MOUNTAIN PARKS ELECTRIC, INC.
Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors
Granby, Colorado
May 11, 2023
8:00 A.M.
Attendance
Present: Liz McIntyre, Cray Healy, Mark Volt, Carl Trick, Michael Sjobakken, Virginia Harman, Adam Paulson, Rob Taylor, Angie Wallace, Emily Meeks, Joe Palmer, and Attorney Levi Williamson attended in person. Kristen Taddonio attended remotely by video conference.
Call to Order
President Liz McIntyre called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m.
Determination of Quorum
A quorum was declared.
Public Comment
There was no public comment.
Minutes
The Board reviewed minutes from the April 13, 2023, meeting.
MOTION: It was properly moved, seconded, and carried to approve the minutes for the April 13, 2023, board meeting as presented.
Attorney Report
The Board reviewed the Attorney Summary Fees Report as prepared by Levi Williamson.
Manager’s Report
Manager Harman presented the Manager’s Report. Harman reported on projects that she will be working on in May, including power supply, fiber construction, personnel matters, and community projects.
Director Trick asked about the status of the Whiskey Hill solar project. Adam Paulson reported that inverters are burning up. MPEI is waiting for replacement under the warranty.
Harman reviewed the results of the strategic planning session. She is working with an employee group to implement the goals and objectives of the strategic plan. The employees received the strategic plan well and are committed to implementing it.
Discussion & Action Items
RESP Loan
Attorney Williamson provided an update of the status of the RESP loan documentation. The RUS contact he has been working with left RUS for a position at CFC.
New Tariff Considerations
Manager Harman reported that staff is working on an interconnection tariff and standby rate.
Policy D-4 Directors’ Attendance at Meetings and Compensation
President McIntyre presented revised Policy D-4.
MOTION: It was properly moved, seconded, and carried to approve Policy D-4 as presented.
Member Event Recommendations
The Board reviewed a list of member and community events planned for 2023.
Bills for Payment
The Board reviewed bills for payment in March.
Board Open Forum and Associated Reports
Mark Volt reported on his attendance at the Western United Electric Board of Directors meeting. Sales are near record levels. Western will be returning 2016 patronage to members this year.
Cray Healy reported on his attendance at the Colorado Rural Electric Association (CREA) Board of Directors meeting. The Colorado legislative session ended. CREA was invited to the Colorado Energy Office’s net-metering workshop. The next CREA meeting will be hosted by Morgan County REA in Ft. Morgan.
Carl Trick reported on his attendance at the regular meeting of the Tri-State Board of Directors. The deadline for committing to a regional transmission organization is June 1. The Craig power plant was found in violation of mercury level requirements due to coal from the Trapper Mine.
Three Tri-State members submitted minority reports regarding the Tri-State’s proposed formula rate. Tri-State will hold a special board meeting on May 23. at which the board will consider a 7.7% revenue requirement increase, which will be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission along with Tri-State’s rate filing. The board will also consider changing the Buy Down Payment from a flat charge to a formula. The Bureau of Land Management passed a rule to create strict liability for utilities whose electric lines cause fires on BLM property. Tri-State plans to recognize $11 million of deferred revenue in 2023, which will leave $23-30 million in Tri-State’s deferred revenue fund. United informed Tri-State that it will no longer send a representative to the Tri-State Board of Directors’ meetings.
Kristen Taddonio acknowledged that this might be her last meeting as a director depending on the result of the District 1 election. She expressed appreciation for her time on the MPEI Board.
The Board discussed attendance at upcoming meetings.
Operations and Engineering Report
Adam Paulson presented the Operations and Engineering Report. He reported on issues with inverters in the Whiskey Hill solar facility. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved MPEI Trail Creek project scope change. Paulson provided updates on the fiber project, the Highway 125 rebuild, and personnel matters.
Finance Report
Emily Meeks presented the Finance Report. Meeks reported that an invoicing error related to the fiber project was discovered. The error has been corrected. Meeks reviewed and explained the financial ratios contained in her monthly report. MPEI issued an RFP for a cost-of-service study and hopes to award the bid in June. MPEI is currently testing the new InComm supported payment solutions at various vendors throughout MPEI’s territory.
Information Technology (IT) Report
Joe Palmer presented the IT Report. Palmer reported on his attendance at the CREA IT meeting. CREA proposed replacing the now defunct RC3 cyber security program with its RECAP program. Three of MPEI’s substations are now communicating via MPEI’s fiber backbone.
Human Resources and Administration Report
Angie Wallace presented the Human Resources and Administration Report. Wallace reported on new personnel and the status of open positions. An employee housing committee has been established to explore ideas to address employee housing needs.
Director Kristen Taddonio left the meeting at approximately 11:00 a.m.
Member Relations and Communications Report
Rob Taylor presented the Member Relations and Communications Report. Taylor reviewed the agenda for the MPEI Annual Meeting.
Rob has announced that he will be leaving MPEI. Directors Mark Volt and Liz McIntyre acknowledged Rob’s 19 years of service to MPEI.
New Business
No unnoticed new business
Emergency Business
No emergency business.
Executive Session
MOTION: It was properly moved, seconded, and carried to go into Executive Session for consideration of power supply matters and ongoing litigation. President McIntyre recessed the meeting at 11:45 a.m. for lunch and reconvened in executive session at 12:30 p.m. Director Kristen Taddonio re-entered the meeting. All directors present at the meeting were present for the entirety of the executive session, with the exception of Director Trick who was not present for any portion of the discussion related to power supply. Manager Harman was present for the entirety of the executive session. Attorney Williamson was present for the entirety of the executive session. Attorney Ashley Wald and consultant Jim Heneghan were present for the portion related to power supply. Adam Paulson and Emily Meeks were present for the entirety of the executive session.
MOTION: It was properly moved, seconded, and carried to exit executive session.
The meeting adjourned at 3:04 p.m.