6.1. ERMUSR 12-17-2019614
615
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:FROM:
ERMU Commission Theresa Slominski –Administrations Director
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1b
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
The auditors from Abdo, Eick, and Meyers will be here on Tuesday, December 17, for
preliminary audit work. Typically preliminary audit work involves Inventory observations,
Accounts Payable testing, and review of the year’s meeting minutes. The actual 2019 audit is
scheduled for Thursday and Friday, February 27-28, 2020.
Transition of responsibilities from me to Melissa Karpinski, the new Finance Manager, is going
well. In addition to the day to day tasks, there are a number of year end reports that we are
setting her up as the contact for, as well as meeting with the local bank and investment brokers.
Setup for the Dayton franchise fee billing is being tested for implementation in January 2020.
Deposit Interest for 2019 is being refunded to customers this month in the various cycles. This
expense has been accrued and offset to a liability throughout the year, so the refund payment
to customers is relieving the liability. Also of note, the rate is decreasing from 2.7% in 2019 to
1.5% in 2020.
Discussions have started with NISC on the bill redesign in 2020, the second phase of the bill
presentation changes started this year.
November 19 -21, 2019 was a workflow analysis session, the first step for implementation of
Mobile Workforce and AppSuite. The project lead from NISC was onsite working with managers
and staff to identify the workflows necessary to be built into the system which will then be
tested, with training provided, January 21-23, 2020. The live date for implementation will be
February 3, 2020.
We had Respectful Workplace training on December 3, 2019 provided by Kate Bischoff of Thrive
Consulting. The training was attended by everyone in the organization, with the exception of
three employees out sick.
The Employee Handbook revisions will be brought forward for approval in January 2020.
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616
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Tom Geiser Electric Superintendent
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1c
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
Had 15 new house services.
Continue collecting data with the GPS for our ArcView maps as time permits.
Continue installing the underground infrastructure for the Lawatsch Farms Addition.
th
During the installation we will also be rebuilding Pascal Street, Troy Street, and 189
Avenue.
Still waiting on a shipment of decorative poles that will be used for the one remaining
downtown light that still needs to be replaced, and for 29 lights along Quaday Avenue in
Otsego.
Began work on the replacement . This task will
be performed between other jobs as they come in.
Changed out 16 street light fixtures to LED in the Windsor Park Third Addition.
Installed three phase underground primary service to Lil Explorers Daycare in Otsego.
rd
Replaced a street light on 193 Lane that was struck by a vehicle.
Work has begun again on the rebuild of the three phase overhead line on Jarvis Street
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between 165 Avenue and Highway 10.
The tree trimming service we contract with began work on December 2. In addition to
the contracted service, ERMU line crews will also be tree trimming later this month.
On December 3-5, I attended the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA)
Technical & Operations Conference in St. Cloud, MN. Sessions of interest were: The
Power of a Minute, How Safe Are You Honestly, Complacency -
Enemies, and Open Forum Discussion on Mutual Aid. Dan Plude, our Inventory &
Procurement Foreperson, attended the Vendor Product Showcase and Trade Show
which offered an excellent opportunity to connect with current suppliers as well as
source new equipment and services.
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UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Mike Tietz Technical Services Superintendent
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1d
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
In November, the locating department had a total of 187 locate tickets consisting of 2
emergency tickets, 3 cancellations, 150 normal tickets, and 32 updated tickets. This is a
59.5% decrease in volume of tickets from the previous month. The locators have begun
collecting GPS data again as time allows.
Electrical Technicians continue with updating the power bill, substation checks,
disconnects/reconnects, dealing with customer meter and off-peak issues.
On November 21, staff ran Engines 1 & 3 without any issues. Engine 4 would not turn
over. Staff is investigating the reason for this. The vendor that is doing the repair of
Engine #2 has pushed back their scheduled start date to the week of December 16.
Weekly meter reads continue to go well. Staff continues to perform meter audits
around the system as time allows and has been discovering a number of vegetation
issues blocking access to the meters. These customers will be notified about correcting
the issues.
Mapping department continues to update points and attributes for all of our systems
assets within the ESRI ArcView GIS system. The ArcGIS Enterprise upgrade was
completed on November 27 by Power System Engineering. We are preparing for the
upcoming transition to paperless work in February with National Information Solutions
AppSuite software. We will be working on getting GIS maps available for
use by staff in the field.
The West Substation Equipment Storage Garage is nearing completion with the
overhead doors and the electrical work completed. The heating system and the
automatic gate opener are both scheduled to be installed the week of December 9. Final
grading work will be completed in the spring.
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618
Engineering staff has been working with Power System Engineering on developing
specifications for the new power plant transformer. This will be replacing the existing
wooden frame substation that has been in use since around 1970. Staff is working on a
bid package and plan to have it formally noticed for bids in January. This work is being
done in 2020 to prepare for the start of construction of the new Field Services Building
Project in 2021.
An order was placed for the replacement locator pickup truck. This budgeted vehicle
was ordered from Cornerstone Automotive, as they had quoted the lowest price.
Midway Ford also submitted a quote based on the State Contract price, but it was
substantially higher. This was an approved purchase from the 2019 budget.
Connexus Energy utilized their feeder coming out of Waco Bank #1 on December 9 while
they replaced some disconnect switches in their Big Lake Substation.
The Load Tap Changer (LTC) on Waco Bank #1 transformer experienced a
communication failure on November 12. It was determined that a fiber optic cable had
failed and needed to be replaced. CE Power was brought in to replace two fiber optic
cables and perform a complete inspection of the LTC. The transformer was energized on
November 22 and the load was transferred back on November 25.
I attended the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) Technical &
Operational Conference on December 3-5in St. Cloud. There were a number of
interesting sessions addressing safety, leadership and emergency response. Scott
Meinecke of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives gave an impactful
presentation on The Power of a Minute. Ryan Mihalak from MMUA explained the MN
hands-free law. Jim Stromberg from Emergency Communication Networks discussed
Interoperable Communications utilizing the Radio Matrix for Emergency
Response radio system for mutual aid events. Bruce Stumpe from the Association of
Missouri Electric Cooperatives and his wife Darla talked about the dangers of
complacency in the workplace and the impact an accident has on all the people in your
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619
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Dave Ninow Water Superintendent
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1e
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
Delivered 6 new water meters.
Sealed the water meter, installed an encoder receiver transmitter, and took curb stop
ties from 7 water services.
Completed 15 BACTI/Total Chlorine Residual Samples
o All confirmed negative for Coliform Bacteria
o Bacteriological/Disinfectant Residual Monthly Report submitted to the MDH
Completed 18 routine fluoride samples
o All samples met MDH standards
o Submitted MDH Fluoride Report
o Completed one MDH validation fluoride sample
On November 13 Veit completed underwater repairs to the cable attachment that failed
for gate #3 at the dam.
Construction of the new well #8 control building has been completed. On November 26
the well was brought back on line, and is once again producing quality water for the
water system.
We have drained the Freeport Water Tower for the winter. Throughout previous
winters, the tower was subject to roughly buildup on top of the water, which
is extremely damaging to the structure and paint. We will wash and refill the tower
sometime in the spring.
The deadline for the vacant Water Operator position has been extended out until
December 31 to allow time to receive more applications.
ATTACHMENTS:
November 2019 Pumping by Well
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Well #3, 10.342, 28%
Well #4, 9.911, 26%
Well #2, 0, 0%
621
Well #9, 3.017, 8%
November 2019 Monthly Pumping By Well
Well #8, 0.02, 0%
Well #5, 4.094, 11%
Values Are Displayed in Millions of Gallons (Well #, Gallons Pumped, Percentage of Pumping)
Well #7, 4.972, 13%
Well #6, 5.098, 14%
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Tom Sagstetter Conservation & Key Accounts Manager
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1f
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
In the last 30 days, the level two charger located downtown had 10 sessions, and
provided customers with 89 kWh of green energy. The charger in the ERMU/City Hall
parking lot had 17 sessions and provided customers with 190 kWh of green energy. The
DC fast charger at the Coborn27 sessions and provided 360 kWh of
green energy to customers. There was a total of 54 charging sessions and 639 kWh of
energy provided in this time period.
There was a nice article in the Elk River Star News detailing the Smart Energy Provider
designation that ERMU received in October. The article highlighted the partnership
between the City of Elk River and the Utility to provide programs that help customers
save money and reduce the collective impact on the environment. Attached is a copy of
the article.
Staff is working with two residential customers that are installing solar photovoltaic
systems on their homes. One installation is almost compete and is approximately 5 kW.
The second system is approximately 8 kW and is just getting started.
Attended Elk River Chamber of Commerce government relations meeting. The focus of
the meeting was 2020 Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Federation Priorities. For the
upcoming year they will work on workplace management, tax competitiveness,
environmental sustainability, and postsecondary education and workforce
development.
Working with field staff on developing utility infrastructure efficiency models to capture
possible energy savings from transformer and distribution conductor upgrades.
Processing the last few commercial rebates for 2019. This year was slower than previous
years due to three larger projects being pushed out to 2020.
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622
There has been a number of high bill calls from residential customers. With the
decreasing temperatures, more hours of lighting per day, and 35 days in the billing
cycle, some customers have seen an increase in their bill. Customer Service staff
instructs callers to focus on the number of days in the billing cycle and the energy used
per day.
ATTACHMENTS:
Star News - 9wa
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624
625
UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Michelle Canterbury Executive Administrative Manager
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 17, 2019 6.1g
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
The 2020 Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates and 2020 LED Light Rebate Coupons will be
going out to customers with the December bills. These two rebate programs are very
popular with our customers, which is one of the reasons we send them out the month
before the year begins. Attached are copies of the two bill inserts.
The Communications Coordinator and key department heads met on December 9 to
discuss the 2020 marketing plan for bill inserts. Based on those conversations a
tentative schedule has been established. As paperless customer receive a bill available
email along with a link to the bill inserts, communications staff will be exploring some
options for making that messaging more prominent and visually appealing.
December social media posts will feature a variety of topics including: how long LED
bulbs really last, ire hydrants getting dressed up for the season, Smarthub
giving customers control over their ERMU account, availability of single sort recycle
calendars, and sources of heat loss in your basement. Staff will also be posting public
service announcements such as dates of upcoming commission meetings, holiday
business closures, trash pickup delays, and the extension of the application deadline for
the Water Operator position.
The ERMU website overhaul initiative continues to progress as planned. Interviews were
conducted with the finalists on October 30, and references have now been checked. The
website overhaul initiative is a line-item project included in the 2020 budget which will
be considered for approval by the Commission in December. Upon approval of the
budget, the agency staff has selected will be notified. The kick-off meeting will be held
in January 2020.
ATTACHMENTS:
Bill Insert 2020 Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates
Bill Insert 2020 LED Light Rebate Coupons
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2019 GOVERNANCE AGENDA
Tuesday, January 8:Tuesday, February 12:
Annual Review of Committee ChartersReview Strategic Plan and 2018 Annual
BusinessPlan results
Tuesday, March 12:Tuesday, April 9:
Oath of OfficeAnnual Commissioner Orientation and Review
GovernanceResponsibilitiesand Role
Election of Officers
Audit of 2018 Financial Report
Financial Reserves Allocations
Review 2018 Performance Metrics
Tuesday, May 14:Tuesday, June 11:
Annual General Manager Performance
Evaluation and Goal Setting
Tuesday, July 12:Tuesday, August 13:
Annual Commission Performance Evaluation Annual BusinessPlanReview Proposed 2020
Travel, Training, Dues, Subscriptions, and Fees
Review and Update Strategic Plan
Budget
Tuesday, September 10:Tuesday, October 8:
Annual Business Plan Review Proposed 2020Annual Business Plan Review Proposed 2020
Capital ProjectsBudgetExpensesBudget
Tuesday, November 12:Tuesday, December 10:
Annual Business Plan -Review Proposed 2020 Adopt 2020 Official Depository,Newspaper,
Rates and Other Revenueand Regular Meeting Schedule
Adopt 2020 Fee ScheduleAdopt 2020 Governance Agenda
2020 Stakeholder Communication PlanAdopt2020Annual Business Plan
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