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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-03-13 RMLD Citizens Advisory Board MinutesREADING MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT CITIZENS' ADVISORY BOARD (CAB) MEETING MINUTES Regular Session Time: 6:30 P.M. Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 Place: RMLD, 230 Ash Street, Reading, MA, Winfred Spurr /Audio Visual Room CAB Members Present: Mr. Tony Capobianco (Reading), Mr. George Hooper, Vice Chairman (Wilmington), Mr. David Nelson (Lynnfield), Mr. John Norton, Chairman (North Reading), Mr. Thomas 011ila, Secretary (Wilmington) CAB Members Absent: None. RMLD Commissioner(s) Present: Ms. Marsie West RMLD Staff Present: Mr. Robert Fournier, Ms. Jane Parenteau, Ms. Kathleen Rybak, Mr. Kevin Sullivan 1. Call Meeting to Order —J. Norton, Chairman Chairman Norton called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 2. Approval of Minutes —J. Norton, Chairman Chairman Norton asked for a motion to approve the minutes of the January 23, 2013, meeting as presented in the Agenda packet. Mr. Hooper made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 23, 2013, meeting, seconded by Mr. Capobianco. Hearing no further discussion, Motion carried 5.•0 (5 in favor, 0 opposed). 3. January 2013 Financials — B. Fournier Mr. Fournier presented the January 31, 2013, Financials (distributed at the meeting). Overall, for the first seven months the RIvlLD is doing very well. Mr. Fournier reported that beginning March 15th, the DPU will allow us to again begin full collections. Over the winter months, the RMLD makes a concerted effort to keep our customers current with their payments. Customers are treated fairly and consistently, which has allowed us to keep write -offs at a minimum this year. 4. January 2013 Reliability Report — K. Sullivan Mr. Sullivan reviewed the January Engineering and Operations report as presented in the Agenda packet. Of note, we anticipate that there will be two capital projects carried over into FY14 (Project 3 and Project 8). The expectation is that approximately $5.2 to 5.4m of the $6.4m Capital Budget (for FY13) will be spent. The SAIFI value remains very low. In January the four -year average was reduced to 0.62 due to favorable SAIFI figures month over month. Mr. Sullivan reported that there are approximately 1,000 residential meter installations remaining in Lynnfield. We shifted to commercial meter installations (inside work) in January due to the snow. We will transition back to the residential meter upgrade project weather permitting. The commercial meter project will continue into FY14. RMLD Citizens' Advisory Board Regular Session Minutes: March 13, 2013 Page 1 of 3 In January there were 226 customers out of service, and 12 outage incidents (including two separate wind incidents). There were nine (9) tree related incidents due to wind storms in January. Mr. Nelson questioned why SAIFI (frequency of outages) is down and the time to restore power is up. Mr. Sullivan noted that with large outages, service can be restored to a large number of consumers in a short period of time. However, with small outages and depending on the circumstances (i.e., time of day or night, availability of crews on duty, etc.) service restoration in certain instances may take longer. When there are a fewer number of outages, the CAIDI number really stands out. 5. January 2013 Energy Services Report — J. Parenteau Ms. Parenteau reviewed the Purchase Power Summary for January, which was included in the Agenda packet. Ms. Parenteau noted that the numbers reported are tentative as we have not received the final MIVIWEC project billing. The fuel charge adjustment for January was set at $0.055. Our sales totaled 55.9m kWh. As a result, the RMI.D over - collected by about $482,000 (actual), resulting in a deferred fuel cash reserve value of $2.45m. The fuel charge adjustment decreased to $0.05 in February and increased to $0.055 in March; it is projected to decrease in April and May. The RMLD purchased approximately 5.8% of its energy requirement from the spot market at an average cost of approximately $60 per mNVh. Ms. Parenteau reported that 183 RMLD customers have received audits totaling approximately $36,600. Additionally, approximately 81 gas audits were performed by National Grid saving the RMLD $16,200 in fees. There are over 680 requests for audits from interested customers. However, the audits are currently on hold pending review of internal processes. A meeting with the auditors to determine the next steps is scheduled. Mr. Fournier noted that the $582,098 received from the sale of RE CS in January, combined with the $344,000 (roughly) received in June, totals $926,090 received by the RMM from the sale of RECS. 6. Other Items for Discussion: - J. Norton, Chairman Chairman Norton did not have any other items for discussion. Mr. Capobianco questioned whether the CAB would be revisiting the use of LED street lights. Chairman Norton suggested that the item be returned to the Agenda for further exploration once we resolve some outstanding issues and complete the budget process for FY14. Mr. Sullivan updated the CAB on some items that were discussed at the February 27th Board of Commissioners meeting including Other Post - Employment Benefits (OPEB) and FERC Order 719. 7. Schedule of Upcoming Meetings —J. Norton, Chairman: Chairman Norton confirmed the upcoming budget review meetings. The April 3 meeting will be held at North Reading Town Hall to review the Operating Budget, and the April 10 meeting will be held at the RMLD to review the Capital Budget. Both meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. 8. Executive Session - J. Norton, Chairman Mr. Nelson made a motion that the CAB go into Executive Session based on Chapter 164, Section 47D, exemption from public records and open meeting requirements in certain instances, to approve the January 23, 2013, Executive Session Minutes and return to regular session for the sole purpose of adjournment, seconded by Mr. Hooper. Motion carried 5.•0 (Sin favor, 0 opposed), by a poll of members present. • Mr. 011ila, aye; Mr. Hooper, aye; Chairman Norton, aye; Mr. Capobianco, aye; Mr. Nelson, aye. RMLD Citizens' Advisory Board Regular Session Minutes: March 13, 2013 Page 2 of 3 Motion to Adjourn —j. Norton, Chairman Motion to Adjourn made by Mr. Hooper, seconded by Mr. Nelson. Hearing no further discussion, Motion carried 5.•0 (gin favor, 0 opposed). Meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Q/k/"I�, John N rton, Chairman Minutes approved on: --,— j RMLD Citizens' Advisory Board Regular Session Minutes: March 13, 2013 Page 3 of 3