performing studies of local government (cities, counties and metro areas) costs to manage and maintain their public rights-of way (“PROW”). He has assisted over 200 local governments in franchising matters involving the use of PROW by cable and telecommunications companies, including, among others, King County, Washington, the City Albuquerque, NM, the City of Santa Fe, NM, the City of Lincoln, NE, the City of Los Angeles, CA, Montgomery County, MD, Metro Nashville-Davidson County, TN and the City of Greensboro, NC.
Mr. Ashpaugh has been active in NATOA for about 10 years. He has been a presenter on numerous panels at NATOA conferences and on eNATOAs. He has been a member of a number of committees including the Policy & Legal Committee, the Strategic Planning Committee, the Annual Conference Committee, the Membership Committee and the Chapter Committee. In 2009, he was presented an Ovation Award by NATOA for his service to the organization. He is currently serving his first term as a member of NATOA’s Board of Directors and has been re-elected for a second 2 year term starting in the fall of 2011. Since his election to the Board, Mr. Ashpaugh has served as NATOA’s Secretary-Treasurer.