Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin of light commission 01/06/03 ,- ~"': r--- Minutes of Light Commissioners Meeting J an uary 6, 2003 D i-rCE 10: , , i /l l 0.",.,,,.) Present: Chairman Louis P. Amoruso; Vice Chairman Mibh,~~j,"W. '~b~Il~lerk Steven MacCaffrie; Commissioners David McCarter and Daniel Donovan; Director Jack Beliveau; Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Stoyle and Town Manager John D' Agostino Light Commissioners Meeting The meeting was called to order at 7 :30 followed by the pledge of allegiance. Minutes of November 25,2002 Regular Session Motion: To approve Passes 5/0 Questions and Comments There were no questions or comments. Financial Report for November 2002 (' Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Stoyle reviewed the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet for November. Total metered sales for November were $1,922k and total power production expense was $1 ,205k. Net income for the month was $286k while net increase to surplus was $211 k. The YTD net income is $1 ,818k and YTD net increase to surplus is $1,223k. CFO Stoyle explained that while FY2002 was on track, FY2003 will prove to be a challenge as costs are anticipated to increase significantly. CFO Stoyle reported there were 9 outages for the month, 4 of which were due to squirrels. Others were due to the failure of porcelain cutouts, which is an industry wide problem. Foreman Gary D' Ambra stated that the porcelain cutouts are being replaced with polymer. We are exploring having a contractor replace the cutouts. CFO Stoyle provided a major projects update. CFO Stoyle reported the Light Dept. is ready to proceed with monthly automatic payments with credit cards at an estimated cost of $250 annually. Director Beliveau stated that some customers have asked for their payment to be automatically posted to their credit card and believes that the acceptance of credit cards aids in the collection process. Selectman McCarter inquired if the Treasurer's role would still remain the same? Director Beliveau answered in the affirmative. Manager D' Agostino commented no vote by the Board was necessary for the automatic payments as the Board already authorized the use of credit cards. r r 1 ( Engineer Ann Langille expanded on the major projects update. She reported that the storage expansion at Gilbert S1. Substation was delayed due to the weather. The North Main S1. project will be done at the end of February 2003. AT&T, who will not do anything until spring, will be facing safety issues as well as interruption for cable television in Mansfield, because Verizon's poles will be removed. Director Beliveau added that AT&T's lack of commitment is a serious problem and recommended that the Town needs to take action to motivate AT&T. Manager D' Agostino requested that a letter be sent to AT&T explaining that Verizon's poles are coming down and that they need to put their wires underground. Director Beliveau believes that such a letter was already sent Commissioner MacCaffrie suggested that the Town send another letter. Vice-Chairman McCue asked about liability regarding the wires coming down and whether this would be a public safety issue? Foreman D' Ambra answered that in fact, it is a safety issue now, as 50% of the poles are currently rotted. He added that this project involves a great deal of work and money, as it requires digging a trench and installing raceways from one end of Main St. to the other. Director Beliveau offered that AT&T thought they might scare off the Town by saying they would have to dig up town from one end to the other. The other excuse being given by AT&T is that they are very busy at other towns and don't have enough time. Director Beliveau stated that a drawing was asked for so that discussion could commence but he is still waiting. Commissioner McCarter voiced his concern for public safety and Manager D' Agostino said he would speak to the attorney and Frank Foss of AT&T. r Another problem Director Beliveau brought to the attention of the Board was Verizon's lack of responsiveness. One example he gave was when an automobile hit a pole and it took 7 hours for Verizon to respond. Foreman D' Ambra added that as his crew is waiting for Verizon to respond, they are being paid over-time and the public is left wondering why they are sitting there, not doing anything. Commissioner Donovan pointed out that the public is probably unaware that Verizon owns half of the poles in town. Director Beliveau offered that the Light Dep1. could take over the poles but that would mean a loss of $200,000 in property tax revenue, which the town receives, from Verizon. The other suggestion he had was to file a complaint with the DTE. Ann Langille continued on with the major projects update. We are waiting for cable to be delivered for the West S1. expansion project, which will be installed between now, and spring. Foreman D' Ambra explained that lighting has been added at the Elm S1. Bridge because it's a lane shift not a closure. Ann Langille said the most important project right now is the regulator station on High S1. Installation of equipment will take place January 18 and 19 and notice of outage is on the bills of those customers who will be affected. She also reported that 5 out of 7 reclosers are now installed. Several capacitor banks have been added and this is an on-going project as time permits. Both the Quad 3 safety conflicts and the 477 line upgrades are also on-going projects. CFO Stoyle reviewed the open purchase order list. ,-- 2 11 Director's Report ( Director Beliveau reiterated CFO Stoyle' s comments regarding preliminary financial results for 2002. He stated that the Light Dept. will finish on budget. Fiscal year 2003 will, however, present more of a challenge because of changes such as SMD and increased prices for gas and oil. He added that the Light Dept. will try to adjust as rapidly as possible to these changes. Director Beliveau stated he will present a preliminary budget for 2003 at the next Light Commissioners' meeting. He explained there is only one piece of equipment that is needed. The Light Dept. has a 1990 truck, with a plow, which has 94,000 miles on it and which requires $6000 of work. He asked the Board to approve the purchase of a new truck. Motion: To approve the purchase of a new truck with a plow for $31,000 not to exceed the amount of $35,000 Passes 5/0 Director Beliveau shared a list of significant accomplishments of the Light Dept. for 2002. He pointed out that because CFO Stoyle completed an independent credit rating, Mansfield Electric was not forced to post 3 months of working capital with the ISO. Without this credit rating, the Department would have been required to post $4.5 million. r Old Business Commissioner Donovan inquired about Rojack's outstanding bill? CFO Stoyle answered that it had been written off as bad debt due to bankruptcy. New Business Vice-Chairman McCue will be passing some information on to Director Beliveau about windmills. Manager D' Agostino was asked to make 2 announcements. The first was that there is going to be a wheelchair basketball game on January 9 at 7:00 at the Mansfield High School gym. The other is that there is a Rotary Club senior luncheon on January 7 at 12:15 at the COA. The date for the next meeting was set for Monday, February 3, 2003 at 7:30. r Adjournment 3 r ( r -- ~ Motion: To adjourn the Light Commissioner's meeting at 8:55 Passes 510 Respectfully submitted: Jacqueline Lee 1/23/03 2,./3/07 Datt of Approval 4