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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLight Comm Minutes 11/3/1997Board of Light Commissioners Minutes of Meeting November 3, 1997 PRESENT: Chairman Colella, Commissioners Madan and Mahana. Commissioner Robinson arrived at 8:02pm Commissioner Royle was absent Meeting called to order at 7:32 p.m. MOTION: To approve the minutes of October 20, 1997. Madan/Colella Vote 3 - 0 ,,. ,13 PO Approval Five purchase orders were submitted for approval. 1. Boro Sand & Stone PO #17398 in the amount of $1,452.00 for concrete to cover the conduit at the New Police Station. This work had already been done. 2. L.D.McFarland PO #17522 in the amount of $5981.00 for poles to replenish inventory off the NEPPA bid 3. L.D. McFarland PO #17520 in the amount of $6777.00 for poles to replenish inventory, off the NEPPA bid 4. Graybar Electric PO #17523 in the amount of $2140.45 for connectors to replenish stock. 5. Fleet Electrical PO #17523 in the amount of $1555.00 for an 1800 watt inverter, this was a budgeted item, budget amount was $2200. Madan/Mahana Vote 3 - 0 Money spent in the industrial nark Mr. Mahana asked the Manager to provide the Board with an amount that the Electric Department has spent in the industrial park year to date. Line Department Report The Manager informed the Board that all of the scheduled overtime required taking lines out of service which could not be done during a work day. Massapoag Estates and the shutdown for TI were billed to the respective parties. August Financials The net income for the month of August was $70, 875.63, year to date $28,236. The net increase /decrease to surplus after payment in lieu of taxes was - $71,466.65, which is an improvement fiom July's report of - $146,000. The Manager advised the Board that the 2 1/2% increase was not effective until October. Sun Chronicle Article Mr. Mahana stated that he was upset with the Sun Chronicle article which stated, "John Larch welcomes competition ". Mr. Mahana was under the impression that this Board and the Manager did not want to open the territory to competition. The Manager advised the Board that the individual, who writes the article, is not the same individual who writes the headline. Mr. Larch stated that in his opinion the headline was overzealous. Mr. Larch re- emphasized his position regarding deregulation. He stated that as long as our rates are competitively positioned, there would not be any strong political pressure to open up the territory to competition, however if our rates turn out to be higher than the competition, than there will be strong political pressure to open up the territory to competition. The Manager stated that the last bill he saw from government regulations stated that it is up to local control to choose whether or not to allow competition. Mr. Mahana stated that he would not support deregulating the electric department in the Town. In addition, Mr. Mahana wants to ensure that the Manager makes the 8% profit allowed by the D.P.U. Mr. Mahana stated that he feels that the Manager needs to provide more leadership especially in this area. The Manager stated that he does the best he can in predicted sales, but he can not predict the weather, which affects sales. Homeowner's Responsible for Tenants unpaid electric bills The Manager informed the Board that he could not find any laws, which state that a landlord will be responsible for the tenant's unpaid electric bills. The Manager provided copies of Chapter 164 Section 58A which outlined the deposit policy and Section 58B which outlines the lien process for homeowners. Section 125 refers to refusal of supply restricted. As far as the Manager is concerned, Chapter 164 exempts the landlord or homeowner from being responsible for the tenant's electric bill. *Commissioner Robinson arrived at this time (8:02pm) Christmas Decorations The Manager stated that the Line Foreman had suggested ways to improve the Christmas Lighting as requested by Commissioner Mahana. The quoted price to purchase the supplies to accomplish this was a little over $5,000. The Manager advised the Board that this amount was not included in his 1996 budget. MOTION: To authorize the Manager to spend approximately $5,000 to improve upon the Christmas lighting decorations in Town. Robinson/Madan Vote 4 - 0 Communication System The Manager advised the Board that he was still looking into upgrading the lines at the plant to improve communications during storms and outages. He had contracted Bell Atlantic and they had referred the request to a technical expert and he was waiting for a quote from that individual. Municipal Charges to Industrial Customers The Manager did not have time to find out what other municipal electric departments charge their industrial customers for services rendered. He will have this information at the next meeting. Pole Replacement Problem Mr. Mahana stated that he had a call from a Central Street customer complaining that the Electric Department had left a pole lying along the sidewalk on the customer's property. The customer had to watch the pole himself, he was very concerned about children getting injured since it was Halloween. The Manager advised the Board that this was an oversight on our part and he would talk to the Line Foreman to ensure that this does not happen again. Computer System The Manager advised the Board that we had met with the owner of Harris computer and a consultant to discuss what needed to be done to provide more disc space and ensure all of our needs were met for the next five years. Harris has recommended purchasing a Dec Alpha box at a price of over $30,000. The Business Manager spoke to Jason Gittle of North Attleboro who just purchased the Dec Alpha box and did the conversion. North Attleboro is very happy with the results, however, the Dec Alpha box allows so much space that they are only using 20% of it. North Attleboro will provide a quote to allow renting space on their box to Mansfield, thereby eliminating the need to purchase a box. I The Business Manager advised the Board that we had several options and that Harris now has software that allows a water bill and/or sewer bill to be added to the Electric bill. The Business Manager suggested that a consultant be involved in this process since this could affect several other departments. Mr. Madan said he knew of someone who he would contact. The Business Manager at Mr. Mahana's request also discussed the possibility of printing the electric department payable checks as Mr. Boucher had suggested. This would eliminate a great deal of redundancy and would save time for the Town Accountant's department. Mr. Madan stated that if this is what the Town Accountant and/or Town Treasurer's Department would like to do then those individuals should draft a proposal to the Board. Substation Design RFP and SCADA RFP The Manager advised the Board that he is working on both of these RFP's. Holiday Hours The Manager asked the Board if any decision had been reached regarding Holiday hours. Mr. Madan suggested that the Manager meet with the Town Manager to see what would be agreeable to all parties. Nest Meetine The Chairman advised the Board that the November 17th meeting would be canceled and the nest Light Commissioner's Meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. on December 1st. Motion to Adjourn at 8:48m Robinson/Madan Vote 4- 0 Clerk's signature & date