Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
December 20, 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, December 20, 2022.
Present: President Nancy Barnes, Vice President Jane Van Dyke, Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Information Services Jeff Groff, Director of Employee Resources Nichole Reitzenstein, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, General Counsel John Eldridge, Business Applications Manager Julie Landry, Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker, Customer Experience Manager Cameron Daline, Community Engagement Specialist Morgan Van Fleet, Communications Coordinator Molly Casteel and Assistant to the CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.
Staff present via digital conference (phone or video): Secretary Jim Malinowski, Director of
Operations Gene Morris, Media Specialist Dameon Pesanti and Director of Water Doug Quinn.
Others present via digital conference (phone or video) or in person: Rick Marshall, Tom/Diana Gordon and Don Steinke.
Press representatives: None
At 9:00 a.m., President Barnes called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business
and noted a quorum was present and the agenda was approved. (Materials A).
Public Comment
The following represents a brief summary of comments made by members of the public in attendance:
Don Steinke provided comment on the price of solar, the Department of Energy’s report on the Inflation Reduction Act and his desire for Clark Public Utilities to do its own solar installation rather than a community solar project.
Written comments were submitted by Don Steinke and a copy may be obtained by contacting Margaret Anderson at [email protected] or 360-992-3378.
Consideration of the Minutes of December 6, 2022
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 December 20, 2022 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $12,454,885.97 Water Revenue Fund – $327,753.17 Generating System Fund – $338,600.51
For a total of $13,121,239.65
Consideration of a Resolution Reorganizing the Board of Commissioner Chairs for 2023
Commissioner Barnes moved to nominate Commissioner Van Dyke as President, Commissioner Malinowski as Vice President and Commissioner Barnes as Secretary effective January 1, 2023. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Van Dyke and passed unanimously (Materials D).
Consideration of 2022 Committee Assignments
Commissioners reviewed current committee assignments and following discussion, Commissioner Barnes moved to change the Columbia River Economic Development Council assignment from Commissioner Van Dyke to Commissioner Barnes and to keep the remaining committee assignments the same as in 2022 (Materials E), Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it unanimously passed.
Consideration of Resolutions of Intent to Establish LUD Nos. 1447, 1448 and 1457
Director of Engineering Cal Morris addressed the board regarding the Intent to Establish Local Utility District Nos. 1447, 1448 and 1457.
Resolution No. 7757 – LUD No. 1447 – Royal Glen
Resolution No. 7758 – LUD No. 1448 – Si-Ellen Farms PH 3&4
Resolution No. 7759 – LUD No. 1457 – Erin’s Meadow
After the presentation by Mr. Morris Commissioner Barnes opened for public comment. There being no comment, a motion was made by Commissioner Van Dyke seconded by Commissioner Malinowski, and unanimously carried that Resolution Nos. 7757 – 7759 be adopted and a public hearing was set for January 17, 2023 (Materials F).
Consideration of Interlocal Agreements with the City of Vancouver and Clark County – Overhead Electric Line Relocations
Director of Engineering Cal Morris reviewed the interlocal agreements between the City of Vancouver and Clark County for the NE 68th Street combined road improvement project (Materials G).
Mr. Morris outlined the project timeline, buy America requirements and the estimated cost of the project which is $253,125.36 with $22,947.97 reimbursable by the City and $30,129.32 reimbursable by the County. Staff recommended approval of the two interlocal agreements.
Commissioner Van Dyke moved to approve the interlocal agreements with the City of Vancouver and Clark County as presented. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 640 – UG Line Work – City of Camas 38th Ave Project
Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker reviewed the memo dated December 20, 2022 detailing the bid results (Materials G). Commissioner Van Dyke moved to recommend that Bid No. 640 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder DJ’s Electrical, Inc., in the amount of
$333,350 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
Commissioner Reports and Comments
Commissioner Malinowski reported on his attendance at the Energy Northwest meeting.
Commissioner Van Dyke reported on her attendance at both of the employee appreciation breakfast events last week and the recent FUEL meeting presented by the Public Power Council.
Commissioner Barnes congratulated staff on the Utility being name highest among mid-sized electric utilities in the West for customer satisfaction by J.D. Power 15 years in a row.
Staff Reports
Customer Experience Manager Cameron Daline and Business Applications Manager Julie Landry reviewed the recent distribution of the Washington State Utility Arrearage Proviso. Clark Public Utilities was allocated $4,622,074; these funds were distributed to 13,264 customers.
Commissioners thanked staff for all their hard work with the Department of Commerce that began back in December of 2021, noting the contract was finally signed early this month and distribution occurred on December 8, 2022.
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 10:18 a.m.