Public hearings set for Grant PUD budget

EPHRATA — Grant County PUD customers will get a look at the utility’s proposed 2018 budget at three public hearings in early October.

Two hearings are scheduled for Oct. 10, the first at 2 p.m. in the commission hearing room at PUD headquarters, 30 Southwest C St. in Ephrata. The second will be at 6 p.m. at the Moses Lake Fire Department fire hall, 701 East Third Ave. The third will at 6 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Hydro Office Building at Wanapum Dam.

Utility district commissioners reviewed the budget presentation at the Sept. 12 commission meeting.

The 2018 budget is projected at $263.8 million. Of that total, $133.1 million is capital expenses, mostly spent on a continuing project to upgrade turbines and generators at Priest Rapids Dam. The debt service payments are projected at $93 million. The operations and maintenance budget was projected at about $111.7 million, an increase of less than 1 percent from 2017.

Chief financial officer Jeff Bishop said the presentation will focus on “the why, the what and the how” of PUD budgeting. “We really wanted to make sure folks understood what drives the decisions that we’re making,” he said. In part that’s based on results of customer surveys; in a 2015 survey customers identified their top priorities.

Those included reliable electricity and an effort to keep rates as low as possible. Customers also asked for energy saving program, and real-time information on energy use and electrical outages. More than half (54 percent) said they wanted the PUD to work to promote economic growth.

One of the most important goals, Bishop said, is “stable and predictable power prices.” The PUD’s current plan has been a 2 percent increase each year for 10 years.

The 2 percent increases are driven by the ongoing project to upgrade the turbines and generators at Wanapum and Priest Rapids dams, which will take about two decades before it’s finished.

The work has been completed at Wanapum Dam. Crews started work on the first turbine-generator unit at Priest Rapids Dam in August. There are 10 units total at Priest Rapids, with one unit upgraded each year for 10 years.

Along with the turbine-generator upgrades, PUD officials are planning to replace existing electrical meters with remotely-read meters, and will be working on recreation upgrades at Crescent Bar. That’s the last of a series of recreation projects undertaken as part of the PUD’s renewed operating license.

In answer to a question from commissioner Bob Bernd, Bishop said the PUD will be responsible for maintaining the recreation facilities.

The longterm goal is to keep expenses down, he said, and one way to do that will be paying close attention to staffing. In answer to a question from commissioner Dale Walker, Bishop said the plan is to reduce staff through retirement or employees leaving, rather than downsizing the workforce.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.