Grant PUD commissioner alleges private meetings

Accused commissioners deny accusations

EPHRATA - Grant County PUD Commissioner Greg Hansen accused three of his fellow commissioners of avoiding the state Open Public Meetings Act by conducting some district business behind closed doors.

Hansen alleged all of the commissioners present at Monday's commission meeting, Tom Flint, Bob Bernd and Terry Brewer, met with staff and other commissioners to avoid the open public meeting law.

Commissioner Randy Allred didn't attend the meeting.

The utility's attorney, Ray Foianini, said two commissioners can legally meet because there's no quorum. After hearing Hansen's allegations, Foianini said there was no legal violation of the open meetings act.

The commissioners present denied Hansen's accusations against them. They refused to approve his motion requesting that "any information, communications and consultations between Grant County PUD staff and commissioners will be made available to and include all five commissioners."

Hansen alleged ethical violations were still occurring because all public issues weren't being discussed during open session. He said he planned to write an editorial about the issue.

Hansen brought up two previous examples of when staff reportedly told him they could only speak with him and another commissioner because of the state law.

He said he was told that determining the fiber policy and talks about a cultural center for the Yakamas were topics too sensitive for open session.

"I've been included in some of those (talks) and I don't think it's right," Hansen said.

Bernd said the other commissioners hadn't met or discussed PUD business outside the meetings since he began serving on the commission.

"Bull***t, bull, bull, I say bull," Hansen said during the beginning of the discussion.

He said he saw Flint, Bernd and Brewer allegedly walk to a staff member's office after a commission meeting.

"I think your motion is way out of order," Bernd later said. "It has not happened and you can say bull all you want."

"Don't bull me Bob," Hansen said.

The first portion of the motion is impractical to enforce because of times when each commissioner may have an information request for staff to better understand an issue, Bernd said. It's not possible to call a meeting for something like an individual commissioner request for budget information, he said.

But Bernd said he supported the rest of Hansen's motion, which stated "Individual meetings between staff and commissioner(s) to exclude other commissioners or to avoid open meeting laws, will stop. All PUD business will be conducted in front of the public with the exception of executive session issues. PUD decisions will be made in the board room and not the back room."

Brewer said he wouldn't support it because it insinuated he did something wrong.

Flint said he knows Hansen has a hearing issue and said there's been times when everyone but Hansen understands what's going on during commission meetings.

Hansen appeared to be wearing at least one hearing aid during Monday's meeting.

"There's been numerous times when everybody else gets it but you don't," Flint said. He added that Hansen's accusations were "a slap in the face."

Hansen claimed there was "a very reputable person" in the utility that told him about the alleged private talks, but didn't reveal his source.

As part of his argument, Hansen said he couldn't find anything in the prior commission meeting minutes about the Qwest contract.

PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson replied that Hansen told him commissioners haven't talked to the public about lit fiber services and added that Hansen was inaccurate.

Culbertson also added that every commissioner he served under either called him or asked him for additional information outside public meetings.

"I don't frankly see an issue," he said.