HomeMy WebLinkAboutLight Comm. 07/17/023Mansfield Municipal Electric Department
Minutes of Light Commissioners Meeting RECEIVED
July 17, 2023 TOWN CLFRIKS OFFICE
1023 SEP 20 A 10. 44
Present: Chair Mike Trowbridge, Clerk Maureen Doherty, Commissioner Dian 13rrer�ELD
Commissioner Brendan Roche, MMED Engineer Hamid Jaffari and Light Department ai�' SET T S
Joseph Sollecito
The meeting was held at the ' Mansfield Town Hall, room 3AB and was also virtual via
GoToWebinar. It was called to order at 5:30 PM followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
A complete copy of the Board packet containing all documents that are referenced in the
minutes is on file at the Mansfield Municipal Electric Department office.
Motion: To enter into Executive Session at 5:33 for the following reasons and to return
to open session
a) Review and Consideration to Approve of minutes of May 22, 2023 Executive
Session where Exemptions 3 was declared
b) Pursuant to M.G.L. Ch. 164, Section 47D and M.G.L. Ch. 30, Section 21,
Exemption 2, to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiation with
nonunion personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract
negotiations with nonunion personnel (General Manager).
(Doherty/Roche) Passes 4/0
Roll call vote: Doherty -aye; Roche -aye; Bren-aye; Trowbridge -aye
Return to open session at 6:03 pm
Motion: To approve General Manager Sollecito's FY2024 salary increase of 3.5%
retroactive to July 1, 2023
(Roche/Bren) Passes 4/0
Chair Trowbridge said that in addition to discussing the retroactive 3.5% increase in executive
session, the Board also discussed extending Manager Sollecito's contract. He asked Manager
Sollecito to check with legal counsel to see whether the three year limitation applies to him.
Motion: To approve the minutes of the May 22, 2023 Light Commissioners meeting
(Doherty/Roche) Passes 4/0
Introduction of New Engineer — Manager Sollecito welcomed and introduced MMED's new
engineer Hamid Jaffari. He previously worked at both the Reading and Danvers light
departments and also teaches at Northeastern University. Manager Sollecito said he is grateful
to have him. Engineer Jaffari shared some more of his background experience, which includes
25 years of municipal experience.
Approval of NYPA Voting Representative and Alternate — Manager Sollecito told the Board
that the MMED customers have had a NYPA credit on their bill for 30-40 years. He explained
that the Board needs to approve annually the voting representatives.
Motion: To approve the Designation of New York Power Authority (NYPA) Recipient
Voting Representative as Manager Joseph Sollecito and Alternate Certificate as Engineer
Hamid Jaffari
(DohertyBren) Passes 4/0
Wildlife Power Outage Protection Products — The Board previously approved the capital
budget which included animal guard protection enclosures to help minimize outages. MMED
accepted proposals in June and Manager Sollecito is recommending KADDAS products from
Graybar as they quoted the lowest cost and can also provide a reasonable delivery schedule. He
said that no vote is needed.
Electric Power Cable — The Board previously approved the conversion of three overhead
circuits to underground in a heavily wooded area of West Mansfield. An invitation to bid on
the cable products needed for this project went out and three other vendors were also solicited.
Only one vendor submitted competitive pricing. Manager Sollecito said he was recommending
awarding the proposal to Arthur J. Hurley Company Inc. for $1,194,373.50 which is under
MMED's original budget estimate.
Line Worker School & Training Reimbursement Agreement — Manager Sollecito said this
agreement is being proposed in response to the turnover MMED has experienced over the last
18 months to 2 years. He said that MMED has hired and trained Line Workers who did a great
job but have moved on for better opportunities. He believes that if MMED is going to invest
money in someone's training, then they want some of that experience that they invested in
return. This document was drafted with the approval of AFSCME and will only apply to new
employees going forward.
Motion: To approve the Line Worker School and Training Reimbursement Agreement
(DohertyBren) Passes 4/0
May 2023 Financial Statements — Manager Sollecito said the net income through May is $1.02
million compared to prior year net income of $1.15 million. MMED's cash position as of May
is $11.6 million, which is down from $14.1 million last year. Manager Sollecito told the Board
that everything is in good shape and pointing in the right direction. He noted that in the last 6-
9 months, the energy consumption has been dropping across all sectors.
American Public Power Association (APPA) 2022 Annual Benchmarking Report —
Manager Sollecito presented and explained this report shows how you compare to other utilities
in your region. It provides statistics such as `number of incidents', `response time' and `length'
of power outages.
Millstone Power Plant Outage — Manager Sollecito stated that on May 30, 2023, the Millstone
nuclear power plant had an issue and Millstone represented about 8% of Mansfield's power
needs for the month of June. MMWEC, however, was able to replace this power supply so
there should be a zero to marginal impact on MMED customers.
Notable items — Manager Sollecito told the Board that Ron DeCurzio of MMWEC extended
an invitation to Board members who would like a tour of MMWEC. Manager Sollecito said
that he will be taking Engineer Hamid Jaffari if anyone else would like to join them.
Manager Sollecito said that MMED participated in Family Fun Night and Kids Safety Day and
that both were well received.
Business and Finance Manager Pereira is heading up the Permit Eyes project. He also has a
working senior helping him to update customer contact information.
Citizens Questions and Comments — none
Commissioners Questions and Comments — Chair Trowbridge asked how the new storage
building is working out. Manager Sollecito said it is great and that they started moving
inventory and are about 80% there. Chair Trowbridge also inquired about the electric vehicle
and Manager Sollecito said that it is working since both recalls have now been rectified.
Motion: To adjourn at 6:41 PM
(Bren/Doherty) Passes 4/0
Respect lly submitted: ae ueline L/77 /� a
Signatilre of Clerk % I D to of Approval