September Main Topics

EPB Operations in COVID-19 Environment and Temporary Changes

Ø    Financial Impacts of COVID-19

Ø    Discuss ramifications of Circuit Court Rulings and Issues relative to upcoming mediation

Ø   Review of 2020 retail electric rate effectiveness, with new rate option for consideration

Ø   TVA Community Care Fund

The September meeting has a rather long agenda due to the inclusion of rather complicated rate discussion.  

We all know that the present legal status of the Board is tough due to rulings and orders issued by Barren Circuit Court. However, the EPB mission is still fixed and it is imperative that all members meet to discuss these matters on the agenda. I urge you to attend, and to approve an agenda so that we can keep moving forward.

Action Items

October 1 FCA

Ø  The October 2020 TVA FCA will increase sharply, to 1.428 cents per kWh. This is a sizable month-to-month increase.  COVID influenced August sales were surprisingly high, and hydro generation was unusually low, and those factors put upward pressure on the FCA.    

Ø  On October 1, the energy component of our retail rates will adjust to reflect this increase passed on by TVA.

COVID-19 and Glasgow EPB

Ø  Service disconnections for non-payment on essential services have been discontinued pending Board direction, and TVA/PSC directions on same. We have also temporarily waived the fee for call-in credit card payments. The matter became much more complicated a couple of months ago when Governor Beshear issued an order, which forbids utilities (and mentions municipal utilities, like ours, specifically) from resuming normal non-payment disconnects until after he lifts his Emergency Declaration for the state. Obviously, for a non-profit like EPB, the additional losses will have to be borne by all customers. This matter also has federal sovereignty implications since the Governor is usurping TVA’s regulatory role. This matter is very complicated. I will show you some results of this order and it is becoming quite clear that we have several customers who are amassing a debt that they will have a lot of trouble repaying.

Ø  We closed the EPB lobby to the public on Wednesday, March 18, and it is still closed. At the same time, we announced the cessation of services to broadband wiring inside customer premises. Since the number of Barren County COVID-19 cases is growing sharply, we do not see an end to these changes. We have been in contact with GWC, FRECC, and SCRTC regarding their lobby opening decisions. Right now, pending Board approval, we are planning to continue our present safety policies indefinitely.   

Ø  While TVA is giving us considerable latitude on how long this disconnect forbearance should last, they are determined for us to ultimately collect on all balances owed. Further, as mentioned above, they are carefully considering how long to cooperate with the Governor’s directive before they take action to re-establish themselves as the sole LPC regulator.

Ø  City of Glasgow was lucky to receive over $1 million in CARES Act funding from the Federal Government. We have asked City of Glasgow to pass a resolution which would authorize our customers, who are in arrears on their accounts with us, to apply for a portion of that funding to help them get back to even. We trust that the City will comply with this request.  

Ø  “Social distancing” steps have already been taken by the EPB team along with additional cleaning of the EPB office.  Personal protective equipment has been provided to EPB team members who interact directly with the public. The team has returned to normal shifts.

Ø  We look forward to reversing all these steps and moving back toward our normal operations when officials advise us of the safety of that action.

Mediation Costs and other Court Orders

Ø  Though this matter has gotten some discussion and opinions have been rendered, the Board has yet to act on certain issues. For example, since the Court ordered all parties to enter mediation (presently scheduled for October 20), there is a matter to be considered relative to the cost of legal counsel relative to the mediation process.

Ø  There is also the matter of outstanding issues that the Court is presently considering. Since new orders can be issued at any time, this matter should be on the agenda so that the Board can respond, if such orders are issued, at the upcoming meeting.

Retail Rates Review

Ø  We made a commitment to an Advisory Committee, and to the City of Glasgow, to conduct annual analysis of our retail electric rates. This is a sound business practice that should be followed, regardless of our commitments, and that preliminary review took place in the August meeting.

Ø  I had planned to start off with a brief review of the presentation on the history of the EPB rate evolution, which ought to get everyone on the same page as to where we have been and where previous boards have set our course to follow. However, other matters took a lot of the wind out of our sails, and no one seemed ready to spend that much time on the issue. I stand at the ready to conduct that review when, and if, the Board is ready.

Ø  I got some valuable feedback during the August meeting, regarding strong opinions on the retail rate architecture. In response, my team has spent a lot of time since the August meeting, developing a radical new rate option that might be more attractive to the present Board.

Ø  At the meeting we will have an analysis and a couple of recommended approaches to each of our six consumer retail rate tariffs. There are a lot of numbers you might want to consider, but we’ve prepared a pared down presentation for each tariff, one that you might find sufficient to approve.

Ø  As the reader can see from the modified agenda, Mr. Froedge has proposed his own version of rate design, and that will be considered in relation to the above.  

Ø  It will be the Board’s decision on how we should proceed, but if we hope to implement a change by January 1, it will be critical for you to render a decision this month.

New TVA Community Care Fund Grants

Ø  The TVA Board has approved another round of Community Care Grants in the amount of $2 million. This amount is equal to what they previously approved in April 2020.

Ø  As before, Glasgow EPB’s allotment of this money amounts to $10,000. To get that funding for one of our local non-profit agencies, EPB must put up a matching $10,000.

Ø  As before, TVA is willing to count the money we have already committed to Community Relief as our matching money. So, while you can elect to give this allotment to another non-profit agency, doing so would mean a new $10,000 expenditure of EPB funds.

Ø  At the meeting I will recommend that you authorize me to complete the agreement with TVA to apply for the $10,000 and award it to Community Relief when TVA grants our application.

Consideration of Recommended Hardware Upgrade to EPB NOC

Ø  Rampant growth in internet traffic has resulted from the pandemic and the changes to how we work and educate our children. Trying to keep the capacity of the Glasgow broadband network ahead of the demand has totally changed the pace at which we normally consider and execute improvements.

Ø  At the meeting Josh Francis will present his plan to add another Cisco Router to enhance our ability to survive the loss of one of our circuits to AT&T, Windstream, and/or Level 3.

Ø  The cost of this proposed addition is sizable, a bit over $100K, but the need is even more sizable as we continue to be the only link to normalcy that so many of our customers have during this pandemic.

Reports

Ø  August Metrics and Financial Review

Ø  October FCA

Ø  CPD Charge Reserve Fund Status

-       kW demand markup was implemented two years ago, to cover TVA wholesale cost for missed peak predictions

-       Updated calculations will be presented at the meeting. We are beginning a new year of this reporting, and so far, the fund is in acceptable shape due to overall accuracy of peak predictions.

Ø  Results from Board Authorization to disconnect non-essential services to accounts in arrears

Ø  Large Outage Report

Old/New Business

I put the matter of deciding whether to go back to a more normal meeting format on the agenda again. We have done some research and will have a clear set of guidelines we would need to follow, should you wish to go back to a face-to-face format for our meetings.

Conclusion

Please let me know if you have any questions before the meeting. Prepare for another meeting experience using Zoom.