Brewer announces bid for reelection as PUD commissioner

EPHRATA — Incumbent Grant County PUD commissioner Terry Brewer has announced he will run for a fourth term.

Brewer, Soap Lake, said he has “always advocated cost-based rates, which is generally considered a standard in our industry.” The PUD implemented a policy in 2014, mandating that individual customer classes must pay at least 80 percent of the cost of their electricity, and not more than 15 percent over the cost. Costs are allocated via an analysis updated periodically; one is underway in 2018.

“I remain a proponent for the expansion of our wholesale fiber optic network,” Brewer wrote. The PUD’s fiber network reaches about 70 percent of utility customers; getting it to the remaining 30 percent has been the subject of considerable discussion for the last 18 months. Utility district commissioners, Brewer among them, voted to continue the fiber buildout, allocating $7 million for 2018.

State law prohibits utilities from selling fiber services directly to consumers.

“I believe that hydropower is renewable and should be acknowledged as such by our legislators, and I and my fellow commissioners will never stop advocating for that.”

Brewer said he supports the PUD’s current direction. “I believe that the PUD is well managed and is doing a good job of meeting our customer expectations. There will always be those that question our borrowing or our cash position, or our rate increases. In my opinion, our financial plan is fiscally sound and will position the district for meeting our strategic plan objectives and keeping rates low for generations to come.

“I have been a strong voice on our commission for equalizing residential rate subsidies with the subsidies that irrigators enjoy. We are on a 10-year path to see that both residential and irrigation customers pay rates that are well below cost. Grant PUD’s large industrial loads and the growth in that rate class continue to provide the dollars that fuel those subsidies, as industrial rates are well above cost,” Brewer wrote.

Brewer was the executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council from 1997 until he retired in 2012. Brewer and his wife Shirley have three children and three grandchildren.