Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
March 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, March 7, 2023.
Present: President Jane Van Dyke, Vice President Jim Malinowski, Secretary Nancy Barnes, Commissioners, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Operations Gene Morris, Director of Communications Erica Erland, Director of Information Services Jeff Groff, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Director of Employee Resources Nichole Reitzenstein, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, General Counsel John Eldridge, Community Engagement Specialist Morgan Van Fleet, Power Manager Steve Andersen, Energy Resources Project Manager Matt Babbitts, Construction Services Manager Dana Allen, Customer Service Manager Robert Hill, Customer Service Supervisor Leah Veitenheimer, Water Operations Manager Oscar Maciel, Engineering Manager – Water Russ Knutson, Energy Services Manager Debbie DePetris, Technical Services Manager Ryan Brown 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: Rick Marshall, Don Steinke, Cathryn Chudy, Bryan Kast, Sheri Erickson, Chris Thobaben and Thomas Gordon.
Press representatives: Lauren Ellenbecker
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:
Cathryn Chudy shared her thoughts on the Americans with Disabilities Act and how reports show individuals with disabilities are at higher risk during extreme weather events. Ms. Chudy provided input on energy storage.
Don Steinke shared his support for staff recommendation for the 2022 surplus funds and he reported on his attendance at a Klickitat County Board of Commissioners meeting discussing a moratorium on large scale solar in their county.
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 February 21, 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 March 7, 2023 from the District Auditor (Materials C):
Electric Revenue Fund – $20,394,634.61
Water Revenue Fund – $570,226.72
Generating System Fund – $3,686,925.99
For a total of $24,651,787.32
Consideration of Labor Agreement with IBEW Local 125
Director of Operations Gene Morris reviewed the memo dated March 3, 2023 (Materials D). Updates to the agreement include adjustments to wages, final cleanup of Letters of Agreement and amendments to working rules. Staff is seeking approval for CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler to sign this three-year agreement.
Commissioner Malinowski moved to allow CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler to sign the new labor agreement with IBEW Local 125, Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Disposal 112 – Surplus Vehicles and Equipment
Director of Operations Gene Morris reviewed the memo dated March 7, 2023 outlining the accumulated vehicles and equipment that have been identified as surplus (Materials E). Staff is looking for approval to use the full service public sale process with J Stout Auctions of Washougal, WA to dispose of these surplus items.
Commissioner Barnes moved to approve the use of J Stout Auctions full service public sale process to prepare the surplus for auction on March 30, 2023. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 647 – Utility Line Crew Trucks
Director of Operations Gene Morris reviewed the memo dated March 7, 2023 detailing the bid results (Materials F). Commissioner Barnes moved to recommend that Bid No. 647 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder Nelson Truck Equipment in the amount of $656,002.12 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Bid Award No. 648 – Street Light Maintenance
Director of Operations Gene Morris reviewed the memo dated March 7, 2023 detailing the bid results (Materials G). Commissioner Barnes moved to recommend that Bid No. 648 be awarded to the low evaluated bidder Magnum Power LLC for the full 3-year contract in the amount of $732,922.00 plus applicable taxes. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Resolutions of Intent to Establish LUD Nos. 1455 and 1458
Construction Services Manager Dana Allen addressed the board regarding the Intent to Establish Local Utility District Nos. 1455 and 1458.
Resolution No. 7772 – LUD No. 1455 – Trails at Whipple Creek
Resolution No. 7773 – LUD No. 1458 – NE 68th St Short Plat
After the presentation by Ms. Allen, Commissioner Van Dyke opened for public comment. There being no comment, a motion was made by Commissioner Malinowski seconded by Commissioner Barnes, and unanimously carried that Resolution Nos. 7772 and 7773 be adopted and a public hearing was set for April 4, 2023 (Materials H).
Consideration of Interlocal Agreements – Street Light Maintenance with the Cities of Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center, Washougal and the Town of Yacolt.
Construction Services Manager Dana Allen reviewed the memo dated March 7, 2023 (Materials I). Ms. Allen provided the board with an overview of these agreements memorializing the scope of maintenance provided, standard materials used and timeliness when responding to city-owned street light issues. It was noted that the Cities of Vancouver and Camas have opted to maintain their city-owned streetlights.
Commissioner Barnes moved to approve interlocal agreements with the Cities of Battle Ground, Ridgefield, La Center, Washougal and the Town of Yacolt for street light maintenance. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure Update
Director of Engineering Cal Morris and Director of Information Services Jeff Groff provided an update on the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project (Materials J). Mr. Morris led off the presentation by outlining our current practices and equipment and shared the proposed AMI metering system and potential equipment options. He provided a brief overview of AMI and how it would integrate with grid modernization efforts, existing systems, and overall AMI features.
Mr. Groff followed up with a high-level review of the information technology considerations with a transition to AMI including the information storage component, the increased attention to cyber security and system improvements needed for the potential adoption of AMI.
A lot of work remains ahead for the project team and the next steps are to do site visits for discussion with other utilities about best practices and lessons learned, and to then further define the project objectives that will determine specifications and system requirements.
Consideration of 2022 Surplus Disposition
Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny reviewed the 2022 surplus amounts in the Electric System and the Water System. CEO/General Manager Lena Wittler provided the board with options for use of each system’s surplus funds (Materials K).
Following discussion, Commissioner Barnes moved to allocate $5.0 million for Electric Discretionary Capital Improvements, $10.0 million for Advanced Metering Infrastructure investment and $10.0 million to increase the Resource Adequacy fund. For accounting purposes, the board moved to transfer $15.0 million from the Electric revolving fund to the Electric capital discretionary and AMI fund as directed, and in 2022 increase the regulatory revenue to $10.0 million by reducing Electric sales to be used as board directed. Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Commissioner Malinowski moved to transfer $1.0 million from the Water Revolving Fund to the Capital Discretionary fund. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Dissolution of the Residential Loan Program
Energy Services Manager Debbie DePetris provided the board with an overview of the loan program history and the program as it operates today (Materials L). With the current climate of lending and the increasing number of comparable financing vehicles available to customers, staff is recommending the dissolution of the loan program effective December 31, 2023. Applications will be accepted through June 1, 2023 to provide time for all pending loans to be completed ahead of the end of the program.
Commissioner Malinowski moved the end the loan program effective December 31, 2023, Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Consideration of Uncollectable Debt Second Half 2022
Customer Service Supervisor Leah Veitenheimer provided the board with an overview of the uncollectable accounts for the second half of 2022 (Materials M). Net losses to revenue are at an all-time historic low but expected to rise due to the stoppage of collection activities during the pandemic. Ms. Veitenheimer requested approval to charge $475,339.00 to uncollectable accounts for the second half of 2022.
Commissioner Barnes moved charge $475,339.00 to uncollectable accounts for the second half of 2022, Commissioner Malinowski seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Commission Reports and Comments
Commissioner Barnes reported on her attendance at the Pacific Northwest Utility Conference Committee.
Commissioner Malinowski reported on his virtual attendance at The Energy Authority Symposium.
Commissioner Van Dyke reported on her attendance at the Washington PUD Association Washington D.C. Legislative Rally and The Energy Authority Symposium.
Staff Reports
There were no staff reports.
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 11:34 a.m.