Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
June 7, 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, June 7, 2022.
Present: 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 Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Information Services Jeff Groff, Director of Water Doug Quinn, General Counsel John Eldridge, Power Manager Steve Andersen, Training and Development Manager Gretchen Alexander, Community Engagement Specialist Morgan Van Fleet and Assistant to CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.
Present via digital conference (phone or video): Media Specialist Dameon Pesanti and Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker.
Press representatives: None
Others present via digital conference (phone or video) or in person: Don Steinke, Alona Steinke Cathryn Chudy, Rick Marshall, Carol Dillin, Eric Hall, Dave Anderson, Peter Harrision, Chris Thobaben and Marc Berg.
At 9:00 a.m., President Barnes called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business and noted a quorum was present, 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:
Cathryn Chudy provided comment on a recent oceanic study citing fossil fuels as a contributing factor to the decline of the health of oceans. Ms. Chudy also provided comments regarding the passage of the City of Vancouver’s climate priority resolution.
Don Steinke thanked the Utility for its commitment to move forward with Advanced Metering Infrastructure and looks forward to a clear explanation of the recently passed Community Solar bill.
Alona Steinke shared her concern for the television advertising from Northwest River Partners about the Lower Snake River Dams.
Chris Thobaben shared his desire to have the board vote to have senior Utility staff work with him and Foresee Broadband in support of the Clark County Broadband effort.
Peter Harrison provided comment in support of new nuclear technology and how it aligns with planning for a carbon free portfolio. Mr. Harrsion provided a summary of improved safety technology within the nuclear industry.
If members of the public have 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 May 17, 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 June 7, 2022 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $25,435,008.95
Water Revenue Fund – $887,714.97
Generating System Fund – $583,151.29
For a total of $26,905,875.21
Consideration of Resolution of Intent to Establish LUD No. 1431 and 1440
Director of Engineering Cal Morris addressed the board regarding the Intent to Establish Local Utility District Nos. 1431 and 1440.
Resolution No. 7723 – LUD No. 1431 – Parker’s Landing
Resolution No. 7724 – LUD No. 1440 – 124th Avenue Cottages
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. 7723 and 7724 be adopted and a public hearing was set for July 5, 2022 (Materials D).
Disposal 109 – Surplus Material
Materials and Purchasing Manager Cathy Wannamaker reviewed the memo dated June 7, 2022 outlining the proposed Disposal 109 – Surplus Material (Materials E). Staff recommended selling a portion of the #2 Cu, 7-Str, Soft-Drawn, 1C, 600V, HMP conductor to NW Natural Gas and disposing of the balance of the conductor through Calbag for scrap value.
Commissioner Malinowski moved to dispose of the surplus materials as presented, Commissioner Van Dyke seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
April Financials
Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny addressed the board (Materials F). April weather was colder and wetter than normal, which resulted in electric revenues coming in above budget and off system sales above budget. March residential sales were 113.7% of budget, commercial sales were 106.2% and industrial sales were 104.7% of budget. April ended with a net income of $91,000 compared to a budgeted net income of $923,000. Year-to-date net income is $20.5 million compared to a budgeted net income of $10.0 million.
The Water System ended April with 305 new customers year-to-date, which is a growth rate of 2.34%. April ended with a net income loss of $132,000 compared to a budgeted loss of $329,000. Year-to-date net income loss is $872,000 compared to a budgeted net income loss of $1.2 million.
April Wholesale Operations
Power Manager Steve Andersen addressed the board (Materials G). Mr. Andersen updated the board on power supply noting that Slice generation was 31 aMW above budget and loads in April were 50 aMW above budget. Mid-C average was $71.00 MWh and Sumas daily gas average was $6.30 per MMBtu.
Mr. Andersen shared that cold weather has delayed spring runoff which is expected to last well into July, prices are expected to escalate sharply once the runoff if over.
River Road Generating Plant was taken offline on April 29, 2022 for a schedule maintenance outage. Other than testing on June 11, it is expected to remain offline through the month of June.
Commissioner Reports and Comments
Commissioner Malinowski reported on his attendance at the Clark Community College groundbreaking event for the Renewable Energy program.
Commissioner Van Dyke reported on her attendance at the Economic Forecast Breakfast and the Northwest Public Power Association Annual Meeting.
Commissioner Barnes reported on her attendance at the Economic Forecast Breakfast, Public Power Council Members Forum and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee meeting.
Staff Reports
There were no staff reports.
Public Comment
There were no additional public comments.
With no public comments to come before the board, the meeting was recessed into executive session at 10:40 a.m. in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act. RCW 42.30.110 (1)(g) – to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment or to review the performance of a public employee. The executive session was expected to last no longer than 30 minutes and no action was taken during the executive session.
Commissioner Barnes reconvened the public meeting at 11:15 a.m.
Other Business before the Board
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:16 a.m.