Bernd running again for Grant PUD
MOSES LAKE — Grant County PUD Commissioner Bob Bernd is seeking re-election to commissioner At-Large Position B.
“I feel that there is a lot of unfinished business that I have been a part of putting into progress and things we have implemented that I would like to see completed,” he said.
Bernd is referring to the governance policy, newest rate structure and a financial policy.
The governance policy addresses how commissioners interact with each other and staff, he explained.
“We are making headway,” he added. “You don’t change people’s behavior overnight. I’ve seen it start to work.”
Bernd explained the newest rate structure allows people to benefit from low-cost hydroelectric power. He said he wants to see the implementation through. As part of the restructuring, a goal is to create a balance between diversifying the economy and protecting agriculture.
“The commission established clear guidelines for future rate actions that preserve the low-cost power from Grant PUD’s hydropower projects for the county’s core residential, agricultural and small business customers,” he explained. “Irrigation and heavy industry rate schedules were restructured to ensure that those rates are more fair, easier to understand and ensure the continued availability of low-cost power to the core customers.”
Bernd explained the commission created guidelines concerning financial stability and efficiency.
“It was important to me to develop a financially-sound business plan to restart the fiber build-out that had been stopped, and I am pleased that we have accomplished this,” he stated. “To date, we are achieving the plan’s goal of making fiber revenue pay for fiber system operations and maintenance and retrieve the cost of any new investments in the system over the life of those investments.”
He noted several improvements are being made to the district’s operation since an efficiency audit was performed and many improvement recommendations are being reviewed for the future.
“I will enforce the governance policy that I helped establish to ensure that commissioners treat each other and staff with respect and build better teamwork in our working relationships,” he added.
He said he spent part of his first term as commissioner gaining knowledge through experience and hopes for another term to continue implementing his knowledge.
He said he has no agenda except to make Grant County a better place to live for current and future residents, including his family.
Bernd grew up in Grant County. He attended Big Bend Community College and earned a degree in business administration from Washington State University.