Special Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
April 19, 2022
A meeting of Commissioners of Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County was held at Clark Public Utilities, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington, on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.
Present: Executive Assistant Information Services Colleen Mulligan
Present via digital conference (phone or video): President Nancy Barnes, Vice President Jane Van Dyke and Secretary Jim Malinowski Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, Director of Employee Resources Nichole Reitzenstein, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Information Services Jeff Groff, Director of Water Doug Quinn, General Counsel John Eldridge, Senior Communications Manager Heather Allmain, GIS/Joint Use Manager Ben Jarrell, Education Engagement Specialist Amber Hall, Communications Coordinator Michael O’Loughlin and Media Specialist Dameon Pesanti.
Press representatives: None
Others present via digital conference (phone or video): Don Steinke, Alona Steinke, Cathryn Chudy, Rick Marshall, Gordon Hall, Mark Hughey, Diana Gordon and Randal Freidman.
At 9:00 a.m., President Barnes called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business. Commissioner Barnes noted a quorum was present and the agenda was approved as presented (Materials A).
Public Comment
The following represents a brief summary of comments made by members of the public in attendance:
Don Steinke provided comments on the Utility’s Integrated Resource Plan and the importance of updating it to reflect recent electric vehicle laws that have been enacted in Washington and the growth in electric vehicle ownership in Clark County. Mr. Steinke encouraged the utility to be a partner in the growth of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Alona Steinke provided her thoughts on the new solar law, the possibility of the utility doing some advertising to make customers aware of the law, and she looks forward to learning more about the Green Lights Program.
Rick Marshall shared his thoughts regarding use of gas, encouraged everyone to use less of it and said he would like the utility to support more electric transportation and offer free charging to employees.
Cathryn Chudy shared her thoughts on an article from the National Center for Atmospheric Science regarding carbon monoxide and she would like the utility to stop investing money in the River Road Generating Plant.
Randal Freidman shared his thoughts on electric aviation and would like the utility to move back to in person meetings as soon as possible.
Members of the public Don Steinke, Alona Steinke, Rick Marshall and Cathryn Chudy provided written comments. Copies of these comments in their entirety may be obtained by contacting Margaret Anderson at [email protected] or 360-992-3378.
Consideration of the Minutes of April 5, 2022
There were no changes.
Consideration of Accounts Payable
The board, by a unanimous vote, approved the following payment amounts as listed on the Letter of Transmittal dated April 19, 2022 from the District Auditor (Materials B):
Electric Revenue Fund – $6,644,573.38
Water Revenue Fund – $276,655.62
Generating System Fund – $655,010.92
For a total of $7,576,239.92
Review of Small Cell Antenna Rate Schedule
Director of Engineering Cal Morris provided the board a review of the proposed Small Cell Antenna Rate Schedule (Materials C). Mr. Morris shared the current rate schedule approval timeline and an update on the progress that has already been made with pole attachment rates and agreements. A summary of wireless communications was provided outlining Macro Cell, Small Cell and the backhaul system.
Mr. Morris reviewed the proposed new rate schedule that would be created, Schedule 40. This schedule is a three tier approach and would be billed monthly, $0.077 per kWh, $25 basic charge and estimated energy use based on connected equipment.
Commissioners look forward to public comment and potential approval of the new rate schedule at the May 3, 2022 public hearing.
Commissioner Reports and Comments
Commissioners Barnes, Van Dyke and Malinowski all reported on their attendance at the Washington PUD Association meetings. Commissioner Van Dyke was congratulated for her election to Secretary of the Washington PUD Association Board.
Staff Reports
Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix and Director of Communications Erica Erland all reported on their departments performance during the recent April snowstorm.
Communications Coordinator Michael O’Loughlin provided the board with an update on the newly planted pollinator project garden at Operations (Materials D).
Education Engagement Specialist Amber Hall previewed the new PowerZone educational website for the board.
Director of Water Doug Quinn provided an update on the disruption of the water back up system during the snowstorm.
Public Comment
There were no additional public comments.
Other Business before the Board
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:10 a.m.