January 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 January 25th 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, and Marcus Sandberg.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Office Manager Tony Hindman, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, employee guest Terry Knapp, and District Counsel Terry Curtiss.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Excuse Director – A motion was made to excuse Director Skinner; motion carried.
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 December 19, 2023, Budget Hearing of December 19, 2023, and Special Meeting of December 20, 2023; 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: President Ahrens turned the meeting over to Counsel Curtiss to conduct the election of officers. A nomination was made to elect the current officers to another one-year term. The slate of officers is: Lee Ahrens, President; Chris Garrett, Vice President; Marcus Sandberg, Secretary; Lucas Bear, Treasurer; and Kevin Christy, Assistant Treasurer. A motion
was made to cease nominations and accept the current officers by acclimation; motion carried.
The meeting was turned back to President Ahrens. After discussion, a motion was made to reappoint Director Bear as representative to the Tri-State Board of Directors, appoint Director Christy to the NREA Board of Directors, and Director Bear to the NEGT Board of Directors, when the seat becomes available to NRPPD; motion carried.
Upon recommendation by Manager Briscoe, a motion was made to rescind policies; O-13 Meter Reading, Billing and Collection of Accounts, O-17 Tenant Services, O-18 Vacant Houses and Idle Tenant Services, O-19 Schools and Churches, O-20 Non-Connection and/or Broken Agreement, and O-27 Consumer’s Attachments to the District’s Equipment; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A motion was made to table the financial report until after completion of the audit; 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 and discussed recent equipment transformer and regulator failures.
b. Office Manager Hindman informed the Board about recent reviews of an alternate SCADA system and waiting for cost estimates to be given.
c. Representative Tlustos discussed the annual renewals available for the America’s Electric Cooperative PAC and discussed arrangements for Directors Bear and Christy to join staff for scholarship application reviews.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at NRECA’s CEO Close-Up conference; and (2) a lengthy update on current state of FERC developments, along with some next steps expected to occur.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported that the January meeting was held virtually and briefly reported that Tri-State intended to file comments on a FERC Deficiency Letter to reiterate TriState’s position on their formulary rate filing.
Items for Next Agenda: The next meeting was scheduled for February 16th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:36 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, 2023 at the hour of 10:00 a.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, Gary Fuchser, 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 Trampas Belknap, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and Chad Podolak from NPPD.
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 2024 Budget Review: Manger Briscoe reviewed the presentation that was made in November regarding the 2024 Budget. Several questions were asked by the Board and discussion was held.
Adjournment: After questions were reviewed, President Ahrens declared the hearing adjourned at 10:21 a.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President |
____________________________________ Secretary-Treasurer |
December 19, 2023
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 19, 2023 at the hour of 10:22 a.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, employee guest Trampas Belknap, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and Chad Podolak from NPPD.
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: Mr. Podolak from NPPD addressed the Board to thank them for their recent decision to attain future power supply from NPPD. Additionally, he gave an update on plans NPPD has for future contract discussions, reviewed some information about NPPD’s billing structure, and other discussion and questions related to NPPD. Upon conclusion, Mr. Podolak left the meeting.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of November 27, 2023; 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: Previously the Board reviewed the 2024 Budget proposal during the Budget Hearing. A motion was made to approve the 2024 Budget proposal with no rate changes; motion carried.
The Action Item to consider 2024 Staff Compensation was moved to the end of the meeting in Executive Session.
Executive Session: A motion was made to enter Executive Session, including management staff, to discuss litigation matters at 11:05; motion carried. A motion was made to exit Executive Session at 11:41.
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, he updated the board on the announcement of a new apprentice to join NRPPD in January, Brenton Abbott, and Director Ahrens attendance at the Safety Meeting.
The board recessed for lunch from 12:00-1:00 pm and Mr. Curtiss left the meeting.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance the NREA Annual Meeting; (2) Tri-State’s Board Meeting; (3) a MDM meeting at Midwest Electric; (4) the Mid-West Electric Consumers Annual Meeting; (5) and some additional FERC activities related to the Wabash/Tipmont docket. A discussion was also held regarding proposed legislation regarding the compensation cap for Directors and the
potential to raise the cap along with tying it to an index that could be adjusted annually. The consensus of the Board was to find out more information but likely support legislation if NREA can work out language to bring forward for approval in the next session.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported Tri-State made very brief mention regarding the announcements from NRPPD selecting NPPD for future power supply, that CFC did approve a $200M loan for Tri-State and that Tri-State is expecting FERC to approve their treatment to reverse the $40M ARO expense booked as an expense by Tri-State, which would help satisfy their loan covenant requirements.
Items for Next Agenda: The December meeting was scheduled for January 25th at 1:00 p.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: A motion was made to enter Executive Session at 1:40 p.m. to discuss 2024 Staff Compensation; motion carried and all employees left the meeting except Manager Briscoe. Manager Briscoe was excused for a portion of the Executive Session and then invited back in. A motion was made to exit Executive Session at 2:04 p.m.
Action Item: A motion was made to approve management’s proposal with some modifications discussed with the Manager Briscoe; motion carried.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:05 p.m.
APPROVED:
| ____________________________________ President |
____________________________________ Secretary |
MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF NORTHWEST RURAL PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT
A special meeting of the Board of Directors of Northwest Rural PPD was held at the headquarters December 20, 2023 at the hour of 4:00 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, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, and from the law firm of Loeb and Loeb, Richard Lorenzo and Nicole Travers.
Unless otherwise noted, all votes were taken by roll call on motion duly made and seconded and unanimously passed.
Agenda: A motion was made to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Public Comment: None.
Executive Session: A motion was made at 4:01 p.m. to enter Executive Session to discuss Litigation matters; motion carried. A motion was made to exit Executive Session at 6:00 p.m.; motion carried.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 6:01 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary