News

CPPD Board Summary

Board Meeting Summary from January 26, 2012           

All of the Directors were in attendance for the January meeting, which took place at Mid-Plains Community College on West Hwy 2. The Consent Agenda was approved. It included the minutes of the December 21, 2011 board meeting and dates of upcoming board meetings with locations as follows:

• February Board Meeting - February 23, 2012 - Mid-Plains Comm. College.
• March Board Meeting - March 29, 2012 - Custer PPD’s headquarters building on East Hwy 2.

Director of Operations/Loss Control Tom Knott discussed the minutes of the Safety Committee Meeting, held January 10, 2012 and the All-Employee Safety Meeting, held January 13, 2012.  The annual summary of accidents was reviewed. Director Bradley was very pleased to see a steady decline in the number of accidents over the years.

Dan Johnson, Customer Services Manager, presented and discussed a new rate class designed for large commercial & industrial services. He explained different aspects of the rate design. The Directors approved Rate Class 47 and the accompanying rate schedule. Rate Class 47 – Large Commercial & Industrial Service,  will be added to the District’s 2012 Rate Schedule Books adopted by the Board at the December, 2011 meeting.

The Directors elected officers for a term of two years. Each office was voted on separately. The outcome of the election was:

• President                    Wayne Licking
• Vice President              Brad Bartak
• Treasurer                    Brad Howard
• Assistant Treasurer       John Blakeman
• Secretary                    Margaret Bradley

The Directors approved the purchase of a used 6,000 kVA substation transformer at the cost of $120,000. The transformer will be placed in the Brosius Substation. A utility in Pennsylvania had it in service a short while before outgrowing it. It comes tested and with a warranty. A new transformer costs about $300,000, so the purchase will result in a good savings for Custer District.

Continuing membership and representation were approved for the following organizations:

• Nebraska Rural Electric Association (NREA) – Bradley/Nelson
• Nebraska Electric Generation & Transmission (NEG&T) – Ramsey/Nelson
• Nebraska Electric Power Authority (NEPA) – Ramsey/Nelson
• National Rural Elec. Coop. Assoc. (NRECA) – Bradley/Smith
• National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC) –Blakeman/Smith
• National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC)  – Smith/Bradley
• Mid-West Electric Consumers Assoc., Inc. – Ramsey/Nelson

 Director Bradley is also a Director on the NREA Board, Secretary of the NREA Job Training & Safety Committee, and serves on the Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE). Director Ramsey is serving on the Board of Directors of the NEG&T.

The Directors, Rick, Cheryl, Tom, and April will be attending NREA Meetings and Legislative Reception in Lincoln, January 31, 2012. Rick will also attend the NREA Managers Association Winter Meeting held on February 2 & 3, 2012. All of the Directors attending the Directors Update will be taking classes toward Board Leadership or Certified Director accreditation. Director Howard noted he will not be able to attend.

Directors Blakeman, Bradley and Smith plan to attend the NRECA Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, March 3-7, 2012. They will represent the District as voting delegates at meetings of the NRECA, CFC, NRTC, and Federated Insurance.  

In other action the Directors:

• accepted the 2011 Annual Treasurer’s Report
• adopted the District’s 2012 Political Action Plan
• accepted a report from Director Bradley on a Director’s Course she recently completed in O’Neill, Nebraska - #933.1 – The Fiduciary Duty of Directors and Employee Officers
• toured the construction site being remodeled at the east end of the headquarters building