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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin light commission 02/09/05 r Mansfield Municipal Electric Department Minutes of Light Commissioners Meeting February 9,2005 }oj r' I""~ r:' '.l c: ,d",.!.. 'if L !'" . ,) t c' n [',.' I C' E', ' 1\"- Ui r J_ 05 MAR I 0 M'i II: !t 5 l';I~';~ F lEU) r1~\SSACHUSETTS Present: Chairman Roger Achille; Vice Chairman Louis P. Amoruso; Clerk Bernie Dolan; Commissioner Mike McCue; Commissioner Steve MacCaffrie; Director Gary Babin; Engineer Ann Langille; Engineer Chris Cox; Line Foreman Gary D' Ambra; Financial Assistant Jacqueline Lee and Manager John D' Agostino Light Commissioners Meeting The meeting was called to order at 7 :30. In observance of the 75th anniversary of Scouting, the Cub Scouts of Den 4, Pack 13 presented the colors, then led those present in the Pledge of Allegiance. The Scouts presented a skit for the Board, recited the Cub Scout promise, and distributed a hand-out which listed the chronology of the last 75 years of Scouting. r Town Manager John D' Agostino spoke to the Scouts regarding the Town Meeting form of government. He explained that our government is presided over directly by the people, as residents are able to vote at Town Meeting. He also explained the roles of the Selectmen, Town Manager, Town employees and the School Department. Minutes of January 12, 2005 Motion: To approve (Amoruso/MacCaffrie) Passes 4/0 (McCue stepped out of the room) Director's Report Director Babin formally notified the Board of the resignation of CFO Kimberly Stoyle on January 18,2005. He wanted to publicly thank Ms. Stoyle for the many contributions she has made to MMED and noted that she will be missed. Director Babin announced there were no financial statements for this meeting in the Board packet, as they had not been completed at the time of Ms. Stoyle's resignation. He said they would be ready for the March Light Commissioners meeting. ,~ Approval to Retain MMED Auditor for Calendar Year 2004 - Director Babin proposed to the Board that the firm of Nelson, Adam and Dickson, P.c. be retained to perform MMED's calendar year 2004 audit. He explained that Jim Goulet of Goulet, Salvidio & Associates, after completing the 2003 audit, indicated he was no longer interested in performing the audit for a variety of reasons. Director Babin said he is familiar with Nelson, Adam and Dickson, P.C., who have experience in performing audits for approximately a dozen municipal light departments. They submitted a proposal to perform the audit for a fixed fee of$18,000.00. r'T r' The preliminary work would be completed by May, with the final report being issued during the July/August time frame. Director Babin stated that MMED will start the single audit function with the Town for the fiscal year 7/1/05- 6/30/06. There are outstanding issues between the Town Accountant and the Light Dept. which need to be addressed before a single audit function can begin. A Request for Proposals (RFP) will also need to be done so that there can be an auditor capable of fulfilling the requirements for both the Town and the Light Dept. Nelson, Adam and Dickson would also be retained to perform the audit for the "6 month transitional year" which MMED is currently starting (1/05-6/05), before switching to the same fiscal year as that of the Town. Director Babin said he would come back to the Board regarding the single audit function. He explained that Nelson, Adam and Dickson, P.C. do not perform Town audits, and he was up front with the firm about the fact that they would be retained to perform at the most only two audits. Commissioner MacCaffrie wondered where the savings was and asked if they were the only firm from whom Director Babin had obtained a quote. Director Babin stated that it was the only quote he solicited and explained that very few firms audit municipal light departments, and he went to Nelson, Adam and Dickson because he was comfortable with their expenence. r Motion: To approve the firm of Nelson, Adam and Dickson, P.c. to perform MMED's calendar year 2004 audit for the cost of $18,000.00 (Dolan! Amoruso) Passes 4/1 (MacCaffrie against). Summary of Gilbert Street Substation Project - Phase 2 - MMED has essentially completed the revamping of the Gilbert Street Substation. Engineer Chris Cox highlighted Phase Two of the project for the Board. The work included replacing the remaining metal clad switchgear indoor circuit breakers with outdoor circuit breakers and also adding 13.8 kV voltage regulators for 4 distribution feeders. MMED also removed some abandoned facilities and added a new storage area. The project was on schedule, with a completion date of November, until the occurrence of two break-ins at the substation. Some of the parts which were needed to complete the project took 5-6 weeks to reorder. The completion date of the project turned out to be January 7,2005. There are just a few items remaining which will be taken care of in the spring; regrading, hydroseeding, a driveway cut and final clean-up. Engineer Cox wanted to acknowledge the contributions of the following MMED employees in getting this project completed; Line Foreman Gary D' Ambra, Engineer Ann Langille, System Operator Ron Cutillo, Assistant System Operator Jeff Hayes and Procurement Clerk Bruce Dyke. He appreciated their help throughout the project leading to its successful completion. r' 2 . - r' Regarding the final cost of the project, Engineer Cox explained MMED does not have the final bill from the consulting engineer as of yet. He believes the final cost of the entire project will be close to $1.8 million. MMED is still negotiating with National Grid regarding land purchase and an easement for a part of the land on which the substation expansion is located. Engineer Cox reported this has been going on for 3-4 years and he's confident MMED and National Grid will come to an agreement. Outage Summary for 2004 - Engineer Ann Langille presented a system reliability report for 2004 and considers this report to be a benchmark. The 2004 data was computed in 3 different ways: the first method includes the July 2, 2004 lightning storm, which affected more than 25% of MMED customers for more than 5 hours. The second method did not include momentary outages, those lasting less than 5 minutes. The third method did not include the lightning storm or momentary outages (this method is closest to how other utilities generally report their reliability data). Engineer Langille has been collecting data for 5 years and reported that the tools have changed over that time. In the past, not all utilities used the same criteria when reporting their data, depending on what is counted as an outage. She is confident that in moving forward, MMED will be comparing apples to apples. r-- Engineer Langille explained that with the increasing use of reclosers, more MMED customers are experiencing momentary interruptions. These momentary interruptions are included in some industry numbers, although utility outage statistics that include those momentary interruptions are difficult to obtain. MMED is certainly in the ballpark with the industry as far as the number and duration of outages an MMED customer can experience in a year. The information produced from the analysis of system reliability helps MMED find ways to address particular areas of the system. Director Babin reiterated that reliability statistics can be misleading, which is why the reliability information was computed using 3 different methods. The most meaningful basis of comparison for MMED's statistics with other utilities would be to use the numbers which exclude the July 2 lightning storm and the momentary outages, which is consistent with how investor-owned utilities report their data. However, because MMED would like to address the causes of the momentary outages since they are as annoying and inconvenient as longer outages, they are included in MMED's reliability statistics. Director Babin said this report is a benchmark, as Engineer Langille previously stated. He also explained MMED can now account for all outages because of the reporting capabilities of the SCADA system. Director Babin commended Engineer Langille on her report. r' 3 r Questions and Comments Cindy Pennie, 12 Jakes Way, accompanied by her live-in companion, Wayne Jackman, told the Board she was attending the Light Commissioner's meeting for two reasons. She stated they were being overcharged daily for their electricity and they also wanted to file a complaint against Director Babin. Ms. Pennie began by saying when she called the Light Dept. regarding her bill, the woman she spoke to said she would have someone come out and re-read her meter. The woman called her back to let her know the meter appeared to be working fine, but Ms. Pennie told her she disagreed. Ms. Pennie stated she was using the exact same appliances from her previous residence at 10 Horace Street, where her bills were $90 not $200. She said the woman offered her the phone number for Energy New England, so that she could arrange to have an energy audit done in her home. Ms. Pennie said the auditor who came to her home told her he could not come close to the figure she was being charged by MMED, so she called Director Babin with the results. r-- She said that she spoke with him on a couple of occasions and that she was offended by his inappropriate comments. She said Director Babin made a statement about being able to afford a house in Mansfield but not being able to afford the electric bill. When she mentioned to him that they were both Town employees (she and Mr. Jackman), he asked her if she expected him to cut her a break. Ms. Pennie also claimed that he made a comment about hiding an electrical heater from the auditor. She said that she told him electric heat is dangerous. She said Director Babin also told her that if the Light Dept. changed her meter, she would have to pay for it. Ms. Pennie claimed they are not getting any help from MMED. She said she's being charged for 52 kWh per day when the ENE auditor told her she should only be charged for 30 kWh per day. She stated that this problem is not Wayne and hers; it's between MMED and the builders of her house. Wayne Jackman, who also resides at 12 Jakes Way, stated they had an electrician come out to the house who told them he can't understand why they're being charged the amount that they are being charged. Mr. Jackman said they would like to know why and rectify the problem. Jay Zola, one of the builders of the home, recommended to him that MMED might have a meter to put into the house which would pinpoint to what room the energy is going. Mr. Jackman also said he believed Director Babin to be out of line with his comments to Ms. Pennie, as well as very unprofessional. r-- Chairman Achille thanked Ms. Pennie and Mr. Jackman for coming forward. He told them the Board was there to serve them. He said he hadn't seen the ENE auditor's report. Ms. Pennie offered him her report, pointing out it said provided to you by the Mansfield Electric Department, also adding that it was your auditor that came out to our house. The auditor told her he usually finds in favor of the Light Dept., but in this case he said he couldn't come close. 4 ~ - r' Commissioner MacCaffrie asked if their electrician had put another meter in, behind their meter. Mr. Jackman said the electrician applied the meter to each circuit in each room. The electrician said the voltage coming out of the circuit breaker didn't match what the meter said. Town Manager John D' Agostino stated that everyone in Mansfield has metered service, whether they're accurate or not is the question. He explained their meter had been tested twice to be 99.9% accurate; therefore, the problem did not lie with the meter, but rather, with something in the house. Ms. Pennie asked didn't the Mansfield electrical inspector sign off on the home? Director Babin responded by explaining it's the Town wiring inspector who does, then calls MMED and let's them know it's OK to put in the meter. Ms. Pennie suggested the problem could be his fault. Town Manager D' Agostino further explained that her electrician must have been licensed and knew the code of standards. The wiring inspector is not there to look for problems and does not necessarily look at the detailed schematics. He also pointed out no one should be looking to lay blame right now, until the problem is resolved. ~ Commissioner MacCaffrie inquired as to whether there was any exterior lighting which may have underground conduit? Ms. Pennie and Mr. Jackman answered there was none of which they were aware. Ms. Pennie stated her concern is in the summer when she's running her central air conditioning, what her bill will be then. Town Manager D' Agostino reiterated that something in the house was wired incorrectly. Ms. Pennie and Mr. Jackman were in agreement. Chairman Achille wondered if there were any other steps to take. At this time, Director Babin stated he would like to give a chronology of events. He began by saying the Light Dept. has done its due diligence on this matter. He said he personally has spent a lot of time on this issue. He called the builder of the home, Paul Folkman, who had yet to return his phone call. Director Babin did speak with Mr. Folkman's partner, on two occasions, who said there was nothing in the house that he knew of which would explain the increased usage of the household. Director Babin also met personally with the auditor from ENE who performed the audit at the home. Director Babin reported that MMED paid $150 for ENE to audit the home. MMED also tested their meter on its own test board, which showed the meter to be 99.90% accurate, well within the +/- 2% allowed under the law. In addition, the meter was sent out to be independently tested. Those results showed the meter to be 99.91 % accurate. Director Babin stated this proves the meter is accurate and energy going into the home is being measured correctly. Another service which MMED could offer is to have ENE go back to the home with a device which would measure energy use by appliance and by circuit. ~ Clerk Dolan brought up the point that it is not the ENE auditor's place to tell a customer what they should be paying. The auditor's job is to determine the approximate amount of 5 (" electricity the customer is using, based on the information the customer gives him regarding their appliances. Clerk Dolan stated the billing for the electricity for 12 Jakes Way has been determined to be correct, therefore, the problem lies not with the Light Dept., but with the contractor or builder. There must be something wrong in the house. Clerk Dolan explained to Ms. Pennie that to someone watching this at home, it sounded like MMED was not billing her correctly, and that is not the case. Mr. Jackman again stated that he was unhappy with Director Babin's way of speaking to Ms. Pennie. Director Babin stated that one thing that has not been mentioned is that when Ms. Pennie informed him in their second phone conversation that she took exception to his comments, he apologized for it. In fact, he said he also apologized a second time when leaving a phone message. Director Babin said he had been forwarded the e-mail which Ms. Pennie had sent to the Town Manager. He said he took issue with what she said in the e-mail, saying it was not indicative of the context of his comments or of his character. Ms. Pennie responded by saying she did not make any of the comments up, adding Director Babin had called her at work, which is a recorded line. ,~ Chairman Achille reiterated that an apology was made by Director Babin, and said he wanted to move on and resolve the electric bill issue. He began by saying let's figure out what is wrong internally, as there is something wrong inside the house. He encouraged all the parties to get together, and if next month there was still no resolution, everyone would meet again at the Light Commissioner's meeting. The Board agreed to waive any late fees Cindy Pennie may incur, as she had not paid her bill in a timely manner. Chairman Achille also stated if the problem is that of the builder's, then Ms. Pennie's recourse would be with them. Commissioner MacCaffrie added that if it's determined an overpayment has been made, an adjustment can be done. Town Manager D' Agostino stated the Board needs to understand that the electric consumption is there, and the bill needs to be paid. He agreed that all parties should work together to straighten out the problem, but believed the Light Dept. was being villainized. Chairman Achille interrupted Town Manager D' Agostino, saying the Light Dept. was not being villainized, and that the issue would be addressed next month. Clerk Dolan questioned the $150 cost of the ENE audit. Director Babin explained ENE bills MMED for the cost of the audit. He added that MMED also paid $55 for the independent meter test. Clerk Dolan asked Line Foreman D' Ambra if he could look at their box and see what's tied into it. Line Foreman D' Ambra said he could appreciate Ms. Pennie's and Mr. Jackman's concerns, but explained that the Light Dept. does not belong on the other side of the meter. He also believed the Light Dept. has done its due diligence, stating MMED has been working with these customers. Line Foreman D' Ambra said they were pushing the Light Dept. to the other side of the meter. He also said he believed they were confusing their terminology, between amps and kWh. He explained a meter reads kWh, r' not amps. 6 r' Town Manager D' Agostino reiterated that the Light Dept. needs to be careful about going to the other side of the meter, as Line Foreman D' Ambra mentioned. George Dentino, 2 Gladiola Terrace, approached the Board, saying he had two concerns but would only be addressing one at this time. He began by stating when he was going through records at the Town Hall, he came across a retirement form for Kim Stoyle, who had been gone for a couple of weeks now. Mr. Dentino asked why, the day after Ms. Stoyle resigned, the Manager and Director of the Light Dept. had the locks changed at the Light Dept.? Vice Chairman Amoruso said he was concerned as to why Mr. Dentino was in personnel records. Mr. Dentino wanted to know how Mr. Amoruso got off making the accusation that he was in personnel records. He believed Vice Chairman Amoruso had stated that he was disturbed by this. Vice Chairman Amoruso corrected Mr. Dentino, saying he used the word concerned, not disturbed. Clerk Dolan wanted to know why the Board was even entertaining this? Town Manager D' Agostino answered Mr. Dentino's question by saying it was security reasons. Mr. Dentino said he did not find that to be an acceptable answer, and asked security for what? Clerk Dolan left the meeting. ,,-... i Chairman Achille suggested if Mr. Dentino had any more questions, that he should go to either Director Babin or Town Manager D' Agostino. Chairman Achille did not want to get into a press conference type of situation. Mr. Dentino responded by saying he has been going to Mr. D' Agostino for years and the issues only get hidden in his office. Mr. Dentino said the question was asked what security, and the answer that we're not going any farther is not an acceptable answer. Chairman Achille stated he was not sure that a reason had to be provided. Mr. Dentino then asked Chairman Achille if the Director and Manager had run this by the Board. Chairman Achille's response was he believed the Director and Manager carry out their job. Commissioner MacCaffrie said changing the locks happens all the time in business when a senior executive leaves. Town Manager D' Agostino added that the Board sets policy; the Director and Manager make day to day decisions. Commissioner McCue believes it was a management decision not a policy decision. Mr. Dentino claimed he was getting the brush-off He also reminded the Board that the locks were not changed after either Jack Beliveau or Donna Sirois left the Light Dept. New Business Commissioner MacCaffrie asked Engineer Langille about the date of the next Robotics competition. He asked that the Board get a note advising them of it, so they could announce it at the Selectmen's meeting prior to the competition. r' 7 ~ - r- r' r Adjournment Motion: To adjourn the Light Commissioner's meeting at 8:55 Passes 4/0 (Dolan had stepped out of the room) Respectfully submitted: Jacqueline Lee 3/9/05 ~ Or.I-A- ignature of CI ~ ~ 2,OVJ- Date of Approval 8 .. ..