January 27, 2025
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters January 27, 2025 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, employee guest Kelsey Yada, and Dustin Waugh.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Budget Hearing and the Regular Meeting of December 19, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: A motion was made to appoint Dustin Waugh to fill the vacant board seat due to the resignation of Director Fuchser; motion carried.
Directors Bear, Garrett, Skinner and Waugh read and signed the Oath of Office.
President Ahrens turned the meeting over to Manager Briscoe to conduct the board reorganization process. Manager Briscoe reviewed the current slate of officers and a motion was made to vote on a slate of officers; Director Garrett for President, Director Sandberg for Vice President, Director Bear for Secretary, and Director Christy for Treasurer; motion carried. Manager Briscoe turned the meeting over to President Garrett to conclude the remaining officer position selections.
President Garrett asked for nominations for Assistant Treasurer. A motion was made to elect Director Skinner as Assistant Treasurer; motion carried.
President Garrett asked for nominations for NREA Director, NREA Alternate and Tri-State Director. A motion was made to elect a slate; Director Christy as NREA Director, Manager Briscoe as Alternate and Director Bear as Tri-State Director; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and the safety report for the previous month, along with the Safety Improvement Plan results for 2024. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month.
b. Member Service Representative Tlustos reported on receipt of rebates from Tri-State
back to May 2024 and discussed dates for the Scholarship Committee to review
applications. A date was set for February 20 at 1:00 to include Directors Bear and
Christy.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) virtual attendance for the Tri-State Board Meeting; (2) attendance at the Tri-State Contract Committee Meeting; (3) review of some topics covered at the NRECA CEO Close-Up Conference; (4) review and discussion regarding upgrades being considered at the Sidney Training Facility; and (5) a brief discussion about Tri-State upcoming compliance filing in the CTP docket at FERC which is due February 5, 2025.
District Counsel: At 2:08 District Counsel, Terry Curtiss, joined the meeting.
Meetings Attended: Director Bear reported that although he was not yet officially seated as a Director at Tri-State, he did attend the meeting virtually.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting date was set for Thursday, February 27th, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: A motion was made to enter executive session to litigation matters; motion carried. The board entered executive session at 2:14 and all staff and guests left the meeting. At 5:16 a motion was made to exit executive session; motion carried.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 5:17 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
February 16, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters February 16th at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, and District Counsel Terry Curtiss.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 25, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: A motion was made to appoint Manager Briscoe as Alternate Delegate for the NREA Board of Directors; motion carried.
Manager Briscoe presented a group of old policies and recommended to rescind them. A discussion was held that the policies were either no longer applicable or had been replaced by other policies or procedures. A motion was made to rescind policies O-10 General Conditions of Service, O-21 Idle Service Policy, O-22 Lowering HP while in a 10 Year Contract, O-22A Foreclosure and Bankruptcy Contracts, O-26 Double Throw Switch Policy and O-28 Energy
Conservation; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage report for the previous month.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at an EPRI conference; (2) activities of the NREA Legislative Reception and Board Meeting; (3) some of the topics discussed at the NREA Manager’s Meeting; and (4) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments, along with some next steps expected to occur.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear briefly reported on the Tri-State Board Meeting, a Strategic Planning Session was held, and that Tri-State is up to $38M on its software conversion to date.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Sandberg reported on a Director Class attended which was sponsored by NREA and covered the topic of Electric Vehicles. Director Christy reported on a New Director Orientation he attended which was sponsored by NRECA, Federated, NRTC and CFC.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for March 28th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:21 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President |
____________________________________ Secretary |
March 28, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters March 28th , 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Line Superintendent Trampas Belknap, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, and District Counsel Terry Curtiss.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of February 16, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: Manager Briscoe presented a group of policies to consider. A discussion was held that a couple policies were either no longer applicable or had been replaced by other policies or procedures. However, two were tabled for further future action. A motion was made to rescind policies O-38 Qualified Distributed Generation Facilities and O-39 Hazardous Electrical Conditions on Consumer Side of the Meter, and to table O-30 Capacitors and O-31 Vehicle Use Policy; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Line Superintendent Belknap reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Line Superintendent Belknap reviewed the outage report for the previous month.
b. Office Manager Hindman discussed load control applications that have been received.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at an EPRI conference; (2) attendance at a Basin Manager’s Meeting where Basin projected large load growth through the end of the decade; (3) updated the Board about information presented at the NEGT Board Meeting and projection of future rate increases by NPPD; (4) LaPlata has sent an unconditional notice of withdrawal to Tri-State; and (5) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments and the Basin lawsuit filed in North Dakota, along with some next steps expected to occur.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear briefly reported on the Tri-State Board Meeting, the rate forecasts given to the board out to 2030, and a review of the performance appraisal of Tri-State’s CEO.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for April 25th at 1:00 p.m. and the Vehicle Use Policy will be brought back to the Board.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:28 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President | ____________________________________Secretary |
April 25, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters April 25th, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, employee guest Toby Rasmussen, and CFC Regional Vice President Mike Lewis.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
CFC Update: Mr. Lewis gave a PowerPoint presentation regarding an update of CFC, review of product offerings, upcoming meeting activities, and review of current status of NRPPD’s loan facilities. After his presentation, Mr. Lewis left the meeting.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of March 28, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: Auditors from DeCoria, Blaire and Teague joined the meeting by teleconference to review the 2023 financial audit. After a review and some questions from the Board, the auditors left the meeting. A motion was made to accept the final audit report after some minor edits were made in the footnotes of the report; motion carried.
Manager Briscoe recommended a $1.7M long-term loan advance. Briscoe reviewed options related to term and interest rates and the Board discussed those options. A motion was made to advance $1.7M from the CFC PowerVision facility on a 30-year amortization term with a oneyear repricing option; motion carried.
Manager Briscoe recommended a new line of credit facility to be entered into with CFC in the amount of $8M. The purpose of this line of credit would be in the event immediate funds would be necessary to complete NRPPD’s planned withdrawal from Tri-State G&T. A motion was made to approve the increased amount of CFC’s line of credit by $8M and authorize Manager Briscoe as General Manager and all necessary officers to execute the documents required by
CFC to obtain financing, and for Director Sandberg, as Secretary to certify the actions of the Board to reflect the approval by Northwest Rural Public Power District’s Board of Directors for the new line of credit and obtain funds as necessary; motion carried.
Manager Briscoe recommended the Board authorize the General Manager to execute any necessary documents and take any necessary actions to effectuate NRPPD’s withdrawal from Tri-State G&T. A motion was made to authorize Manager Briscoe to execute the necessary documentation and make necessary payment to Tri-State as recommended by FERC counsel; motion carried.
Policy 405 was presented to the Board for consideration. Policy 405 Heat Safety is a new policy that was recommended to comply with forthcoming best practices directed and expected to be adopted by OSHA. A motion was made to approve Policy 405 Heat Safety, as presented, motion carried.
Policy O-30 Capacitors was discussed. The objective of this policy has already been addressed in other policies and was recommended to be rescinded. A motion was made to rescind Policy O-30 Capacitors; motion carried.
Policy O-31 Vehicle Use was recommended to be tabled. A motion was made to table Policy O-31 Vehicle Use; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
- a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage report for the previous month, informed the board that Brenton Abbot has completed his probation period to qualify for enrollment in the apprentice program, and that NRPPD supplied 4 personnel for mutual aid to Wheat Belt to help restoration efforts of the ice storm in April. The individuals that volunteered for mutual aid were; Cole Coss, Terry Knapp, Kelly Troester and Abe Young.
- b. Office Manager Hindman discussed load control preparations, attendance at an Aclara AMI conference, and expectations that our current AMI system will be supported for the foreseeable future but could be phased out some time later.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Annual Meeting; (2) current legal activities in the Basin lawsuit in ND; and (3) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments along with some next steps expected to occur.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear briefly reported on the Tri-State Annual Meeting and Board Meeting.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for May 23rd at 1:00 p.m. and the Vehicle Use Policy will be brought back to the Board.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 4:23 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President |
____________________________________ Secretary |
May 23, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters May 23rd, 2024 at the hour of 1:05 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marc Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and employee guest Kelly Troester.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Scholarship Presentations: Operations Manager Olson introduced three of the scholarship recipients and each gave a short review of their future plans. Caleb Heck was presented the $500 scholarship from Arbor Wealth Management, Abigail Russell was presented a $500 scholarship sponsored by Tri-State G&T, and Alexa Tonjes was also presented with a $500 scholarship sponsored by Tri-State G&T. Not present was Cody Kahl, the awardee of a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by Basin Electric.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 25, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: The Legilative Bill 1358 was discussed by the Directors and they reviewed actions taken by the Board which last considered Board Member Per Diem in 2000. The bill allows for an increase of the per diem cap from $6,720 to $13,440 for all Board Members except the Board President that increased from $7,560 to $15,120. The bill also provides for an annual cost of living adjustment. After discussion, a motion was made to approve the Board Member and Board President per diem to that maximum beginning January 2025, along with the cost of living increases applied for future years; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage report for the previous month, informed the board that Brenton Abbot has accepted in the apprentice program, and that NRPPD intends to switch firms that provide engineering services to RVW in the next few weeks.
b. Office Manager Hindman discussed the load control program and the Waiver of Meeting Notice for this month’s meeting.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a NREA Manager’s Meeting; (2) current legal activities in the Basin lawsuit in ND; and (3) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments along with some next steps expected to occur.
NREA Board Report: Director Christy reported on attendance at the NREA Board Meeting in Norfolk. Some of the topics he referenced were; the board per diem legislation, increase to $750,000 for sealed bids, conflict of interest disclosure requirements, and allowance for public comments at each meeting.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for June 27th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: District Counsel Curtiss informed the board of a dispute of which NRPPD was served due to an easement associated with property being disputed.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:13 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President | ____________________________________Secretary |
June 27, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters June 27th, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and employee guest Brenton Abbott.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Excuse Director: A motion was made to excuse Director Bear from the meeting; motion carried.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of May 23, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: An agreement was presented to the Board to consider changing engineering services provided to NRPPD. After discussion, a motion was made to accept the agreement for specialized technical services supplied by RVW, Inc. of Columbus, NE; motion carried.
Policy 103, Safety was presented to the board for routine review. No corrections or additions were recommended. A motion was made to approve Policy 103, Safety as presented; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. Olson mentioned a new safety instructor is currently being advertised due to a change in position of the current instructor to NRPPD. Olson also stated a review of the Commitment 2.0 survey results and suggested actions will be presented to the Board in August. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage report for the previous month.
b. Office Manager Hindman discussed NRPPD is currently undergoing changes for SCADA software and email services.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a NREA Manager’s Meeting; (2) attendance at a NEG&T Manager’s Meeting; (3) review of activities at the NEG&T Board Meeting; (4) topics presented at the CFC Forum; and (5) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for July 25th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:40 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ___________________________________ President | ____________________________________Secretary |
July 25, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters July 25th, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and employee guest Abe Young.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 27, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: It was discussed that the NRECA Region VII Meeting in upcoming and delegates needed to be approved. A motion was made to appoint Director Ahrens as delegate and Manager Briscoe as alternate; motion carried.
Also discussed was that the labor union contract will expire at year end and a new committee would be formed to negotiate the new contract. A motion was made to appoint Directors Bear, Christy, and Fuchser to the Negotiating Committee; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Customer Service Representative Tlustos reviewed the Dawes County Fair and 4Hsale. Director Garrett indicated he would attend the fair. Tlustos also reviewed the ongoing recognition of rebates available to customers even though not being reimbursed by Tri-State at this time. Tlustos also recognized the Director Ahrens and his wife Cindy have been selected for induction to the Dawes County Agricultural Hall of Fame and congratulated him.
b. Office Manager Hindman discussed switching of email services away from Basin Electric and that a pilot installation of a new SCADA service will be installed soon with the intention to have all substations using the new service by next year’s irrigation season.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a NEG&T Manager’s Meeting; (2) attendance at the NextGen Coop Alliance Annual Meeting; (3) review of a web conference participation with NPPD executives; and (4) an update on current state of FERC developments and other legal activities associated with exit from Tri-State.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Bear reported on the NEG&T Board Meeting he attended the prior month.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for August 22nd at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: Director Fuchser announced that he is planning to resign from the Board at some point this year, at a time to be determined later.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:43 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
August 24, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters August 22nd, 2024 at the hour of 1:08 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and employee guest Trampas Belknap.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of July 25, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: Policy 510 Privacy of Personal Information was presented to the Board. After discussion to make it clear, a revision was proposed to rename the policy Privacy of Customer Personal Information. A motion was made to approve policy 510 Privacy of Customer Personal Information; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month. He also reviewed the survey results of the crews for the Commitment to Zero 2.0 program and stated the Safety Committee will consider some of the feedback from the survey and incorporate into the Safety Improvement Plan later this year.
b. Line Superintendent Belknap reviewed options for a bucket truck that had been previously approved in the 2024 budget process. It was budgeted at an estimated cost of $500,000 for a customer truck to be delivered in 2029 but another option was available to purchase a stock truck at a price of approximately $270,000 and make some custom changes upon delivery later in 2024 or early 2025. The consensus of the Board was to proceed with the stock truck option.
c. Office Manager Hindman discussed the initial installation of the new SCADA product. Some work to still be completed but generally the installation is going well with an expectation to install additional sites in the near future.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a couple NEG&T Manager’s Meeting; (2) attendance at the NREA quarterly Board Meeting; (3) hosted a MDM meeting of regional utility managers; (4) participation in the Governor’s Ag and Economic Development Workshop for Bio-Energy; (6) reaction to a letter issued to all Tri-State Directors and Managers in response to a Tri-State press release regarding their breach of contract suit in Colorado against NRPPD; (7) an update on the FERC proceedings; and (8) a pro forma review of a 2024 financial forecast using Tri-State’s new rate if FERC grants no relief in the CTP case until next year.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Christy reported on the NREA Board Meeting he attended where some of the discussions and presentations were about the 2023 audit report, 2025 proposed budget, and the legislative review on the special session dealing with property tax relief.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for September 23rd at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: A discussion was had regarding direction from the Board in proceedings related to the settlement discussions at FERC on the Tri-State formulary rate. Also, Counsel Curtiss reviewed the new statute requiring utility to provide certain information about foreign equipment if used within 10 miles of a military installation. It was determined NRPPD has no such facilities at this time.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:33 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
September 23, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters September 23rd, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and employee guest Kelli Anderson.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 22, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: The Board considered a customer request to adopt a net metering rate for irrigation accounts. After discussion it was determined to have Manager Briscoe write a rate for this request and bring it back to the next meeting.
Management presented a situation to the board to consider alternatives for line replacement serving very little load. After lengthy discussion, Manager Briscoe recommended a policy created for the next meeting to further discuss the details of options and the Board consensus was to wait for further information prior to making a decision.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. Olson also reviewed the Safety Improvement Plan results from the last three years and the adjustments being made in next year’s plan to incorporate feedback received from the Commitment to Zero 2.0 employee surveys. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month. Olson also mentioned that no replacement safety instructor has been hired yet but hopefully a candidate will be found in the coming month.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a NEG&T Manager’s Meeting; (2) attendance at the NEG&T board meeting; (3) topics reviewed at the Wester United board meeting; (4) attendance at the NREA Manager’s Meeting and Legal Seminar; and (6) an update on FERC matters.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Bear reported on his attendance at the NEG&T Board Meeting. Director Bear mentioned the last three months costs for members were 55, 69 and 49 mills/kWh compared to Tri-State’s cost to NRPPD between 75 and 80 mills. Director Bear also mentioned that NPPD is narrowing down sites for potential Small Modular Reactor pilot projects in Nebraska and the NEG&T is still working toward a renewable project under the NewERA program.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for October 24th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:43 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
October 24, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters October 24th, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, employee guest Matt Anderson, NREA General Manager Rick Nelson and NREA Board Secretary Dan Scheer.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 23, 2024; motion carried.
NREA Update: NREA General Manager Nelson addressed the Board on a number of topics including; the NE Chamber of Commerce Energy Report, overview of the 2025 NREA Budget, the upcoming Annual Meeting, and a preview of the 2025 legislature. Upon conclusion of his report Mr. Nelson and Mr. Scheer left the meeting.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: Policy 511 Lightly-Loaded, Non-Residential Line Replacement was presented to the Board. The policy addresses line rebuilds where revenue is minimal and payback periods are extremely lengthy. The policy was presented to rebuild such lines in the discretion of NRPPD as if they were new line extensions incorporating the line extension policy for that service type or offer a rebate for a customer to acquire alternative generation equipment. After lengthy consideration a motion was made to approve Policy 511 as presented; motion carried with a nay vote by Director Christy.
Policy 602 Net Meter – Irrigation was also presented to the Board for consideration. The policy makes it available for customers to add distributed generation to an irrigation account and have the usage net metered. After discussion a motion was made to approve Policy 602 as presented; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at the NRECA Regional Meeting; (2) a webinar held to consider changes to the Documents Retention Schedules; and (3) an update on FERC matters.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: The next two meetings were scheduled for November 21 and December 19, both starting at 1:00 pm.
Legal Update: District Counsel Curtiss discussed the Legal Seminar attended in Lincoln. Much of the meeting was focused on Open Meeting Laws, Board Meeting Minutes and Document Retention. Curtiss also reported that he is following the Tri-State Rate Docket and the Basin Rate Dispute Docket at FERC.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:09 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
November 21, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters November 21st, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, employee guest Trampas Belknap, and Dustin Waugh.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 24, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: Manager Briscoe gave an update of the Labor Negotiation Committee session with the IBEW for the 2025 labor contract renewal. Among other items, it was stated that the agreement was negotiated as a one-year agreement with a 4% wage increase. A motion was made to approve the agreement and designate Manager Briscoe to sign the agreement; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a Western United Board Meeting; (2) the Nebraska Power Association annual meeting; (3) participation in an MDM meeting held at PREMA; (4) a discussion about approval at the next meeting for a new PowerVision loan facility in the amount of $5M; and (5) a lengthy discussion and preview of the 2025 Budget and rate impact.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Christy reported on attendance at the NPA annual meeting where some of the topics discussed were; forecasts of election results, concern expressed over future generation resources in Nebraska, and the potential for new loads coming to Nebraska and options as to how NPPD may deal with the debt recovery necessary to serve new loads.
Items for Next Agenda: The 2025 Budget, 2025 Rate Increase and the CFC PowerVision Loan
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:31 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
MINUTES OF BUDGET HEARING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A Budget Hearing was held on December 19, 2024 at the hour of 1:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Chris Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, employee guest Cole Coss, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and Dustin Waugh.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Public Comment: None.
Order of Business: A motion was made to accept the Order of Business; motion carried
Director Fuchser: Director Fuchser joined the meeting at 1:10 p.m.
2025 Budget Review: Manger Briscoe reviewed the presentation that was made in November regarding the 2025 Budget. Several questions were asked by the Board and discussion was held. In particular a lengthy discussion was held considering effects of potential rate increases both in 2025 and beyond based on continuation of power provided by Tri-State through 2026.
Adjournment: After questions were reviewed, President Ahrens declared the hearing adjourned at 1:49 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President | ____________________________________Secretary-Treasurer |
December 19, 2024
MINUTES OF REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters December 19th, 2024 at the hour of 1:50 p.m. The meeting was called to order by President Lee Ahrens. The following Members were present and constituted a quorum: Lee Ahrens, Lucas Bear, Kevin Christy, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Customer Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, employee guest Cole Coss, and Dustin Waugh.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of November 21, 2024; motion carried.
Check Register and Payroll Summary Review: The Check Register and Payroll Summary for the previous month were reviewed. President Ahrens declared the items as informational items requiring no Board action.
Action Items: The Board considered discussion from the Budget Hearing and a motion was made to approve the 2025 Budget including a 10.5% rate increase; motion carried.
As part of the financing plan for the 2025 Budget, a motion was made to approve implementation of a $5,000,000 PowerVision loan facility from CFC; motion approved.
Manager Briscoe informed the Board that an extension of the audit services agreement was necessary for 2025. The board generally discussed that the services have been satisfactory and a motion was made to extend audit services with DeCoria, Blair and Teague, LLC; motion carried.
Due to the recent ruling by FERC the Board considered whether or not to appoint a representative from NRPPD to the Tri-State Board of Directors. After discussion, a motion was made to appoint Lucas Bear to the Tri-State Board representing NRPPD for Tri-State’s February, 2025 meeting; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the financial report; motion carried.
Safety Report: Operations Manager Olson reviewed the safety statistics and safety report for the previous month. A motion was made to accept the safety report; motion carried.
Staff Reports: The staff made the following reports and answered Board questions:
a. Operations Manager Olson reviewed the outage statistics from the previous month.Olson also reviewed that NRPPD had put a hold on any sales of materials due to thesupply chain issues. Since those issues have been mitigated a discussion was held andconsensus achieved to once again sell material to customers and local electricians.
b. Office Manager Hindman discussed participation at the statewide committee dealingwith the Nebraska Magazine and changes which will be implemented that will moveour insert to the front of the magazine and limit the insert to four pages.
c. Member Service Representative discussed submittal of rebates to Tri-State forreimbursement and that NRPPD will move forward offering four scholarships; onefrom Basin, two from Tri-State and one from Arbor Wealth.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at a NEG&T Board Meeting; (2) attendance at the Mid-West Electric Consumers Annual Meeting; and (3) a review of recent activities of FERC on both the CTP docket and Tri-State’s Formulary Rate Docket.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Christy reported on attendance at the NREA Annual Meeting where some of the topics discussed were; permanent placement of the General Manager, a speaker on the future of the electric industry, speeches by CEO’s of Tri-State, NPPD and OPPD, and a presentation by former Denver Bronco, Karl Mecklenburg.
Director Bear reported on attendance at a NEG&T Board Meeting and the Mid-West Electric Consumers Annual Meeting. A few topics from the NEG&T meeting were; a forecasted 1.67% dues increase, work toward a grant through the USDA NewERA funds for a renewable project, and costs related to Cooper Nuclear Station from original build versus maintenance and capital costs today. Some of the information at the Mid-West meeting included; an Ellsworth Air Force Base battery project presented by West River Electric, WAPA forecasts of increased costs for maintenance, multiple small modular nuclear projects being developed around the country, and discussion about the dam removal considerations in the Pacific northwest. Directors Garrett and Skinner also attended a portion of the Mid-West meeting.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting date was set for Monday, January 27th, 2025 at 1:00 pm.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: Director Fuchser declared his formal resignation from the NRPPD Board of Directors after serving in that capacity for 31 years. The board decided to post the opening to fill the vacant seat and a replacement will be appointed in January from those submitting applications.
Executive Session: A motion was made to enter executive session to discuss personnel and litigation matters; motion carried. The board entered executive session at 3:05 and all staff and guests left the meeting. At 4:56 a motion was made to exit executive session; motion carried.
Board Actions: A motion was made to direct Manager Briscoe to complete and deliver a Notice of Withdrawal from Tri-State on or before December 31st, 2024 to be effective January 1, 2027, unless FERC actions or mutual agreement of the parties allows for earlier withdrawal; motion carried.
A motion was made to accept Staff Wages as recommended by management and altered by the Board during executive session; motion carried.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 4:58 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary