MPS Commission Meeting

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - On Tuesday, July 14, 2009, the Moorhead Public Service Commission (Commission) held their only scheduled meeting for the month of July. All in all, it was a pretty quiet meeting; most items on consent and little discussion on the items that were not. A couple items from the meeting that are note worthy:

Mid-year Report on Energy Sales: MPS Electric Division Manager Dave Kahly provided a report to the Commission outlining the current status of energy (electricity) sales for MPS. MPS divides energy usage into 3 categories; General Service (large commercial and industrial), Small General Service (regular/smaller commercial) and residential. Energy sales overall are down by 2.6%. This is primarily due to a 4.9% drop in General Service. Why? Well, we don't really know for sure, but Kahly believes the combination of a 12% rate increase and a cold winter has caused some companies and individuals to change the way they use electricity. The good news...although energy sales have dropped, MPS has also seen a reduction in purchased power costs; therefore, the financial position of the utility has not been negatively impacted. Kahly provided some graphs and more details that are included in the Commission agenda (click here if you want to view the agenda).

Report on MPS' activities relating to stimulus funding: At previous Commission meetings, MPS has discussed moving forward to apply for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 passed by President Obama. MPS staff is working on this, and I will post an update on the project in a later post.

Changes to the Upcoming Meeting Schedule for the Commission: A few changes for the next few weeks:

• July 28, 2009, rescheduled to Aug 3, 2009
• Rate hearing at 5:00pm during the Aug 3 meeting (discuss incentive rates for commercial accounts)
• August 11, rescheduled to August 18
• August 25, cancelled

As I noted, all in all a quiet meeting. Other topics were, of course, discussed at the meeting; however, these are just a few of the larger items. If you have any interest in attending any of the Commission meetings, you can find the meeting dates and times online at mpsutility.com/minutes. The Commission meets at City Hall, on first floor in the Council Chambers. Don’t forget, you can now watch the Commission meetings live on Moorhead Community Access Television, cable channel 12.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Electric Construction Report

Monday, July 13, 2009 - As you are driving around Moorhead this summer, you may see our crews out working and wonder what we are working on. This summer we have several large projects in place to improve the electric system reliability, stability, and operational efficiency.

1. The first project was a cable replacement project on 3rd St. S. between 2nd and 4th Ave. S. This project is complete and will allow us to abandon the old cable under the Woodlawn Park which is due for replacement and floods every spring.
2. We also had a cable replacement project in the Moorhead Industrial Park which is also complete.
3. Due to reconstruction of Clay County Road #11, we had the replace 2 miles of 3-phase line which provides power to the MPS' North Buffalo Wells.
4. Currently we are working in the Village Green area with a large cable replacement project that is expected to be completed by the end of July.
5. Other large projects include a feeder tie-line from 14th St. S. and 45th Ave. S. to 6th St. S. and 46th Ave. S. This project will improve the backfeeding capability of the electric distribution system and improve system reliability.
6. Coming up soon is the addition of a feeder from the Southeast Substation to the east side of Mccaras. This project is approximately 2.7 miles long and will improve the ability of the electric distribution system to provide power to the large industrial loads in this area.

Posted by: MPS Electric Distribution Engineer, Leon Emmil

Moorhead Public Service Commission Meeting

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - On Tuesday night, June 30, 2009, the Moorhead Public Service Commission (Commission) held their second scheduled meeting for the month of June. Here are a few highlights from their meeting:

Economic Development Incentives: The Commission again discussed the idea of an electric rate that would encourage economic development for primary sector businesses in Moorhead. This rate would allow businesses that meet pre-determined criteria to receive a discount on their electric rates for a limited amount of time (5 years). This discount would be taken from what MPS would have to pay the City of Moorhead through the annual transfer (payment in lieu of taxes). This is a complex issue and the Commission reviewed and discussed the issue at length. After the Moorhead City Council passed a resolution encouraging this rate (at their June 22, 2009 meeting), the Commission passed the concept and instructed MPS staff to work toward finalizing this program. A rate hearing will be held in August to allow for full public input.

DOJ Grant: The Commission received a report on a $50,000 Department of Justice (DOJ) grant. MPS received congressional appropriation for a public safety application of the GoMoorhead.com Wi-Fi System. This project will increase Internet speeds for Minnesota State Highway Patrol cars in order to push real-time video surveillance and state intranet access into the vehicles. MPS submitted the final application to the DOJ on Monday, June 22, and we are now waiting. We will update everyone once we learn more from the DOJ.

Power Generation update: Local power generation has always been important to the Commission. After reviewing the capacity MPS has to produce power and transmit that power, it is possible for MPS to install up to 11 Mega-Watts (MW) of power right here in Moorhead. At previous Commission meetings, the Commission received reports and took action beginning the work of installing 8MW of power generation. At that time it was assumed that MPS could transmit only 9MW of power; however, we have now learned we have the capacity to transmit 11MW. With this increase, the Commission decided to expand the size of the generators. MPS will now revamp their project to include 10MW of power generation here in Moorhead.

Other topics were, of course, discussed at the meeting; however, these are just a few of the larger items. If you have any interest in attending any of the Commission meetings, you can find the meeting dates and times online at mpsutility.com/minutes. The Commission meets at City Hall, on first floor in the Council Chambers. Don’t forget, you can now watch the Commission meetings live on Moorhead Community Access Television, cable channel 12.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Moorhead Public Service Commission Meeting

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - Last night the Moorhead Public Service Commission held their first meeting for the month of May. It was a meeting that covered many topics. MPS General Manager Bill Schwandt said in a staff meeting, "this meeting is a pretty wide spectrum, we've got it all on this one." This meeting covered topics ranging from the 2008 Audit Report, to Energy-Efficient Street lighting, to Voluntary Watering Restrictions and more. Let's try to highlight a few of the topics discussed:



Audit Report. Each year MPS engages Eide Bailly LLP to conduct an audit of the financial statements of Moorhead Public Service. Again, this year there were no major areas of concern from the audit. Brian Stavenger, CPA, (Senior Manager with Eide Bailly) said that all MPS financial records were "fairly stated and materially accurate," which is a thumbs up in auditors language! MPS had a $6.5 million increase in net assets and all three divisions (electric, water, and broadband) ended the year with positive changes in net assets. All good news for the audit report.



Energy-Efficient Street lighting. MPS Electric Division Manager Dave Kahly gave a report on our street lighting program here in Moorhead and offered an opinion on some emerging technology, such as LED lighting. Although LED lights are more energy efficient, they are still very costly. MPS currently has a few LED lights on our system for testing and we needs to continue to monitor the activities and developments with this technology.



2009 Flood Update. The Commission heard an update on the 2009 flood and MPS' response. The report including highlights and areas of improvement for MPS. If you would like to see the list of the items, check out the Commission agenda at mpsutility.com. Also, if you have any comments for MPS, please let us know what we did well, or what we could improve on.



Watering Restrictions . There were a couple items in last night's meeting that came from the Water Department. The first was a voluntary watering restriction for the residents of Moorhead. It seems odd to think about conserving water after the flood we just experienced; however, as we move into the summer months, the Commission is asking the residents of Moorhead to be smart about their water use. The Commission is asking residents to observe an odd-even water schedule. Lawn watering and car washing is asked to be limited to customers by street address. All customers with even-numbered address can use water for these two items on even-numbered days, and vice-versa for odd-numbered homes. Again, this is a voluntary program that is established to remind residents to use water wisely. We have tips for keeping a lush lawn on our website. Visit the "Water Conservation Page" under "For Your Home" on mpsutility.com.



There were many other items on the May 12, 2009 Commission agenda that were discussed. The minutes for this meeting will be made available online at mpsutility.com as soon as the Commission approves them. As always, everyone is encouraged to attend the Commission meetings. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 4:30pm.



Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness

Electrical Safety Month

Monday, May 11, 2009 - During the month of May, we celebrate Electrical Safety Month. Electricity is a great asset as we live our everyday lives, but it can also be very dangerous if not handled properly. Here are a few safety tips for both indoor and outdoor electrical usage:

Indoor Safety:

• Don't overload outlets. An overloaded outlet is a fire hazard. If your outlets are overloaded with many appliances, consider having a qualified electrician install additional outlets.
• Frayed cords are dangerous. Cord insulation keeps electricity in the wires, where it belongs. Regularly check appliance power cords and connections for wear; don't use frayed or cracked cords.
• Extension cords are for temporary indoor use. Keep them away from moisture, heat, or metal pipes. Never put them under rugs because they can become frayed or cracked without out being able to see the damage.
• Water + Electricity = Shocking! Always unplug any kitchen appliance before cleaning it. Even if turned off, it can shock you. Use outlets with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) for appliances near kitchen sinks.

Outdoor Safety:

• Keep your distance from overhead lines. When carrying and using ladder and other long tools, make sure to keep them at least 10 feet away from all overhead lines-including the line from the power pole to your home.
• Stay out of substations! Tell children that if a ball or toy gets into a substation they should tell an adult and call the power company (MPS' phone number is 299-5400). Never try to retrieve the toy yourself.
• Call before you dig. If you hit an underground line you could be seriously or fatally injured. Before digging or moving earth in any way, call 811 or 1-800-252-1166 to have all underground utilities located.
• Select power tools designed for outdoor use. They should have heavier wiring and be double insulated or have three-way grounded plugs. When working outside near water, be sure to plug tools into a GFCI.

Why you can get shocked: Electricity takes the easiest path to the ground. If you touch electricity (or something touching electricity) and the ground at the same time, you become the path, and electricity will flow through you causing you to become seriously, or fatally, injured.

Posted by: MPS Communications Director, Doug Rogness