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 27, 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 July 27, 2023 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, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtis, and Employee Guest John Hessler.
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 Fuchser; motion carried.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 22, 2023; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
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 509, Identity Theft was discussed and the policy require additional consideration. A motion was made to table Policy 509; motion carried.
Policy 516, Harmonics was discussed with some minor and grammatical changes. A motion was made to approve Policy 516 and to rescind policies; O-15 Annual Billing, O-43 Harmonics, and O-44 AMI Remote Disconnect Collars; motion carried.
The Board was presented with an increase of Long Term Debt advance from the 2023 Budget.The budgeted amount was for $1.4M but due to inventory increases and legal costs related to the FERC proceeding, the amount was increased to $1.8M. A variety of term options and rates were considered. A motion was made to approve a Long Term Debt advance of $1.8M from CFC’s PowerVision loan facility, with a maturity term of 25 years and a 5 year fixed interest rate term.
A motion was made to appoint Director Bear as NRPPD’s voting delegate and Director Skinner as Alternate to Basin’s Annual 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 Report for the previous month. Additionally Olson discussed that tree cutters are north of Gordon and will be there for a couple weeks more.
b. Tlustos handed out new lapel pins to all Directors, who are members of America’s Electric Cooperative PAC.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Manager Meeting; (2) attendance at Basin’s Manager Meeting; and (3) a brief review of Tri-State’s recent FERC filing for rates to become effective 1/1/24.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported on: Tri-State’s continued spending on multiple projects, including the on-going Oracle project; 32% availability of coal plants but only 16% of coal plant usage; renewables accounted for 37% of Tri-State’s supply and Tri-State set a new peak over 1,300 MW’s from renewables.
Other Meetings Attended: None.
Items for Next Agenda: Policy 509 Identity Theft and the next meeting date was set for August 23rd at 8:00 am.
Legal Update: District Counsel Curtiss reviewed Tri-State’s recent submittal to NRPPD for a Withdrawal Agreement. Both he and FERC counsel have been reviewing the draft agreement and will be submitting back to Tri-State a modified agreement for their consideration.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 2:24 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
August 23, 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 August 23, 2023 at the hour of 8:00 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, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Operations Manager Ron Olson, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, District Counsel Terry Curtis, Employee Guest Criag Housh and representatives from PREMA, Zac Bryant and Loralee Young.
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 Sandberg; motion carried.
Open Meeting Law: The Open Meeting Law was acknowledged.
Agenda: Motion to accept the agenda; motion carried.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of July 27, 2023; motion carried.
Public Comments: PREMA representatives thanked the Board for allowing them to attend and observe 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 509, Identity Theft was discussed and a motion was made to approve Policy 509; 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. Additionally, Olson announced Denny Thorson has accepted a position with NPPD and we will look to refill the position later in the year and the new building is on schedule for completion by end of October.
b. Tlustos mentioned the upcoming Hay Springs parade if anyone wanted to participate.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Board Meeting; (2) attendance at Basin’s Annual Meeting; (3) NREA Board Meeting; and (4) an update on FERC matters where FERC has still not issued a final ruling on the CTP but did issue a ruling on the four reserved issues from the Stated Rate Docket.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported on: Tri-State set a new peak for the month of May at 1,330 MW’s; plant disruptions forced Tri-State to purchase more market power than had been forecasted; the EPA GHG emission targets are to reduce emissions by 88%; and Tri-State is applying for grants and loan forgiveness programs under the federal programs for energy transitions.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Bear and Skinner both discussed attendance at the Basin Annual Meeting and talked about some of the presentations made during the meeting. Director Ahrens discussed attendance at the NREA Board Meeting in Scottsbluff. He commented that the NREA seems to be on the right track and things generally seem to be going well but a full time GM might be appropriate upon conclusion of the current GM’s contract.
Items for Next Agenda: None.
Legal Update: District Counsel Curtiss reviewed United Power’s state district court case, the “Adams County” case, and potential impact on FERC rulings for the CTP. It was also discussed that Tri-State and United will be attempting mediation in September and Tri-State has reserved Sept 22 for a Special Meeting of the Board if the mediation results in a settlement to be approved by the Board.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 9:38 a.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
September 29, 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 September 29, 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, Gary Fuchser, Christopher Garrett, Marcus Sandberg, and Ethan Skinner.
Also present were General Manager Chance Briscoe, Member Service Representative Les Tlustos, and District Counsel Terry Curtis.
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.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of August 23, 2023; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
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 NREA Worker’s Compensation Retention Plan was presented to the Board for consideration of renewal. Counsel Curtiss offered some comments and a memo to the Board for consideration. After thorough review of the program, a motion was made to approve a Resolution to adopt the Plan; motion carried.
Policies O-23 Recording Irrigation Agreements, O-24 Installation of Security Lights, O-25 Accounts Receivable Policy, and O-32 Extraneous Voltages were reviewed by the Board. Upon recommendation of management, a motion was made to rescind all four policies; motion carried.
Financial Report: Manager Briscoe reviewed the operating report for the previous month. A
nth.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Board Meeting; (2) attendance at MDM Meeting held at Highline Electric; (3) NRECA Regional Meeting; and (4) a discussion about status of FERC proceeding and future power supplier. After a lengthy discussion it was the consensus of the Board to have Manager Briscoe begin pursuit of a contract offer from NPPD for future power supply.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported Tri-State’s most recent board meeting was a one-day meeting, held virtually but he was unable to participate for the majority of the meeting.
Other Meetings Attended: Director Garrett and Bear both discussed attendance at the NRECA Regional meeting held in Omaha where a large amount of focus was dedicated to Reliability of the nation’s electric grid.
Items for Next Agenda: Potential consideration of a future power supply contract with NPPD.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: The issue was raised about whether NRPPD would begin conducting business with a local radio station that is under new management and that Tlustos would follow up. A proposal was also raised as to consider new information provided to irrigation accounts to show potential savings by joining the load control program. Additional consideration will be given to that request and potentially included in the materials distributed next year.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 11:53 a.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
October 26, 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 October 26, 2023 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, District Counsel Terry Curtiss, employee guest Drew Loutzenhiser, and NE G&T Manager Darin Bloomquist.
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.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of September 29, 2023; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
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 introduced Mr. Bloomquist who gave a presentation about the Nebraska Generation and Transmission Cooperative (NE G&T). Mr. Bloomquist discussed who the G&T is, how the G&T interacts with members and NPPD, and benefits of being G&T members. A lengthy question and answer period followed and Mr. Bloomquist left the meeting.
The discussion continued and Manager Briscoe added additional context to the decision of joining the G&T membership. After discussion, a motion was made to request membership in the NE G&T and authorize the General Manager and/or the Board President to sign any documentation to effectuate the membership; motion carried.
The second action item on the agenda was to formally consider requesting a wholesale contract from NPPD. This was by default accepted because membership in the NE G&T is only eligible by having a wholesale contract for power from NPPD. This action item was deemed moot.
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, reported that the building is essentially on schedule to be done before winter sets in, and that the open lineman position closes in the next couple weeks.
b. Member Service Representative Tlustos reported that advertising agreements have been re-established on a local radio channel.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Board Meeting; (2) attendance at a Tri-State Manager Meeting; (3) actions taken to pursue wholesale contract with NPPD and/or membership in the NE G&T; and (4) a discussion about status of FERC proceeding and other FERC activities related to Tri-State.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported nothing of import to NRPPD occurred at the Tri-State Board Meeting.
Items for Next Agenda: The November meeting was schedule for 1:00 pm on November 27th.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
APPROVED:
____________________________________ ____________________________________
President Secretary
November 27, 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 November 27, 2023 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 employee guest Erik Persons.
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.
Approval of Minutes: A motion was made to accept the minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 26, 2023; motion carried.
Public Comments: None.
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: None.
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 process to hire a replacement lineman and the number of applications received. Olson also updated the Board regarding the completion of the new Truck Garage, which should be completed the following week.
General Manager’s Report: Manager Briscoe generally reported on or discussed, among other things: (1) attendance at Tri-State’s Board Meeting; (2) meeting with executive staff of NPPD to discuss logistics and process of procurement of future power supply; (3) attendance at the NPPD Board Meeting where the board voted unanimously to authorize the NPPD CEO, Tom Kent, to offer the 2016 wholesale power supply contract to NRPPD; (4) discussion regarding the United Power/Tri-State settlement terms related to the Adams County case; (5) overview of a new lawsuit filed against Tri-State by La Plata claiming breach of contract on a variety of issues by Tri-State; (6) attendance at the NE G&T Board Meeting where NRPPD was approved to become the 21st member beginning in 2024 after signing wholesale supply contract; and (7) update on various actions at FERC regarding the Formulary Rate filing by Tri-State and lack of action regarding a final ruling in the CTP docket. Briscoe also went through a detailed preview of the 2024 budget forecast for action at the next Board Meeting and Budget Hearing.
Tri-State Report: Director Bear reported Tri-State is showing $-8.2M compared to budget of $18.4M after using $47M of deferred revenue; Barbara Walsz has retired from Tri-State; and that the state of Colorado implemented a $1.4M/year greenhouse gas emissions payment on Tri-State.
Items for Next Agenda: The December meeting was scheduled for December 19th at 10:00 a.m.
Legal Update: None.
Other Business: None.
Executive Session: None.
Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned at 3:13 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