HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda_GTEU_07.15.2021Notice of Meeting for the
Georgetown Electric Utility B oard
of the City of Georgetown
July 15, 2021 at 4:00 P M
at F riends Room at Georgetown P ublic L ibrary 402 W. 8th Street Georgetown, Texas 78626
T he C ity of G eorgeto wn is c ommitted to complianc e with the Americans with Dis abilities Act (ADA). If yo u require
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d ays p rior to the scheduled meeting date, at (512) 930-3652 or C ity Hall at 808 Martin Luther King Jr. S treet, G eo rgetown,
T X 78626 fo r additio nal informatio n; T T Y us ers ro ute thro ugh R elay Texas at 711.
The Ge or getown E le ctr ic U tili ty Advisor y B oard is now mee ting in pe rson. A quor um
of the Ge or getown E le ctric U tility Advisory B oard wil l be in attendance at 402 W. 8th
S tr ee t Ge orgetown, TX 78626 in the F r ie nds/H ewlett Room. It is possi ble that one or
more boar d me mbe rs may attend via video Confer enc e using the Zoom c lie nt. To al low
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Page 1 of 64
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Regular Session
(T his R egular S ession may, at any time, be reces s ed to c o nvene an Executive S es sio n for any purpos e authorized b y the
O pen Meetings Ac t, Texas G o vernment C o de 551.)
A C all to O rder- R obert C as e- Board C hairman
B R oll C all of Bo ard Members- R ob ert C as e- Board C hairman
C Introduction of Visitors - R ob ert C ase- Bo ard C hairman
D P ublic Wishing to Address the Bo ard- R obert C as e- Board C hairman
E R eview and Ap pro val o f Minutes from 6/17 Meeting- Kres s C arson-Board Liais on
F S W Byp ass C o ns truction C os t R eimburs ement- Mike Westb roo k- Elec tric O perations and Engineering Manager
G F iber R eloc ation P roject- Mike Westbrook- Electric O p erations and Engineering Manager
H G eneral Manager's Monthly R eport- Daniel Bethapudi- G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
I F Y 2022 Bud get O verview- Daniel Bethap udi- G eneral Manager o f Elec tric Utility
J Energy R isk Management P olicy Up dates - Daniel Bethapudi- G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
Executive Session
In co mplianc e with the O p en Meetings Act, C hap ter 551, G overnment C ode, Verno n's Texas C odes, Anno tated , the items
listed b elo w will b e dis c us sed in c los ed s ession and are s ubjec t to actio n in the regular sess ion.
K S ec. 551.086 C omp etitive Matters- P urchas ed P ower R eview- Daniel Bethapudi- G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
Ce rtificate of Posting
I, R o byn Densmore, C ity S ec retary for the C ity of G eorgetown, Texas, d o hereby c ertify that this Notice of Meeting was
p os ted at C ity Hall, 808 Martin Luther King Jr. S treet, G eo rgetown, T X 78626, a place readily acces s ib le to the general
p ublic as required by law, on the _____ day of _________________, 2021, at __________, and remained so posted for at
leas t 72 co ntinuous hours preceding the scheduled time of said meeting.
__________________________________
R obyn Densmo re, C ity S ecretary
Page 2 of 64
City of Georgetown, Texas
Electric Utility Board
July 15, 2021
S UB J E C T:
R eview and Approval of Minutes from 6/17 Meeting- Kress C ars on-Board Liaison
IT E M S UMMARY:
F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
N/A
S UB MIT T E D B Y:
Kres s C arson- Board Liaison
AT TAC H ME N T S:
Description Type
6/17 Minutes Cover Memo
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Minutes of the Meeting for the
Georgetown Electric Utility Board
Thursday, June 17th, at 2:00 PM
at the Community Room at City Hall, 808 Martin Luther King Jr. St.,
Georgetown, TX 78626
Board Members Present:
Robert Case - Chairman, Rick Woodruff- Vice-Chairman, Sam Jones–Secretary, Mike
Triggs, Ben Butler
Staff Present:
Daniel Bethapudi, Letica Zavala, Mike Westbrook, Cindy Pospisil, Jose Torres, Leigh
Wallace, and Kress Carson
Via Teleconference (Zoom): Michael Weisner and Jennifer Flor
Public Attendees: Brian Scott (via Zoom)
Regular Session
(This Regular Session may, at any time, be recessed to convene an Executive Session for any
purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code 551.)
A. Call to Order -- Robert Case, Board Chairman
• Meeting called to order at 2:00 pm by Case.
B. Roll Call of Board Members -- Robert Case, Board Chairman.
C. Introduction of Visitors -- Robert Case, Board Chairman
D. Public Wishing to Address the Board
• Brian Scott prepared the following comments to the
Board:
o “I will be attending the meeting via Zoom today at 2pm, but I would like to post
some items that are due to come up from others. I have just gotten solar
installed at my home (301 Canyon View Road), but it seems there are two
motions that stifle adoption of solar in general:
The upper limit of 10 kw is insufficient for many homes to claim grid
independence – my home was originally scoped for 26 panels but was cut to
24 because it would have yielded more than 10 kw
The reclaimed energy credit (REC) was cut in half in February 2021, so that any
overage created by a home owner is cheapened in value
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I understand that Texas is an oil and gas state, but after the February disaster
state-wide, and the challenge of upcoming months of hot weather, we need
better alternatives and solar SHOULD be incentivized for ALL residents. More
and more of my neighbors hit a tipping point in February (including myself)
and will no longer leave our fate and survival in the hands of others.”
• Daniel Bethapudi, General Manager of the Electric Utility, addresses his questions:
o Bethapudi assures that the DER Policy is currently being reviewed. To ensure
that the costs do not shift to those without DERs such as solar, the 10kw limit is
in place. There are instances of which customers were oversizing their systems
in which they are offsetting their bills and customers without solar are forced
to pay costs. However, the Utility is currently participating in a rate study to
identify how costs are allocated among customers. Once this is done, could see
a review and update of the current DER policy in a way that is equitable to all
customers. He further explains that the current net metering rate was
approved and based off the Utility’s avoided cost of energy. This policy also
calls for annual review of the credit. The initial credit was approved in October
of 2020 and in February of 2021 the annual update took place. The DER policy I
expected to be handled in a similar matter and hopefully will see changes later
in the year.
Legislative Session
E. Review and Approval of Minutes
• May 20th Meeting- Motion to approve by Jones,
seconded by Triggs
• Minutes approved as read 5-0
Regular Session (cont.)
F. General Managers Monthly Report- Daniel Bethapudi- General Manager of Electric
Utility
• Customer Service and Billing- Leticia Zavala-Customer Care Director
o Available Service: 20 new connections; total of 593 new connections of this
fiscal year
o 30,559 available services total; Security Lights added to the total services
count
o 29,386 Electric customers/accounts, 13 estimated “bad meter reads”
▪ Case- what defines a “bad reading?”
▪ Cindy Pospisil, Customer Care Manager, answers that this is
currently tracked in the billing system in which there is a range of
percentages in which the variability is acceptable. If readings are
outside of the expected range, then this is considered a “bad read.”
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▪ Bethapudi adds that there are instances that AMI system may not
have reading for the entire billing cycle. In this case, usage is
estimated through a data management system that provides
estimation to the readings and if the estimations fall outside the
range of acceptability, then the “bad reading” is met.
▪ Case- How bad readings are rectified?
▪ Pospisil answers that if the reading is off the estimation enough,
then in most cases they wait until the next month to verify an issue
with the meter, if there is a reading issue a technician is sent out to
determine the issue. In most cases there is “0” read in which there
is not a reading rather than an inaccurate reading.
o Overall Average May 2021 bills roughly $4 lower than May 2020
▪ Residential numbers lower than last year due to the closure of
commercial and industrial businesses and people staying at home
in May 2020 and decrease of PCA in January 2021
o Electric Revenue Breakdown and Receivables presented- roughly 57% of
yearly budgeted amount collected.
o Account receivables aging report presented- the collection process has
begun from the newly contracted collection agency. Pospisil adds that the
first files were sent to the agency for collection- roughly 2500 accounts.
Zavala adds they plan to include collection reports in the overview once
more collections are taken place.
▪ Bethapudi- What the status is of the disconnects of customer
accounts?
▪ Zavala answers once a customer account reaches to a point
of disconnection, they typically follow the PUC guidelines
based on summer, but these guidelines were not available.
The accounts listed on the Accounts Receivable Reports
have not paid their account and respectively had their
service disconnected or terminated their service and have
not paid their final account balance.
• Finance and Budgeting Report- Leigh Wallace- Finance Director
o Second Quarter Background
▪ Due to the timing of COVID-19 pandemic timing, yearly
comparisons from 2020 to 2021 show large variances in revenues
and expenses. This was expected going into FY 2021.
▪ Includes February Winter Storm and January PCA adjustment
o Electric Fund Revenue
▪ Revenue is trending lower compared to 2020 Q2 due to the PCA
adjustment. However, revenue is on track to meet budgeted
amount.
▪ Bond proceeds to be reported in the Q3
o Electric Fund Expenses
▪ Largely factored to the extreme costs impacted form the February
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Winter Storm in purchased power.
▪ There is to be a budget amendment to be approved and receive a
second reading by City Council on June 22nd to account for the
expenses.
▪ Case- Was the recent securitization bill that was recently
signed by the Governor has any impact on these fees?
• Bethapudi answers that are no exact numbers
known just yet. However, it is expected to see some
relief from the costs of ancillary services. There is
also expected reduction in costs from the ERCOT
reliability adder and CRR accountable revenues.
The accountable revenues are essentially a fee that
ERCOT collected from utility entities in order to
pay generators in order to cover potential
significant short pays in roughly the amount of 800
million dollars. The utility should expect this fee to
be reimbursed because of this bill. It is not expected
to cover the entire 48 million dollar hit from the
storm, but some financial relief should be expected.
▪ Woodruff – What will happen once relief is met since we
already have been issued debt to cover the 48-million-dollar
expense.
• Bethapudi answers that once the relief comes in,
there are multiple to ways to funnel such relief to
the customer, such as PCA reduction. Ultimately,
the customers will see some form of benefit when
the relief hits.
o Budget to Actual Expense Report
▪ Expenses were high due to the Winter Weather Event. It is noted
that many much of the personnel will be moved and reported into
capital projects the labor was attributed to capital projects.
o Purchased Power
▪ Excluding the 48 million expense from the budget, roughly 52% of
the purchased power budget has met totaling 32.4 million dollars
for the fiscal year.
▪ Triggs- How often are renewable energy credits are sold?
▪ Bethapudi answers that they ae sold multiple times a year.
Ideally, they look to sell when the market is up and at least
once a quarter.
▪ Triggs- How are the credits are valued?
▪ Bethapudi answers that there is a market for these. The City
has access to environmental attributes; these attributes are
encapsulated in the form of REC (renewable energy
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credits). There are groups and people who want these
credits. For instance, a company may have environmental
sustainability goals in which they purchase RECs to help
achieve such goals. Case adds that retail electric providers
are required to purchase these RECs based upon their load
ratio share by ERCOT.
▪ Triggs -With the new amounts of solar farms going online, what
effect will this have on the REC market?
▪ Bethapudi answers the market is constantly changes and
that they have seen both an increase in supply and demand,
thus resulting in a price increase in the last year. The value
of renewable energy is increasing as these farms continue to
meet the demand therefore the market looks promising.
o June Mid-Year Budget Amendment
▪ This is due to the personnel overtime, operations, and purchased
power related costs as mentioned previously.
▪ The Electric Fund to see contribution towards the Ronald Reagan
electric reliability project in the amount of $180,000 from the
Water Fund that also improves water reliability.
• Electric Engineering and Operations Report- Mike Westbrook- Electric
Operations Manager
o Electric Reliability (SAIFI)- .57 (Good Metric)
o Electric Outage Duration (CAIDI)-88.816(Good Metric)
o Training- 98% (Good metric)
o Safety, 100% attendance
o Service Order Completion, 100%
o Preventative Maintenance, 100%
o Corrective Maintenance, 100%
o Top 5 Outages Report
▪ In most cases the outages were cases were something that blew a
fuse; no major repair or replaces
▪ Case asks what the Bad Overhead Service outage in the report.
▪ Westbrook answers that a tree branch feel down and pulled the lug
out of bushing and required replacement.
▪ Bethapudi adds that in the fusing situations in which that the
outages that require fusing also require a significant amount of
time finding the source that caused the outages such as a tree limb
in the Serenada area.
▪ There was a lightning storm on the evening of the 28th that lasted
nearly 3 hours in which there were 9 total outages of which
required refusing in affected areas of the service system
▪ Woodruff- Exactly what causes the outages in which trees fall on
the service?
▪ Westbrook answers that is a combination of wind and
extreme weather-related issues. Trees are the largest
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overhead issue in the electric distribution system.
• Electric Business Plan Presentation- Daniel Bethapudi, Mike Westbrook, and
Kress Carson, Electric Utility Analyst
o Bethapudi explains that this plan will be shared on quarterly basis. The
consist of 3 measures of performance, which is financial performance,
capital infrastructure projects, and internal operational performance. The
purpose of business plan is meant to capture, report, and lay out the
overall objective plan of the Utility in association with Utility projects.
o David Morgan, City Manager, adds that every part of the city has a
business plan that is to be provided with their annual budget as a
requirement of the City.
o The Utility Strategy consists of 4 groups- maintain excellent safety record,
develop and maintain workforce, achieve high level of reliability, and
achieve excellent financial performance.
• The key performance metrics for safety record are tracking safety
meeting attendance and supervisory field visits, near misses and
incident tracking, and maintaining RP3 and APPA certification.
The APPA/ RP3 certification consists of the reports of which is
reported in the metric in the monthly Operations Report.
• The indicators for developing and maintaining the workforce are
the apprentice line training program, technical and continuous
training, and operation technology training and refreshers.
o Bethapudi adds that the Utility currently does have a
robust lineman training program, but after graduation of
the program the Utility wants to make sure that those are
always plugged into new developments in training.
o Case -What is an example of a “near miss”?
▪ Westbrook answers and explains the
situation of which an employee was
working in a J-Box where the elbows plug
in and in the designed working area is very
tight for movement. In this particular
situation it was a rainy night in which
conditions are not ideal for electric work.
When attempting to plug in the last elbow,
it began arching on the box due to the
moisture in the area. The employee had to
make a call to control center to shut down
the entire circuit to ensure the safety of the
group. Westbrook further explains that
these near misses are meant to be tracked
and learned from the electric group to
mitigate risk and increase safety awareness.
• The indicators for achieving a high level of reliability are SAIFI
and CAIDI metric of which are currently provided in Operations
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monthly report. In addition, there is a need to meet yearly goals
for system maintenance and upgrade programs. This is to be
tracked in the future in the new Partners software that is to be
implemented in the coming months, of which tracking, equipment
and field staking are all done under one online platform.
• The indicators for excellent financial performance are rate
competitiveness, meeting budgets, and meeting financial ratios.
o Case- Is there is a group of which we compare to for rate
competitiveness?
▪ Bethapudi answers that they have identified
a peer group. This mostly consists of
regulated entities; however unregulated
entities must be considered as well.
o SWOT Analysis
▪ Bethapudi explains that this was the first step in
implementing the business plan.
o Strategic Goals and Initiatives
▪ SG1: Software Upgrades and Implementation
▪ ANB System- a software platform of which
permitting and associated costs for DER
(distributed energy resources) is collected through
and creates a seamless process for the customer and
utility.
• Woodruff- Is the software cloud-based?
o Bethapudi confirms.
▪ Partners-a real time comprehensive software for
tracking software for project design, project cost
management, job/project estimation, and field
staking
• Bethapudi adds that electric infrastructure
is added on a daily, therefore it is important
to implement a streamlined process from
the GIS system to the model to the
operations of the Utility.
o SG2: Employee Training and Development
▪ Lineman Apprentice Program- currently done
through a training company called Merchants.
Currently the training information provided
through Merchants is outdated therefore we are
beginning to us the Northwest Line College. They
currently have a hub in Denton. It is the utility’s
belief that this offers a more robust and
development program.
▪ Ongoing Employee Training
▪ Employee Safety and Training Group
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o SG3: Fleet/ Equipment Improvements and Replacements
▪ Contracting with Fleet and Rental Companies
▪ Fleet Replacements and Policy Review
o SG4: Operation Improvements
▪ Job tracking and management- jobs beginning to be
tracked from initial plans throughout
implementation.
▪ Emergency Plans Update
▪ Engineering Studies for Projects- many engineering
projects to begin taken place in house rather than be
done by contractors. This has begun taking place
since the Utility has begun bringing in their own
engineering staff.
▪ Warehouse Outsourcing- a JIT function in which
cash is not tied up in inventory and to take
advantage to economies of scale of an electric
distributor in which they are more faceted to
serving a utility unlike the current City warehouse.
▪ Creation of Operation Technology
▪ Woodruff asks if this entails over vital city
infrastructure and managing risk such as
cyber-attacks.
▪ Bethapudi that this does include this and
claims the IT director will be present for the
next meeting to address this issue directly.
o SG5: Energy Risk Management Updates
▪ Implement Risk Management Policies- proposed
updates to be provided next meeting.
▪ Alternate Load Structures- identify the least risk
and cheapest way of providing load.
▪ Procure Energy Portfolio Support and Management
Services- Shell, ACES, and Crescent Power
currently serve some of these functions to help
better manage the energy portfolio.
▪ Butler- How susceptible is Georgetown to
the recent potential rolling blackouts?
• Bethapudi answers that whatever
happens on the state grid is what
Georgetown is subject to. If the
ERCOT mandates rolling blackouts,
Georgetown must follow suit by
virtue of being a part of the ERCOT
grid.
• Jones adds ERCOT only lets the
City’s transmission provider, LCRA,
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know when and how much load to
drop in the transmission system in
such an event. Afterwards the
LCRA relays this message to the
City and the Utility decides how to
precisely manage the load shed.
▪ Woodruff- Are there granular ways to
manage load shedding?
• Bethapudi answers that there are
ways to target load shedding. This
includes going through the process
of identifying a critical load from
the meter. With new meter
technology there are ways the load
can be managed at a meter level
rather than a feeder level.
▪ Case asks for clarification of the entities that
would be considered critical loads at the
granular level.
• Bethapudi answers that Senate Bill 3
identifies a process in which entities
would have to certify themselves as
a critical facility or customer as
required by the PUC (Public Utility
Commission).
• Zavala adds there are standard
notification processes in load
shedding situations that they must
follow in such of an event as well to
cater to such entities.
• Capital Improvement Projects- Mike Westbrook
o Projects divide into tow main categories- New Development Customer
Growth and System Improvements
o New Development Projects consist of Single Family Residential, Multi-
Family Residential, Commercial, and Industrial
o Single Family Projects include:
▪ Sun City Additions
▪ Sun City RV Tract Amenity Center/ Sun City NH 10
▪ Wolf Ranch
o Multi- Family Projects Include:
▪ Windmill Hill Multi- Family Units
▪ Mays Street Multi-Family Units
▪ Ascend Westinghouse Apartments
▪ Rockmoor Apartments
▪ Allora North Georgetown Apartments
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▪ Vida Apartments
▪ Wolf Ranch Parkway Apartments
o Commercial Projects Include:
▪ All Care Therapies
▪ Clarity Eye Center
▪ Republic Center Starbucks
▪ High Tech Retail Center
▪ Rbank SDP
▪ Georgetown Medical
▪ Wolf Lakes Village
▪ Kwik Chek
▪ Wolf Crossings
▪ Westinghouse Road Additions
o Industrial Projects include:
▪ Titan Development- North Park 35 Aviation Phase 1
▪ Titan Development- Gate Way 35 Commerce Center
▪ Texas Outdoor Power
o System Improvements for Titan Development Projects
▪ Total estimated load is 20MW, in the future this amounted load
could grow to 40 MW as development continues.
▪ Plan to add redundant feed to compensate for power in the
Aviation Drive industrial area are also in the planning stages.
▪ Currently Utility has capacity to serve the load, but feeder
upgrades are necessary to serve the additional load
appropriately.
▪ In negations with LCRA to add a new substation, and
potentially a second, transformer to provide capacity for future
growth at the Gabriel Substation to accommodate the load
▪ Jose Torres, Electric Engineer, adds that new distribution
feeders would then come off the new transformer to provide a
back feed to the area.
▪ Woodruff- Are the upgrades are exclusive to this area?
• Westbrook answers that that upgrades in the area are
not exclusive as they are also intended to branch off to
support other feeders in Georgetown. He also adds that
in the planning process the Utility looks at an overall
picture of the service load for the City rather than just an
area in order to serve the load appropriately
• Bethapudi adds that the project is an excellent
opportunity to provide industrial load to the City,
however because of the nature of the industrial business,
there is a higher responsibility to provide adequate
power at all times to the businesses in the area.
Therefore, precautions such as double circuiting are
necessary to service the area and provide for future
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growth.
▪ Woodruff- Are these businesses considered as a “critical
load?”
o Bethapudi confirms that they are important loads, but
not a critical load.
▪ Woodruff- With the additional new loads that the City will
have to buy to provide service, will Georgetown become
exposed to the market.
o Bethapudi answers yes, but there are incentives to
participate into ERCOT’s demand response program
and create one for the City as well. For example, when
load was very high in demand on the ERCOT grid on
June 15th, the Electric Utility asked the Water Utility to
not run their larger pumps until later in the evening in
order to preserve load. This can be utilized in
association with Georgetown’s various manufacturing
plants in which energy usage can changed on short
notice.
▪ Case- Does the Aviation Drive Development in question
consist of one or multiple entities?
o Westbrook confirms that there are multiple
companies involved in the project. Titan is the
developer of the land and constructing the buildings
themselves.
▪ Case- If these companies are carrying such a large load, does
the City require them to agree to a standard tariff agreement
or is there a negotiated tariff agreement? Is there a
breakpoint to require a negotiated tariff?
o Bethapudi believes there will be a breakpoint for a
negotiated tariff agreement. There are risks to
address when serving this size of load. Historically,
utilities would build infrastructure to support a large
business and the business would leave shortly
thereafter. To avoid this, the Utility could require the
companies in question to pay up front costs or in full
for installing the incoming infrastructure. It is
expected there will be instances of competitive and
negotiated rates to cover the financial risk of the
Utility.
▪ Gateway 35 Commerce Center spanning 83 acres is currently
in the preliminary design phase.
▪ Bethapudi adds that the Utility has been working closely on
the Titan projects with the Economic Development
department of the City. Some of the electric infrastructure
has been accounted for by GEDCO (Georgetown Economic
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Development Corporation).
o Morgan adds that the Transportation Enhancement
Corporation funded the Aviation Drive Extension
and GEDCO funded the Water and Electric
construction.
o Downtown Overhead Rehab
▪ A 5 year plan to convert overhead lines to underground to
beautify the downtown area. This a 5 year project due to
the circumstances in which planning is strategically done
with the Streets department and the downtown businesses
o Ronald Reagan- Glasscock Feeder Extension Along Hwy 195
▪ Phase 1- clean the vault a the Glasscock substation in which
the feeders are separated into respective vaults, rather than
the feeders being fed from vault. This ensures safety and
effective job performance when working at these locations
▪ Phase 2- To provide more back feed capabilities to the Sun
City area. Current construction completed from 245 to
Rattlesnake Road. Eventually a double circuit will be
installed in which the current poles are set up for to service
future Wastewater Treatment Plant (partially funded by
Water Department).
o Shell Road-Esparada Reconductor- Express Feeders
▪ To help move load around and allow better feed
capabilities to the area
o 2022 Capital Improvement Projects
▪ Potential $7.4 Million to be voted for approval by City
Council
• $4 Million in New Development
• $2 Million in System Improvements for Capacity,
Capacity, Upgrades, and Unanticipated
Improvements
• $150,000 in System Improvements for Power
Quality
• $1 Million in System Improvements for
Sectionalization and Distribution Automation
• $250,000 in Feeder Exits/Additions
o Much of the engineering work, and at an increasing rate, is being
performed in house by the Utility.
o Butler asks if we have the infrastructure for the increase of EV
vehicle usage in the city.
▪ Bethapudi answers that we currently do have the capability
of providing the increase in EV usage. If the penetration is
15 to 20% the infrastructure should handle the load. At 50%
there may be line conditioning equipment in place to
provide for the increase. Currently, the Utility is looking at
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models for this that go by a time-of-use rate in which
incentives can be placed to ensure less infrastructure strain.
Bethapudi ensures that if any given projected loads are
coming in, that current engineering practices would assist
in provide the proper growth mechanisms to provide
appropriate system infrastructure.
MOTION by Woodruff, second by Jones to adjourn the Regular Session and move into
Executive Session. APPROVED 5-0 at 4:02 PM
Executive Session
In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas
Codes, Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to
action in the regular session.
G. Section 551.086: Competitive Matters
• Purchased Power Update
MOTION by Woodruff, second by Jones to adjourn Executive Session. APPROVED 5-0
Adjournment
MOTION by Jones, second by Woodruff to adjourn the Board Meeting. APPROVED 5-0
Electric Board Meeting Adjourned at 4:40 PM.
Page 16 of 64
City of Georgetown, Texas
Electric Utility Board
July 15, 2021
S UB J E C T:
S W Bypass C onstruc tion C ost R eimburs ement- Mike Westbrook- Electric O perations and Engineering
Manager
IT E M S UMMARY:
Joint projec t costs shared by G eorgetown Elec tric Utility and P edernales Elec tric C ooperative to provide
backfeed c apabilities in the new Hillwood Development. B oth utilities will share the same poles, we will be
the top circuit and P.E .C . will be on the bottom. P.E .C . will be the owner of the poles and responsible for the
maintenance of the poles. P.E .C . will also perform the construction for the whole project. T he total project
cost is $321,320.83, C ity of Georgetown Electrics portion is $128,577.53
F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
$128,577.53
S UB MIT T E D B Y:
Mike Wes tbrook- Elec tric O perations and Engineering
AT TAC H ME N T S:
Description Type
SW Bypas s Project Pres entation
Page 17 of 64
Southwest Bypass Project with P.E.C.
•City of Georgetown Electric Utility and P.E.C. have embarked on a
joint project. P.E.C. needs to relocate and extend a feeder
(approximately a mile) to serve a new Hillwood development. We
need a feeder in this area for back feed capabilities.
•As a result, we have been able to combine both needs into one
construction project. Both utilities will share the same poles, we will
be the top circuit and P.E.C. will be on the bottom, P.E.C. will be the
owner of the poles and responsible for the maintenance of the poles.
P.E.C. will also perform the construction for the whole project.
•The total project cost is $321,320.83, City of Georgetown Electrics
portion is $128,577.53
•We are recommending and asking for you consent to move forward
with the project at a cost of $128,577.53
City of GeorgetownPage 18 of 64
Southwest Bypass Project with P.E.C.
City of GeorgetownPage 19 of 64
City of Georgetown, Texas
Electric Utility Board
July 15, 2021
S UB J E C T:
F iber R eloc ation P rojec t- Mike Wes tbrook- Elec tric O perations and Engineering Manager
IT E M S UMMARY:
T XDO T is widening and adding/extending the frontage road along I35. P art of the project c alled for
relocation of our elec tric poles and conduc tor. We have reloc ated all the electric facilities , but to c omplete
the C ity’s portion of the projec t the C ity fiber also needs to be reloc ated. T he fiber department has a bid
from BryC omm through a DI R C ontrac t to not exceed $80,000. T his project is 100% refundable by
T XDO T.
F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
$80,000; 100% refundable by T XDO T
S UB MIT T E D B Y:
Mike Wes tbrook- Elec tric O perations and Engineering Manager
AT TAC H ME N T S:
Description Type
TXDOT Fiber Cros s ing Pres entation
Page 20 of 64
Fiber Crossing I35 and Airport
•Driver:
•TxDot is widening and adding/extending the frontage road along I35.
Part of the project called for relocation of our electric poles and
conductor. We have relocated all the electric facilities, but to
complete the City’s portion of the project the City fiber also needs to
be relocated.
•The fiber department has a bid from BryComm through a DIR
Contract to not exceed $80,000.
•Note: This project is 100% refundable by TxDot
•We recommend to move forward with the bid and are looking for
your consent.
City of GeorgetownPage 21 of 64
Fiber Crossing I35 and Airport
City of GeorgetownPage 22 of 64
City of Georgetown, Texas
Electric Utility Board
July 15, 2021
S UB J E C T:
G eneral Manager's Monthly R eport- Daniel Bethapudi- G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
IT E M S UMMARY:
F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
N/A
S UB MIT T E D B Y:
Daniel Bethapudi-G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
AT TAC H ME N T S:
Description Type
7/15 Presentation Pres entation
Page 23 of 64
Georgetown Electric Advisory
Board
07/15/21
City of GeorgetownPage 24 of 64
AGENDA
I.Regular Session:
(* -indicates legislative action)
A.Call to Order
B.Roll Call
C.Introduction of Visitors
D.Public Wishing to Address the Board
E.Review and Approval of Minutes*
F.SW Bypass Construction Cost Reimbursement*
G.Fiber Relocation Contract*
H.General Manager’s Monthly Report
I.FY 2022 Budget Update
II.Executive Session:
G. Purchased Power Update
Page 25 of 64
Review of Minutes
•June 15th 2021 Minutes
City of GeorgetownPage 26 of 64
Southwest Bypass Project with P.E.C.
•City of Georgetown Electric Utility and P.E.C. have embarked on a
joint project. P.E.C. needs to relocate and extend a feeder
(approximately a mile) to serve a new Hillwood development. We
need a feeder in this area for back feed capabilities.
•As a result, we have been able to combine both needs into one
construction project. Both utilities will share the same poles, we will
be the top circuit and P.E.C. will be on the bottom, P.E.C. will be the
owner of the poles and responsible for the maintenance of the poles.
P.E.C. will also perform the construction for the whole project.
•The total project cost is $321,320.83, City of Georgetown Electrics
portion is $128,577.53
•We are recommending and asking for you consent to move forward
with the project at a cost of $128,577.53
City of GeorgetownPage 27 of 64
Southwest Bypass Project with P.E.C.
City of GeorgetownPage 28 of 64
Fiber Crossing I35 and Airport
•Driver:
•TxDot is widening and adding/extending the frontage road along I35.
Part of the project called for relocation of our electric poles and
conductor. We have relocated all the electric facilities, but to
complete the City’s portion of the project the City fiber also needs to
be relocated.
•The fiber department has a bid from BryComm through a DIR
Contract to not exceed $80,000.
•Note: This project is 100% refundable by TxDot
•We recommend to move forward with the bid and are looking for
your consent.
City of GeorgetownPage 29 of 64
Fiber Crossing I35 and Airport
City of GeorgetownPage 30 of 64
General Manager’s Monthly Report
City of GeorgetownPage 31 of 64
Customer Service and Billing –
Electric Services
Leticia Zavala-Customer Care Director
Page 32 of 64
•All Available Services*
May June
Residential 26,621 26,669
Residential –Security Lights 95 95
Net Metering 505 520
General -Small 2,535 2,539
General -Large 333 333
General –Security Lights 127 127
Industrial 21 22
Industrial -Large 1 1
School Services 24 25
Municipal*249 248
Municipal -Pumping 42 42
Municipal –Security Lights 6 6
Total Services Count 30,559 30,627
➢New Service Connections (MOM)87
➢New Service Connections (F-YTD) 680
*Active & Inactive service delivery points
Customer Statistics
Page 33 of 64
•Breakdown by Electric Customers (unique) :
May June
Residential 25,987 25,996
Builder 793 751
Commercial & Industrial 2,316 2,320
Municipal/Schools 290 291
Total Electric Customers:29,386 29,358
•Electric Billing Collection:
•Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI): 99.7%
–Usage data automatically transmitted to billing office
•Automated Meter Reading (AMR): .3%
–Usage data is collected via a drive by system
•# of Customer Estimations: 31
•Account did not get a “good” READ; or
•Account did not get “ANY” READ (work order put in for metering to
investigate)
Customer Statistics
Page 34 of 64
•Average Monthly Electric Bill June 2021 June 2020
•All Customers $ 246.82 $275.93
•Average YTD Electric Bill FY2021 FY2020
•All Customers $ 225.09 $ 253.72
•Residential Customer -FY2021 FY2020
•Cost per 1000 kWh $134.35 $144.35
(including PCA + Base)
•Average kWh 1033 1160
•Average Bill + tax $ 141.56 $ 170.79
–PCA reduced Jan1st to $0.01375 (from $0.02375)
Customer Billing Statistics
Page 35 of 64
Electric Revenue
•YTD Revenue by Service Period –Billings thru 6/30
•1st QTR Revenue Comparison –(Oct/Nov/Dec)
•2nd QTR Revenue Comparison –(Jan/Feb/Mar)
•3rd QTR Revenue Comparison –(Apr/May/Jun)
2020 Actual 2021 Actual % of Service Dates Billed % of Actual
$18,061,625 $17,830,945 100%99%
2021 Budget 2021 Year to date Actual % of Service Dates
Billed
% of
Budget
$78,982,278*$52,414,622 62%66%
*Lowered budget by $5M due to PCA reduction on 1/1/21
2020 Actual 2021 Actual % of Service Dates Billed % of Actual
$19,640,581 $19,447,737 100%99%
2020 Actual 2021 Actual % of Service Dates Billed % of Actual
$21,686,623 $15,135,940 51%70%
Page 36 of 64
Aged Receivables Report –thru 6/30/21
Electric AR –Active & Inactive Accounts
Electric AR –Combined Aging Breakdown
Electric Prior Month Variance
31 –60 Days $55,516.52 $106,174.97 ($50,658.45)
61 –90 Days $32,950.85 $50,585.88 ($17,635.03)
91 –120 Days $31,617.45 $34,517.39 ($2,899.94)
120 –365 Days $403,669.74 $451,862.98 ($48,193.24)
> 365 Days $1,008,675.35 $968,816.46 $39,858.89
Total $1,532,429.91 $1,611,957.68 ($79,527.77)
Customer Count 3666 3992 (326)
Electric Prior Month Variance
Active Accounts $184,410.26 $215,489.77 ($31,079.51)
Inactive Accounts $1,348,019.65 $1,396,467.91 ($48,448.26)
Total $1,532,429.91 $1,611,957.68 ($79,527.77)
Page 37 of 64
Collection Agency Review
City of GeorgetownPage 38 of 64
ELECTRIC ENGINEERING AND
OPERATIONS
MIKE WESTBROOK
ELECTRIC OPERATIONS AND
ENGINEERING MANAGER
City of GeorgetownPage 39 of 64
Performance Metrics
City of Georgetown
June 2021
Electric / May Electric / June
Good Caution Alert
Training 100%100%>90%90%-80%<80%
Safety 100%100%>90%90%-80%<80%
SO OTC 100%100%>90%90%-80%<80%
PM WO OTC 100%100%>90%90%-80%<80%
CM WO OTC 100%100%>90%90%-80%<80%
Electric Reliability (SAIFI)0.57 0.57 <1 1-2 >2
Electric Outage Duration (CAIDI)88.816 89.233 <116 116-200 >200
Page 40 of 64
Top Five Outages
City of Georgetown
Date Start Time Duration (min)Customers
Affected
Customer
Minutes Cause Area
6/10/2021 11:00am 48 8 384 Failed Trans.Sun City
6/15/2021 4:07am 203 8 1,624 Failed Trans.South
Georgetown
6/15/2021 10:16am 47 7 329 Failed Trans.Sun City
6/21/2021 11:58pm 220 7 1,540 Blown Trans
Fuse/heavy
vegetation
Rivery
6/27/2021 6:47pm 122 3 366 Arching
weatherhead Downtown
Page 41 of 64
FY 2022 Budget Overview
Page 42 of 64
FY 2022 Budget Highlights
•Electric CIP Budget : $ 7,400,000
•Electric Sales Revenue -FY 2022 : $85,541,593
–FY 2021 Projected: $84,818,619
•YTD 8% increase in kWh sales YOY
–FY 2020 Actuals: $85,733,316
•Electric Purchase Power Budget –FY 2022: $55,493,445
–FY 2021 Projected: $108,346,600
•Extraordinary expense from Winter Storm Uri: $48,000,000
–FY 2020 Actuals: $58,404,856 (incl. REC revenue)
•FY 2022 PCA: $0.0138/kWh
•Projected to meet the Fiscal Policy mandated reserve
requirements
City of GeorgetownPage 43 of 64
FY 2022 Service Level Requests
Cost Center Request Cost Reasoning
Administration Additional Training $8,035 Two new analysts
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Remote
Disconnect
Meters
$20,000 New AMI meter standard
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Underground
Asset Inspection
Program
$150,000 Preventive Maintenance of aging URD
infrastructure.
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Standby equal to
hourly rate
$10,000 Standby pay for linemen based on their
hourly pay.
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Pressure Digger $ 408,500 Additional pressure digger needed to
keep up additional growth and system
improvement projects.
Electric
Engineering
Electric
Engineering
Analyst –AMI
$86,673.60 Engineering Analyst to provide
adequate support and maintenance of
the AMI and MDM applications.
City of GeorgetownPage 44 of 64
Questions?
Page 45 of 64
Energy Risk Management Policy Updates
•In January 2021, Georgetown Electric requested that ACES:
–Perform a high-level policy review of its Energy Risk
Management Policy (Policy), including Appendices A, B, and C
–Provide high-level recommendations for enhancements to bring
Georgetown Electric’s Policy in line with industry best practices
and focus on industry best fit for the Georgetown Electric
organization
City of GeorgetownPage 46 of 64
Recommendations
City of Georgetown
Georgetown Electric’s Policy includes the necessary
elements of a strong energy risk management policy;
however, it can be improved in six ways:
1.Modify and enhance the governance, roles, and
responsibilities
2.Clarify and enhance the hedging guidelines
3.More clearly define authorized trading activity
4.Develop a credit policy
5.Continue with credit exposure monitoring activity
6.Incorporate ongoing stochastic portfolio modelling
Page 47 of 64
•Include the roles and responsibilities of the General Manager, the
portfolio management group (Energy Manager/QSE), and other
internal departments involved in energy risk management
•More fully document the responsibilities of each governance role
•Ensure the appropriateness of the responsibilities listed for each role
and revise, as needed
•Consolidate the roles and responsibilities of the GTEB, ROC, and
RMC
•Eliminate the ROC and have the GTEB also serve as the ROC
•Update the roles and responsibilities of the GTEB and RMC as a
result of the consolidation
City of Georgetown
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities
Page 48 of 64
City of Georgetown
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –
Current Vs Proposed
Page 49 of 64
City of Georgetown
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –
Current Vs Proposed
Page 50 of 64
City of Georgetown
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –
Current Vs Proposed
Page 51 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –
Proposed
City of Georgetown
City Council
GTEB/Risk
Oversight
Committee(ROC)
General Manager
Portfolio
Management
Team
Energy Risk
Management
Support Services
Provider
Energy Portfolio
Management
Support Services
External Energy
Manager/QSE
Internal Risk
Management
Committee
(“IRMC”).
-City Manager
-Assistant City Manager
-Finance Director (Chair
Person)
-General Manager
-Sr. Utility Analyst
Independent Risk
Management
Function
Page 52 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –Risk Oversight
Committee (ROC)
City of Georgetown
•Has an advanced understanding of energy risk management.
•Oversees the energy risk management activities of Georgetown Electric.
•Establishes the scope and frequency for management reporting to the City
Council.
•Periodically reviews risk exposures and compliance with policies and
procedures.
•Discusses Georgetown Electric’s major energy risk exposures and the steps
management has taken or will take to mitigate, control, and monitor such
exposures.
•Periodically reviews the Energy Risk Management Policy and supporting
Energy Risk Management Policies and recommends changes to the City
Council for approval.
Page 53 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –Risk Oversight
Committee (ROC) Contd.
City of Georgetown
•Approves management staff to serve as members of an Internal Risk
Management Committee (“IRMC”).
•Receives reports by the independent risk management function on
Georgetown Electric’s compliance with its risk policies.
•Reviews and approves the energy risk identification and exposure
management guidelines.
Page 54 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –Internal Risk
Management Committee (“IRMC”)-contd.
City of Georgetown
•Reviews the energy risk management related policies and oversees
enforcement by the independent risk function.
•Ensures that risk management objectives, risk tolerance guidelines, and
authority limits are employed throughout Georgetown Electric.
•Receives reports by the independent risk management function concerning
Georgetown Electric’s compliance with its risk policies, controls, and
procedures.
•Recommends to the General Manager the proper organizational structure,
separation or consolidation of functional risk management activities.
•Reviews and approves proposed risk management strategies for strategic
fit, risk exposure consistent with risk tolerance, and reporting and control
requirements. The IRMC shall ensure that approved strategies are
consistent with Georgetown Electric’s approved strategic business plan, risk
management objectives, approved risk tolerance guidelines, and
compliance with risk policies.
Page 55 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –Internal Risk
Management Committee (“IRMC”)-contd.
City of Georgetown
•Periodically reviews Georgetown Electric’s risk management program (a
detailed review at least once a year) in light of recent changes in business
practices, improved procedures, Georgetown Electric’s philosophy and
strategy, or market changes; and ensures continued compliance with its
established guidelines.
•Formulates risk management strategy, policy or procedures necessary for
new product or market implementation.
•Requires and reviews regular risk reports provided by the independent risk
function.
•Periodically engages an independent audit (internal and/or external) of risk
control policies and procedures.
Page 56 of 64
Governance, Roles, and Responsibilities –Internal Risk
Management Committee (“IRMC”).
City of Georgetown
•Holds formal monthly IRMC meetings.
•For market transactions executed within Georgetown Electric, performs a
review of transaction compliance with policies and procedures.
•Reviews the infrastructure supporting risk management and ensures that it
meets the requirements for risk oversight and compliance.
•Reviews compensation policies to ensure that they are structured so as to
avoid incentives for excessive risk taking.
Page 57 of 64
Energy Risk Management Policy Updates
•Electric and CMO staff working with ACES on finalizing the other
recommended changes.
•The proposed changes will be discussed in the next electric board
meeting in August 2021.
City of GeorgetownPage 58 of 64
Questions?
Page 59 of 64
Executive Session:
In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter
551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes,
Annotated, the item listed below will be discussed in
closed session and is subject to action in the regular
session. –Daniel Bethapudi, General Manager of the
Electric Utility
Sec. 551.086 Competitive Matters
•Purchased Power Review
Page 60 of 64
City of Georgetown, Texas
Electric Utility Board
July 15, 2021
S UB J E C T:
F Y 2022 Budget O verview- Daniel Bethapudi- G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
IT E M S UMMARY:
F Y 2022 Budget Highlights and S ervic e Level R eques ts
F IN AN C IAL IMPAC T:
Budget Highlights :
Electric C I P Budget $7,400,000
Electric S ales R evenue- $85,541,593
Electric P urc hased P ower- $55,493,445
2022 P C A $0.0138/kW h
P rojected to meet the F is cal P olicy mandated res erve requirements
S UB MIT T E D B Y:
Daniel Bethapudi-G eneral Manager of Electric Utility
AT TAC H ME N T S:
Description Type
FY 2022 Budget Overview Pres entation
Page 61 of 64
FY 2022 Budget Overview
Page 62 of 64
FY 2022 Budget Highlights
•Electric CIP Budget : $ 7,400,000
•Electric Sales Revenue -FY 2022 : $85,541,593
–FY 2021 Projected: $84,818,619
•YTD 8% increase in kWh sales YOY
–FY 2020 Actuals: $85,733,316
•Electric Purchase Power Budget –FY 2022: $55,493,445
–FY 2021 Projected: $108,346,600
•Extraordinary expense from Winter Storm Uri: $48,000,000
–FY 2020 Actuals: $58,404,856 (incl. REC revenue)
•FY 2022 PCA: $0.0138/kWh
•Projected to meet the Fiscal Policy mandated reserve
requirements
City of GeorgetownPage 63 of 64
FY 2022 Service Level Requests
Cost Center Request Cost Reasoning
Administration Additional Training $8,035 Two new analysts
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Remote
Disconnect
Meters
$20,000 New AMI meter standard
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Underground
Asset Inspection
Program
$150,000 Preventive Maintenance of aging URD
infrastructure.
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Standby equal to
hourly rate
$10,000 Standby pay for linemen based on their
hourly pay.
Electric
Distribution (T&D)
Pressure Digger $ 408,500 Additional pressure digger needed to
keep up additional growth and system
improvement projects.
Electric
Engineering
Electric
Engineering
Analyst –AMI
$86,673.60 Engineering Analyst to provide
adequate support and maintenance of
the AMI and MDM applications.
City of GeorgetownPage 64 of 64