Board Members present: Dorothy Anderson, Peter Bartel, and Patrick Lanning. Commissioner Sandra Bishop was excused.
Others present: Randy Berggren, JoAnn Andersen, Tom Buckhouse, Marty Douglass, Dick Helgeson, Jim Origliosso, Dick Varner, Jim Wiley, and Krista Hince of the EWEB staff; Ruth Atcherson, City of Eugene Minutes Recorder; and members of the public.
President Anderson called the regular session to order at 7:28 p.m.
AGENDA CHECK
There were no changes to the agenda.
CONSENT CALENDAR
MINUTES
1. February 12, 2002 Work Session.
SURPLUS PROPERTY
2. Surplus Property Declaration - Bertelson South of West 11th Avenue - Right of Way - Facilities.
BUSINESS SERVICE AGREEMENTS
BUDGET AMENDMENTS
7. Budget Amendment No. 7 - Changes in Contribution Margin Budget Assumptions - changed from original budget of $71,172,787 to $66,039,280, a $5,133,507 decrease in revenue overall
General Manager Randy Berggren noted that the Consent Calendar that was presented this evening had been amended as the Geo-Tech Exploration bid had been protested in the recent week.
President Anderson requested that Item No. 2 Surplus Property be pulled from the consent calendar.
Vice President Bartel moved, with a second from Commissioner Lanning, to approve the amended Consent Calendar. The motion carried unanimously, 3:0.
Vice President Bartel asked for a brief progress report regarding the reimbursement of money to Portland Gas and Electric (PGE). Mr. Origliosso responded that there had been a kickoff meeting regarding the federal insurance claims attended by approximately 60 people from local governments. He said that EWEB has a project manager handling its claim, and has had a walkthrough of the process by which to file a claim. He anticipated that progress payments on the $260,000 bill would begin in 60 days. In response to further questioning from Vice President Bartel, Mr. Origliosso clarified that as bills come to EWEB they will be submitted, and that the money will come from the federal government and will be dispersed through the state. He added that the money will go into the general account, but that it will be tracked separately to determine the reimbursement in relation to the cost generated by the storm.
ITEMS FROM BOARD MEMBERS
President Anderson said she had received two e-mails complaining about the deposits required from businesses.
Joanne Andersen, Customer Services Division Director, responded that the utility has lost quite a lot of money to businesses that leave town, some quite well-established. She noted that the policy prior to last September had been for a deposit to be made that would be held for a year or two. She said that should an established business move across town it is not subject to the new deposit requirements, but should a new business start or should a business substantially change its function the new deposit requirement is instituted to offset risk on the part of the utility. She added that there has been a recent trend, due to economic conditions, of people having difficulty with payments and the rate of bankruptcy has risen.
Mr. Berggren offered to provide statistics and the amount of write-offs that the utility has taken in recent times. Vice President Bartel felt that this situation merited a response and any factual evidence would be very beneficial to providing a good response.
CORRESPONDENCE
Mr. Berggren noted that Debra Smith had sent out a summary on the Telecommunications work. He said that work was in progress on fiber optics, pricing, and the net and that there will be further presentations to the Board that will require decisions at upcoming meetings.
Mr. Berggren sought to confirm that the Board had received the General Manager performance review materials from Jean Meyers. Board members confirmed that they had and that they would submit the completed review forms by April 26, 2002.
Mr. Berggren stated that a time for a Board retreat is being planned for, possibly for the 22nd or 23rd of April.
Mr. Berggren highlighted the agenda for the next Work Session, which includes a critique of how the utility responded to the storm and a master plan analysis update with Deborrah Brewer. He then highlighted the agenda for the regular meeting, which includes updates on miscellaneous fees and charges, some additional updates on transmission rates in EWEB's transmission system, and a potential action item resulting from the presentation on the master plan that will be made in the preceding Work Session. He added that there will also be a proposal made to the Board to raise the bid thresholds in the purchasing area in order to "get more work product out."
PUBLIC INPUT
There were no members of the public present who wished to speak.
ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR
Item No. 2 - Surplus Property:
President Anderson asked if the utility will be able to sell the property for the price it is appraised at and, if not, if it would be possible to wait on the sale. Mr. Oberle responded that the asking price for the property should be $126,500 and that more will be known after some offers have been made on the property. He noted that two people have inquired about the property in the past. He stated that the process requires that the City has the first right of refusal at that price, then it will be offered to other public agencies. If the public agencies do not want it at the asking price, it is offered for sale to the larger market. Once an offer has been made on the property, he continued, should the offer be less than the asking price, the City is once again given the opportunity to purchase the property at the lesser price with a 30-day right of refusal. He related that the Board becomes involved in the sale at the point when there is a written offer that is being considered that is less than the asking price.
In response to a question from Vice President Bartel, Mr. Oberle stated that the property is zoned I-2.
Commissioner Lanning moved approval Item No. 2, Surplus Property, from the consent calendar. Vice President Bartel provided the second. The motion carried unanimously, 3:0.
The meeting adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
_______ ______________________________________
Assistant Secretary President