Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_GTEU_05.15.2025Minutes of the Electric Utility Advisory Board City of Georgetown, Texas Thursday, May IS., 2025 The Georgetown Electric Uti ity A visory Boar met on T urs ay, May 15, 2025, at 3:00 PM at GMC- Williamson Conference Room 300-1 Industrial Ave, Georgetown, TX 78626. '=*[U Mw= assistance,- ada.ptations. or accom Office at least three 13) claos irior to the scheduled meetinigrdateat 512) 930-3652 or Cit i Hall at 808 Martin J6 The following Members were in attendance: Present were: Sammy R Jones, Mike Triggs, Benjamin H Butler, Laura Klein Plunkett Public Wishing to Address an Advisory Board Qn_a_�LubLethat is_poqed tin this, agend a, Please fill out a speaker registration form which can be found on the table at the entrance to the meeting room. Clearly print your name and the letter of the item on which you wish to speak and present it to the Board Liaison prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called forward to speak when the Board considers that item. Only persons who have delivered the speaker form prior to the meeting being called to order may speak. Speakers will be allowed up to three minutes to speak. If you wish to speak for six minutes, it is permissible to use another requestor's granted me to speak. No more than six minutes for a speaker may be granted. The requestor granting time to another speaker must also submit a form and be present at the meeting. On g subect nqLpqsted on �thea e�nda- A request must be received by the Advisory Board or Commission Liaison prior to the day the agenda for this meeting is posted. Each speaker will be given three minutes to address the Board or Commission members. No action can be taken at this meeting. Call to Order Comments from the Chair Announcements Action from Executive Session 1, Regular Session I.A. Approval of Minutes Consideration and approval of the April 17, 2025, minutes — Ren6 Bywater-Barajas, Board Liaison. Moved by Sammy Jones, seconded by Mike Triggs to approve the, April 17, 2025, minutes. Motion Approved: 4 — 0 Voting For: Sammy R Jones, Mike Triggs, Benjamin Butler, Laura Klein Plunket Voting Against: None 1.. Electric Monthly Operating Report Discussion on the Electric monthly Operations Report — Jackson Daly, Chief Business Officer -Electric. • Mr. Daly provide t e oard with a summary of the upcoming board dates, Mr. Daly confirmed that the May 27, 2025, City Council Workshop will tentatively take place in the Community Room at City Hall at 2:00 p.m. Mr. Daly also confirmed that the ne Electric Utility Advisory Board Meeting will be held on June 18, 2025, as June 19, 202 is a holiday. • Cherie Hernandez, Customer Service Manager, presented the customer service repo and addressed a question from last month regarding our collection methods and be practices for active accounts. Notably, our overall bad debt remains impressively lo consistently under 1%. • Mayra Cantu, Budget Manager, presented the First Quarter Financial Report for th Electric Utility. Ms. Cantu reported that the Second Quarter Financial Report will b presented within the next couple of months. • Mike Westbrook, Operations Manager, presented the Electric Operations Report. Vic Chair, Benjamin Butler, asked if the same crew or different crews were used for the tw early morning incidents on April 23, 2025. Mr. Westbrook confirmed that a few individual were successfully reassigned from the initial incident to work on the second. Furthermore, Mr. Westbrook confirmed that no additional crew members were called i There were no additional questions. Danny Potter, Electric Safety Program Manager, presented the Safety and Employee Development Report and demonstrated AED equipment usage. Vice -Chair Benjamin Butler asked about battery lifespan, and Mr. Potter explained that batteries last four years and pads for two years, with monthly checks to ensure compliance with state regulations. Mr. Butler inquired about the verification process for equipment checks, and Mr. Potter confirmed he uses a checklist for unannounced inspections. Mr. Butler commended the three years of safety excellence, a sentiment the board shared, noting the rarity of such an achievement. I.C. Ms. Klein Plunkett asked about customer support for projections and educational resources. Victoria Sirimarco, Customer Energy Solutions Program Manager, explained that she helps customers by reviewing past usage data and adapting to seasonal changes. She highlighted efforts to improve communication with large rate riders to aid forecasting. David Morgan, City Manager, noted that forecasting for new businesses is part of the company lifecycle. Ms. Sirimarco also mentioned ongoing efforts to enhance customer understanding of rate riders and how making the rider forecaster non -binding reduces anxiety and improves accuracy. Board Member, Sammy Jones, highlighted market volatility, noting a past instance of$9/kWh in 2021, which led to an energy company's bankruptcy. The load rider aims to protect the Electric Utility. 1. D. Electric Line Extension & Meter Connect Policy — Updates & Proposed Changes the presentation once more. Board members affirmed they had no inquiries, and Vice Chair Benjamin Butler confirmed that it had been voted on during the last City Council meeting. 1.E. Electric 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan(CIP) Jackson Daly, Chief Business Officer -Electric, presented the Electric 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan ([|P) for FY2O26tnFY2O3U. "~ Board Member, Laura Klein Plunkett, inquired about the criteria for converting overhead distribution to underground systems. Mr. Daly explained the focus isontroublesome areas, maintaining a 50/50 balance, and moving lines to the front for easier underground installation. • Vice Chair, Benjamin Butler, raised concerns about overloaded lines and their management. Richard Pajestka,E|ectric Engineering Manager, assured the board that circuits are monitored closely toprevent overloads. Mike Westbrook, Electric Operations Manager, added that lines are replaced before reaching overload. • On pole replacement, Mr. Bu|1erquestioned the process. Mr. Daly confirmed that costs are covered bythe company requesting service, though the work isdone bythe team. • Mr. Butler questioned the efficacy ofupdating our Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AM|),which currently shows 9B.99%good reads. Mr. Daly mentioned existing capabilities and tech enhancements are needed. Mr. Westbrook added that new AM| systems can , report outages directly, unlike the current system which is reliant on customer notifications. Mr. Jones asked about currentAWq| availability. Mr. Westbrook confirmed increased availability. ^* Ms. Klein Plunkett sought confirmation regarding auto switching. Mr. Westbrook responded that rec|osinQsystems are being installed in the field and connected with SCADA for automatic operations. Although no target percentage is set, enhancements are expected byDecember. Mr. Pajestkanoted that hospitals and priority customers already have auto switches. Mr. Butler asked about permit purchases for capacity increases in new developments and implications for large loads. Mr. Daly stated that large businesses are treated like others but have greater bill scales and buy the capacity needed. Mr. Butler expressed concern over the lead time for transformers and potential installation delays for large customers. Mr. Pajestka confirmed a two-year lead time for transformers. In response to inquiries about industry requirements, Mr. Pajestka mentioned that industries typically plan their infrastructure over a couple of years, aligning with lead times. Mr. Jones asked about the origin of transformers. Mr. Pajestka confirmed that most are sourced from overseas. 2. Executive Session In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, Vernon's Codes, Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to action in the regular session. 2.A. Competitive Matters Purchased Power Review b 0 . - a 1 0 , - •. . - 2.13 Cybersecurity Update Sec. 551.089 Deliberation Regarding Security Devises or Security Audits Adjournment Motion Approved 4 — 0 Voting For: Sammy R Jones, Mike Triggs, Benjamin Butler, Laura Klein Plunkett Voting Against: •' These minutes were approved at the meeting of June 18, 2P 5- ChairAttest'