Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
February 7, 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, February 7, 2023.
Present: President Jane Van Dyke, Vice President Jim Malinowski, Secretary Nancy Barnes Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, Community Engagement Specialist Morgan Van Fleet, Power Manager Steve Andersen, Benefits Manager Nerissa Fallon, Senior Communications Manager Heather Allmain, Marketing and Events Specialist Maxie Mayer, Customer Experience Manager Cameron Daline, Facilities Manager Wade Hammerstrom, Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker, Facilities Worker Bryon Ledin, Office Manager – Water Sarah Robinson and Assistant to the CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.
Staff present via digital conference (phone or video): PIO/Media Specialist Dameon Pesanti.
Others present via digital conference (phone or video) or in person: Bryan Kast, Don Steinke, Rick Marshall, Mark Spalinger – JD Power, Chris Thobaben, Thomas/Diane Gordon, Charlene Shelfer.
Press representatives: Lauren Ellenbecker – Columbian.
At 9:00 a.m., President Van Dyke called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business and noted a quorum was present 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 provided comments on community solar, the Inflation Reduction Act available cash benefits and House Bill 1509, a new community solar bill.
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 January 17, 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 February 7, 2023 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $41,498,692.13
Water Revenue Fund – $845,176.09
Generating System Fund – $8,760,260.56
For a total of $51,104,128.78
Employee Service Award
Director of Operations Gene Morris introduced Bryon Ledin, Facilities Worker. Bryon was recognized for 20 years of service (Materials D).
J.D. Power Presentation
Mark Spalinger, JD Power Director, Utilities Intelligence, addressed the board (Materials E). Mr. Spalinger gave an overview of the categories included in the 2022 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study and discussed where Clark Public Utilities ranked in each of those categories, both in the West and nationally. He congratulated the utility on being ranked highest in customer satisfaction among mid-sized electric utilities in the West for the fifteenth year in a row, placing 1st in every category.
Electronic communication surrounding outages, awareness of vegetation management and media recall are areas that Mr. Spalinger indicated customers are becoming more interested in and the utility could increase efforts.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 642 – Transmission System Protective Relay Control Panels
Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker reviewed the memo dated February 7, 2023 detailing the bid results (Materials F). Commissioner Malinowski moved to recommend that Bid No. 642 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. in the amount of $204,045.00 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Participation in the Western Resource Adequacy Program
Power Manager Steve Andersen reviewed the presentation (Materials G) that outlined Clark Public Utilities’ participation to date in The Energy Authority’s Load Responsible Entity program.
Mr. Andersen outlined Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP) governance, the program timeline and how it will provide capacity procurement opportunities for Clark Public Utilities. These services provided by The Energy Authority would be added to the current service agreement between the two parties.
Staff is recommending that Clark Public Utilities join The Energy Authority’s Load Responsible Entity program that will allow the Utility to participate in the WRAP. Commissioner Barnes moved to authorize CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler to execute Task Order 3 WRAP services as part of the Clark Public Utilities and The Energy Authority Resource Management Agreement. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Commission Reports and Comments
Commissioners Van Dyke and Barnes reported on their attendance at the Public Power Council meeting and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee meetings.
Commissioner Malinowski reported on his attendance at the Energy Northwest meetings.
Staff Reports
Marketing and Events Specialist Maxie Mayer provided the board with an update on the ninth annual Race for Warmth held on Sunday, January 29, 2023. Ms. Mayer reported there were 1525 registered racers that raised over $61,000 for Operation Warm Heart through registration fees, Burgerville customer donations and raffle ticket sales.
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 11:00 a.m.