Marc Ripley

The meeting included the approval of vouchers for the Cowlitz Falls Project and the Electric System. Work Orders NC16-082 and NC16-083, related to utility pole replacement and underground extension to serve Luv's Truck Stop and Taco Bell in Napavine, were approved. A Special Meeting was scheduled for October 7, 2016, to conduct tours of the Cowlitz Falls Project and Tacoma Power's Northshore Collector for local legislators. The Commissioners convened a public hearing regarding Initiative 732, the Carbon Emission Tax, after which they unanimously approved Resolution No. 2747 urging customers to be informed, and Resolution No. 2748 opposing the initiative. Updates were provided regarding the adoption of the Clean Air Rule and recent changes discussed at the Packwood Hydro Participant's meeting.

The meeting addressed enhancing customer service with a standard approach for all customer touch points. The Consent Agenda was approved, which included minutes from the previous meeting, electric service vouchers totaling over $13.3 million, and a resolution for charging off uncollectible accounts. Discussions were held regarding the 2025 Conservation Potential Assessment (CPA), Clean Energy Implementation Plan (CEIP), and Demand Response Potential Assessment (DRPA), resulting in the approval of specific targets for CPA and the CEIP as the guiding document for CETA requirements. Resolution No. 3073 approving certain District policies was unanimously approved. Bid No. 25-012-IFB for the replacement of the Cowlitz Falls Project static excitation system was awarded to Reivax North America for $847,711.44. The Commissioners reviewed the District's stance on draft legislation concerning a utility-funded wildfire fund, ultimately opting not to support it in its current form. Appointments for various organizational boards for 2026 were reviewed and approved to retain current positions. The District's Project Share Program assisted 160 households, and the Identity Theft Prevention Program reported no qualifying events for 2025. Resolution No. 3075 concerning PURPA Contract Terms for Energy-Only Qualifying Facilities was approved. Resolution No. 3074 regarding the General Manager's compensation was presented for its first reading, with no action taken pending a second reading in January 2026. The financial report as of October 2025 and an operational report were also presented.

The meeting included an introduction of several new staff members and confirmation that no public comments were received. The Commissioners approved the Consent Agenda, which included the minutes of the October 18, 2022, meeting and electric service vouchers totaling $8,399,012.88. A public hearing on proposed 2023 rates was opened and subsequently closed, with staff recommending no action due to the 2023 and 2024 electric system budgets having no rate impacts. The Board awarded Bid No. 22-065-PWC for the Elbe Substation rebuild project to Maven Utilities, LLC, in the amount of $2,221,916.40. Discussions also covered the status of facility maintenance decisions, an outage at Packwood caused by a transmission pole fire, equipment damage at the Main Street Substation due to a bird fault, a power outage traced to a tree-related issue on a Centralia City Light line, and the receipt of an additional $750,000 in broadband grant funds for the Boistfort project. Furthermore, updates were provided regarding strategic planning for the Public Generating Poole, discussions on the Clean Energy Transformation Act, engagements with Energy Northwest, White Pass Scenic Byway, WPUDA, and the Chamber of Commerce, and a meeting concerning the Cowlitz Falls Project budget. The ongoing challenges related to extended lead times for supplies and equipment were noted, along with the receipt of approximately $760,000 in State funds for Covid-19 arrearages.

The documents detail two sessions on March 19, 2024: a Commission Workshop and a Regular Commission Meeting. The workshop focused on Outage Management, reviewing the evolution of the Outage Management System (OMS) from manual tracking to the current NISC OMS integration with features like AVL GPS and SmartHub. Discussion covered OMS developments including AMI and SCADA integration, and reporting metrics such as SAIDI, SAIFI, and CAIDI, as well as integration with vegetation management analysis. The subsequent Commission Meeting agenda included approving a Consent Agenda covering the minutes of the February 20, 2024 meeting and vouchers. The Business Agenda included action items for resolutions regarding surplus vehicles and transformers, bid awards, and acceptance of completed work. The minutes from the February 20, 2024 meeting detailed the approval of a prior consent agenda, including vouchers and Resolution No. 3011, and the awarding of Bid No. 24-004-IFB for fiber drop materials. Operational reports included updates on vegetation management via the Overstory pilot program and financial reports. The February meeting concluded with an Executive Session for legal consultation regarding litigation.

The proceedings included a Commission Workshop focused on Vegetation Management, contrasting the existing Circuit Based trimming philosophy with a proposed Risk Based approach driven by satellite imagery analysis performed by Overstory in June 2024. The subsequent Commission Meeting agenda covered several key business items, including discussion on the BPA Product Choice Initial Analysis, consideration of resolutions regarding surplus vehicles and transformers, an action item to award Bid No. 25-003-PWB for Bunker Creek Pon Electronics, and discussion on Commission Nominee Statements. The financial review included approval of vouchers and reports, and an Executive Session was held to discuss matters authorized under RCW 42.30.110(1)(h).