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Exhibit 10(b)

UNISOURCE ENERGY CORPORATION
OFFICER CHANGE IN CONTROL AGREEMENT

This Officer Change in Control Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between UniSource Energy Corporation (“Company”) and Raymond S. Heyman (“Executive”), effective as of the date set forth below (the “Effective Date”).

RECITALS

A. The Board of Directors of Company (the “Board”) believes that it is in the best interests of Company and its shareholders to take appropriate steps to ensure the continuity in the management of Company and its Affiliates (as defined in this Agreement), in the event a Change in Control (as defined in this Agreement) occurs.

B. Executive currently serves as an officer of Company and one or more of its Affiliates.

C. The Board has determined that Executive is a key employee whose continued service to Company and the applicable Affiliate(s) is critical in the event a Change of Control is being considered or occurs.

D. In order to ensure that Company retains Executive’s services in the event a Change in Control is being considered or occurs, the Board has decided to offer to Executive the Change in Control Severance Benefits described in this Agreement.

NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of Executive’s continued service to Company and the mutual agreements contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which Executive hereby acknowledges, Company and Executive agree as follows:

AGREEMENT

1. TERM OF AGREEMENT.

This Agreement is effective immediately and will continue in effect until December 31, 2010 (the “Initial Term”). This Agreement will be automatically renewed at the end of the Initial Term for additional terms commencing on each January 1, and ending on the next following December 31 (a “Renewal Term”), unless Company provides Executive with written notice of its intent to terminate the Agreement at least 12 months before the end of the Initial Term or the applicable Renewal Term. If a Change in Control occurs during the Initial Term or any Renewal Term, the scheduled expiration date of the Initial Term or Renewal Term, as the case may be, shall be extended for a term ending on the 24-month anniversary of the Change in Control, at which time this Agreement will expire. The expiration of the term of this Agreement will not reduce or diminish any liabilities that have accrued prior to the expiration.

 

 


 

2. CHANGE IN CONTROL SEVERANCE BENEFITS.

(a)  Entitlement to Change in Control Severance Benefits . Executive will be entitled to receive the “Change in Control Severance Benefits” described in this Section 2 if Executive incurs a “Separation from Service” (as defined in Section 3) due to Company’s termination of Executive’s employment without “Cause” (as defined in Section 4) or due to Executive’s termination of employment with Company for “Good Reason” (as defined in Section 5) during the six-month period prior to the occurrence of a “Change in Control” (as defined in Section 7) and if Executive’s Separation from Service is effected in contemplation of such Change in Control. Executive also will be entitled to receive the Change in Control Severance Benefits described in this Section 2 if Executive incurs a Separation from Service due to Company’s termination of Executive’s employment with Company without Cause or due to Executive’s termination of employment with Company for Good Reason during the 24-month period following the occurrence of a Change in Control.

The Change in Control Severance Benefits described in this Section 2 will not be payable if Executive’s employment is terminated for Cause, if Executive voluntarily terminates Executive’s employment without Good Reason, or if Executive’s employment is terminated by reason of Executive’s “Disability” (as defined in Section 6) or Executive’s death. In addition, the Change in Control Severance Benefits will not be payable if Executive’s employment is terminated by Executive or Company for any or no reason more than six-months prior to the occurrence of a Change in Control or more than 24 months following the occurrence of a Change in Control. The Change in Control Severance Benefits also will not be payable if Executive’s employment is terminated within six-months prior to a Change in Control if such termination is effected for reasons other than in contemplation of a Change in Control.

Further, as noted in Section 2(f), a transfer to an Affiliate is not a Separation from Service for purposes of this Agreement.

(b)  Change in Control Severance Benefits . If Executive is entitled to receive Change in Control Severance Benefits pursuant to Section 2(a), the Change in Control Severance Benefits provided to Executive pursuant to the terms of this Agreement will consist of the following:

(i) A single lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to one and one-half times the greater of (a) Executive’s annualized base salary as of the date of Executive’s Separation from Service or (b) Executive’s annualized base salary in effect immediately prior to any material diminution in Executive’s base salary following the execution of this Agreement.

(ii) A single lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to one and one-half times the average payment to which Executive was entitled pursuant to the UniSource Energy Corporation Performance Enhancement Plan or any successor plan (the “Incentive Compensation Plan”) for the three calendar years immediately preceding the calendar year in which Executive’s Separation from Service occurs. If, during each of the three calendar years prior to the year in which Executive’s Separation from Service occurs, Executive was not eligible to (a) participate in the Incentive Compensation Plan or (b) receive a payment pursuant to the Incentive Compensation Plan based on Executive’s pay grade level in effect at the time of Executive’s Separation from Service, then Executive’s target payment under the Incentive Compensation Plan for the year of Executive’s Separation from Service will be used to calculate the amount to which Executive is entitled pursuant to this paragraph (ii) in lieu of the average payment for the preceding three years.

 

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(iii) A single lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to a prorated portion (based on the number of calendar days that have elapsed during the calendar year prior to the date of Executive’s Separation from Service) of the payment to which Executive would be entitled under the Incentive Compensation Plan (had Executive’s Separation from Service not occurred) for the calendar year in which Executive’s Separation from Service occurs. The payment due pursuant to this paragraph (iii) will be based on Executive’s target payment under the Incentive Compensation Plan for the year in which Executive’s Separation from Service occurs.

(iv) A single lump sum cash payment in the amount of the payment, if any, to which Executive is entitled under the Incentive Compensation Plan (based on Executive’s actual performance) for the year prior to the year in which the Executive’s Separation from Service occurs, to the extent Executive has not yet received such payment from Company.

(v) The continuation of any health, life, disability or other insurance benefits that Executive was receiving as of Executive’s last day of active employment for a period expiring on the earlier of (a) 18 months following Executive’s Separation from Service or, if Executive’s Separation from Service occurs within six months prior to the occurrence of a Change in Control, for the 18 months following the date on which the Change in Control occurs or (b) the day on which Executive becomes eligible to receive any substantially similar benefits, on a benefit-by-benefit basis, under any plan or program of any successor employer. The continuation of any health, life, disability or other insurance benefits shall run concurrently with Executive’s COBRA continuation coverage for health benefits. Company will satisfy the obligation to provide the health insurance benefits pursuant to this paragraph (v) by either paying for or reimbursing Executive for the employer’s portion of the COBRA premium (and Executive shall cooperate with Company in all respects in securing and maintaining such benefits, including exercising all appropriate COBRA elections and complying with all terms and conditions of such coverage in a manner to minimize the cost). In the event Executive’s right to Company’s continued payment for the employer’s portion of health insurance benefits extends beyond the applicable COBRA coverage period, Company will satisfy the obligation to provide the health insurance benefits by either paying for or reimbursing Executive for the employer’s portion of premiums for health insurance benefits that are comparable to those Executive receives during the COBRA continuation period. Company also will reimburse Executive for the employer’s portion of the cost of comparable coverage for all other insurance benefits that are not subject to the COBRA continuation rules. It will be Executive’s responsibility to procure such benefits and Company will promptly reimburse Executive for the employer’s portion of the premiums for such benefits upon Executive’s submission of an invoice or other acceptable proof of payment. For purposes of this Agreement, the “employer’s portion” is an amount equal to the cost of Company’s corresponding coverage for the applicable benefit for an active employee at Executive’s level at the time of Executive’s Separation from Service.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Executive has elected a health care option pursuant to which Company has agreed to make contributions to Executive’s Health Savings Account, then Company will pay to Executive a single lump sum cash payment in an amount equal to the contributions that Company would have made to Executive’s Health Savings Account during the 18-month benefit continuation period described above had Executive not incurred a Separation from Service.

(c)  Timing of Lump Sum Change in Control Severance Benefits . The lump sum Change in Control Severance Benefit payments described in Sections 2(b)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) that become payable due to Executive’s Separation from Service within the six-month period prior to a Change in Control will be paid to Executive within 20 days following the later of the (1) date on which the Change in Control occurs or (2) the expiration of the revocation period provided in the release required pursuant to Section 2(d). In the event Executive becomes entitled to the Change in Control Severance Benefit payments described above as a result of Executive’s Separation from Service within the 24-month period following a Change in Control, such payments will be paid to Executive within 20 days following the later of (1) the date of Executive’s Separation from Service or (2) the expiration of the revocation period provided in the release required pursuant to Section 2(d). The payment provisions set forth in this Section 2(c) are subject to the provisions of Section 8(b) (which generally requires a six-month delay in payments to a Specified Employee), if applicable.

(d)  Release Agreement . In order to receive the Change in Control Severance Benefits described in this Section 2, Executive must execute (and not revoke) any release reasonably requested by Company of any claims that Executive may have against Company or any Affiliate in connection with Executive’s employment with Company and/or any Affiliate or otherwise. The release shall be provided to Executive within five days following the occurrence of a Change in Control, in the event Executive’s Separation from Service occurs during the six-month period prior to the occurrence of a Change in Control. The release shall be provided to Executive within five days following Executive’s Separation from Service, in the event such Separation from Service occurs during the 24-month period following the occurrence of a Change in Control. If Executive is 40 years of age or older, Executive shall have either 21 or 45 calendar days (with the exact amount of time to be specified by Company in the release) following the date the release is given to Executive to sign and return the release to Company. If Executive is 40 years of age or older, then within seven calendar days after delivery of the release to Company by Executive, Executive shall be entitled to revoke the release by returning the signed copy or counterpart original of the release to Company. The returned release shall include Executive’s written signature in a space provided thereon, indicating his or her decision to revoke the release. The revocation of a previously signed and delivered release pursuant to the above shall be deemed to constitute an irrevocable election by Executive to have declined to receive Change in Control Severance Benefits pursuant to this Agreement. If Executive is younger than 40 years of age, Executive shall have ten calendar days following the date the release is given to Executive to sign and return the release to Company. If Executive is younger than 40 years of age, Executive shall not be entitled to revoke the release.

(e)  Compliance with Covenants . Executive’s receipt of the Change in Control Severance Benefits described in this Section 2 also is expressly conditioned upon Executive’s continued compliance with the provisions of Section 10 ( Intellectual Property ) and Section 11 ( Restrictive Covenants ).

 

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(f)  Transfers to Affiliates . In order to receive the Change in Control Severance Benefits, Executive must incur a Separation from Service with Company which, as noted below, generally requires Executive’s Separation from Service with UniSource Energy Corporation and all of its Affiliates. As a result, a transfer to an Affiliate will not be treated as a Separation from Service for purposes of this Agreement. For purposes of determining whether a transfer constitutes Good Reason for Executive’s Separation from Service pursuant to Section 5, a transfer shall be treated the same as a reassignment within Company.

(g)  “Affiliate” Defined . For purposes of this Agreement, the term “Affiliate” shall have the meaning assigned in Treas. Reg. § 1.409A-1(h)(3) (which generally requires 50% common ownership).

(h)  Employment by Successor . For purposes of this Agreement, employment by a successor of Company or a successor of one of its Affiliates shall be considered to be employment by Company or one of its Affiliates. As a result, if Executive is employed by such a successor following a Change in Control, Executive will not be entitled to receive the Change in Control Severance Benefits provided by this Section 2 unless Executive subsequently incurs a Separation from Service with the successor either without Cause or for Good Reason within 24 months following the Change in Control.

(i)  Non-Duplication of Benefits . Except as otherwise provided in Section 2(j), the right to receive any Change in Control Severance Benefits under this Agreement is specifically conditioned upon the Executive either waiving or being ineligible for any and all benefits under any other severance, retention or change in cont


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