Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
August 15, 2023
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, August 15, 2023.
Present: President Jane Van Dyke, Vice President Jim Malinowski, Secretary Nancy Barnes Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Operations/Interim Director of Water Gene Morris, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Director of Information Services Jeff Groff, General Counsel John Eldridge, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, Power Manager Steve Andersen, Benefits Manager Nerissa Fallon, Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker, Transmission and Distribution Manager Brian Roden, Manager of Engineering and System Planning Ryan Kerr, Engineering Manager – Water Russ Knutson, Senior Civil Engineer – Water Barry Lovingood, Foreman Kent Sarkinen, Foreman Jesse McClellan and Assistant to the CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.
Staff present via digital conference (phone or video): PIO/Media Specialist Dameon Pesanti, Community Engagement Specialist Morgan Van Fleet.
Others present via digital conference (phone or video) or in person: Gordon Matthews, Peter Harrison, Don Steinke, Rick Marshall, Tom Gordon, and Chris Thobaben.
Press representatives: None
At 9:00 a.m., President Van Dyke called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business and the agenda was approved (Materials B).
Public Comment
The following represents a brief summary of comments made by members of the public in attendance:
Don Steinke commented on the Clark Public Utilities Solar East project email he received and the low income funding available from the federal government, noting the Department of Commerce would be submitting an application for the State of Washington.
Rick Marshall shared that he too received the email about the Community Solar East project and thank the utility for the marketing of the project. Mr. Marshall also provided comments on our rate structure and his concern that rates are not matching inflation.
Peter Harrison shared that there are small modular reactors in operation in China, and went on to provide commentary on the history of XE100 and HTR’s.
Gordon Matthews provided comments on Community Solar East, Bonneville Power Administration hydro system underperformance and a suggested change to our community solar contract.
If written comments are submitted, they may be obtained by contacting Margaret Anderson at [email protected] or 360-992-3378.
Consideration of the Minutes of August 1, 2023
The minutes were approved as presented.
Consideration of Accounts Payable
The board, by a unanimous vote, approved the following payment amounts as listed on the Letter of Transmittal dated August 15, 2023 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $12,268,634.09
Water Revenue Fund – $1,315,381.46
Generating System Fund – $561,098.32
For a total of $14,145,113.87
Employee Service Awards
Director of Operations/Interim Director of Water Gene Morris introduced the following employees (Materials D).
• Foreman, Kent Sarkinen was recognized for 30 years of service
• Foreman, Jesse McClellan was recognized for 20 years of service
• Senior Civil Engineer-Water, Barry Lovingood was recognized for 20 years of service
• Engineering Manager-Water, Russ Knutson was recognized for 20 years of service
Consideration of Bid Award No. 658 – Water System Improvements – NE 119th St & Ne 152nd Ave
Director of Operations/Interim Director of Water Gene Morris reviewed the memo dated August 15, 2023 detailing the bid results (Materials E). Commissioner Barnes moved to recommend that Bid No. 658 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder Tapani, Inc. in the amount of $926,240 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Water Bond Introduction
Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny provided the board with an outline of the upcoming Water System revenue and refunding bond process (Materials F). Ms. Ankeny defined the project team, bond sale schedule and purpose of the bond. A five-year capital improvement plan was also reviewed.
June Financials
Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny addressed the board (Materials G). Weather was warmer and drier than normal, which resulted in electric revenues and off system sales both coming in above budget. June residential sales were 105% of budget, commercial sales were 106% and industrial sales were 95.3% of budget. June ended with a net income loss of $2.7 million compared to a budgeted net income loss of $266,000. Year-to-date net income loss is $7.8 million compared to a budgeted net income of $9.6 million.
Second quarter updates were provided on conservation spending, accounts receivable balance and aging along with capital spending summaries for the Electric, Generating and Water systems.
The Water System ended June with 526 new customers, which is a growth rate of 2.6% year-to-date. June ended with a net income of $615,000 compared to a budgeted net income of $171,000. Year-to-date net income is $877,000 compared to a budgeted net income loss of $1.0 million.
June Wholesale Operations
Power Manager Steve Andersen addressed the board (Materials H). Mr. Andersen provided an update on power supply noting that Slice generation was 72 average MW below budget and loads in June were 15 average MW above budget. Slice generation was 52% less than the budget of 210 aMW and 41% less than The Energy Authority forecast of 194 aMW. June had the second highest peak demand and the third hottest temperatures in the last 25 years.
Mr. Andersen reviewed volume run-off, wind production and June gas prices during the month. June net metering generation was 3.1 aMW.
Commission Reports and Comments
Commissioner Barnes reported on her attendance at the Public Power Council meetings, the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee meetings and reminded everyone that the Columbia Springs Hooked on Nature event is on September 9.
Commissioner Malinowski reported on his attendance at the Energy Northwest task force meeting.
Staff Reports
There were no staff reports.
Other Business before the Board
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 a.m.