Meeting of Commissioners of
Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County, Washington
August 21, 2018

A meeting of Commissioners of Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark County was held at the Electric Center, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, Washington, on Tuesday, August 21 at the hour of 9:00 a.m.

Present: President Jim Malinowski, Vice President Nancy Barnes, Secretary Jane Van Dyke Commissioners, CEO/General Manager Wayne Nelson, Director of Information Services Mike Harris, Director of Customer Service Lisa Fix, Director of Operations Dan Krebs, Director of Engineering Cal Morris, Interim Director of Finance Melissa Ankeny, Director of Energy Resources Dan Bedbury, Corporate Communications Manager Erica Erland, Accounting Manager Jackie Maddux, ComCare Manager Gretchen Alexander, NERC Compliance Manger Jack Stamper, Water Engineering Manager Russ Knutson, Energy Services Project Manager Matt Babbitts, Key Accounts Manager Bart Hansen, Marketing Communications Coordinator Maxie Mayer, ComCare Programs Support Specialist Jonathan Hardy and Assistant to CEO/General Manager Margaret Anderson.

Press Representatives: None

Others Present: Sherry Erickson, Don Steinke, Rick Marshall, Paul Speer, Mike Ellison and Patty Page (Materials A)

At 9:00 a.m., President Malinowski called the meeting to order for the transaction of formal business. Commissioner Malinowski noted a quorum was present and the agenda (Materials B) was approved as submitted.

Consideration of the Minutes of August 7, 2018
There were no changes or corrections.

Public Comment – Non Agenda Items
Don Steinke shared his support of increasing the solar cap (Materials H). Rick Marshall thanked the utility staff for their help on a construction project and is in support of raising the solar cap.

Consideration of Accounts Payable
The board, by a unanimous vote, approved the following payment amounts as listed on the Letter of Transmittal dated August 21, 2018, from the District Auditor:

Electric Revenue Fund – $17,725,061.14
Water Revenue Fund – $673,336.41
Generating System Fund – $459,500.73

For a total of $18,857,898.28

Consideration of Resolutions of Intent to Establish LUD Nos. 1321, 1344 and 1347
Director of Engineering Cal Morris addressed the board regarding the Intent to Establish Local Utility District Nos. 1321, 1344 and 1347.

Resolution No. 7485 – LUD No. 1321 – Riverdell PH 3
Resolution No. 7486 – LUD No. 1344 – The Landing at Salmon Creek
Resolution No. 7487 – LUD No. 1347 – Meadows at 58th

After the presentation by Mr. Morris, Commissioner Malinowski opened for public comment. There being no comment, a motion was made by Commissioner Van Dyke, seconded by Commissioner Barnes, and unanimously carried that Resolution Nos. 7485 – 7487 be adopted and a public hearing was set for September 18, 2018 (Materials C).

Consideration of Transmission Operator Services Agreement with Bonneville Power Administration
Director of Engineering Cal Morris reviewed the history of Transmission Operator Services (TOP) and the utility relationship with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as it applies to TOP (Materials D). Mr. Morris then provided the board with an overview of the operational changes and the proposed agreement with BPA to perform TOP Services on behalf of Clark Public Utilities.

Commissioner Van Dyke moved to give the general manager the authority to sign BPA’s Transmission Operator Services Agreement, providing NERC TOP Services for Clark Public Utilities. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Energy Assistance Review and Consideration of Update to the Operation Warm Heart Resolution
ComCare Manager Gretchen Alexander provided a review of the utility’s energy assistance programs (Materials E). The review provided to-date and historical data on the Senior Rate Credit, LIHEAP, Guarantee of Service Program, Operation Warm Heart and the tax credit use for emergency heat source repairs. Ms. Alexander then proposed removing the exclusion of customers that receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or subsidized housing from the Operation Warm Heart Program.

Commissioner Van Dyke moved to update the Resolution for the Operation Warm Heart Program to remove the exclusion for TANF and subsidized housing recipients effective September 1, 2018. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

Consideration of Distributed Generation and Net Metering Policy
Energy Services Project Manager Matt Babbitts provided a review of net metering, Washington State incentive history and the utility’s current installed capacity (Materials F). Mr. Babbitts indicated that staff estimates the existing net metering cap could be exceeded during the calendar year based on the projects in the pipeline.  A review of the financial impact of net metering was provided, this review included an estimate of annual staff costs related to solar.

Key Accounts Manager Bart Hansen then provided the board with a review of net metering, net billing and buy all sell all. Following the review, Mr. Hansen outlined five options staff compiled to address net metering; discontinue net metering, unlimited net metering, new net metering cap, net billing or buy all/sell all. It was staff’s recommendation to move to net billing.

Members of the public Mike Ellison, Paul Speer and Patty Page all provided input regarding the solar installations and expressed support for increasing the cap and not moving to net billing. The board thanked them for their comments.

Commissioner Barnes moved to approve staff’s recommendation of net billing for new solar customers, Commissioner Van Dyke seconded the motion for purpose of discussion. Following discussion Commissioner Barnes withdrew her motion and Commissioner Van Dyke moved to raise the cap to 1.5% of 1996 peak demand and leave net metering as is. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion with the understanding that net billing and its impact to the full customer base be looked at in the future. The motion passed unanimously.

Consideration of Resolution for the General Manager Salary
Commissioners provided a review of CEO/General Manager Wayne Nelson’s performance over the past year. Each expressed appreciation for Mr. Nelson’s leadership and recognition for the multiple prestigious awards for customer satisfaction, reliability and safety. They noted these awards do not happen by accident.

After commending Mr. Nelson for the outstanding performance over the last year, Commissioner Van Dyke presented a motion to adopt Resolution No. 7484 (Materials G) setting CEO/General Manager Wayne Nelson’s annual salary at $288,400 effective July 1, 2018. The resolution also included a car allowance of $400 per month and the same benefits afforded to all employees. Commissioner Barnes seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

Commissioner Reports and Comments
Commissioner Malinowski commented that he enjoyed the article on Blockchain from Terry Oliver. Commissioners Barnes and Van Dyke agreed.

Staff Reports
There were no staff reports.

Public Comment
There were no public comments.

Other Business before the Board
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 11:55 a.m.