The Salem Electric Board of Directors met on June 23, 1998 at
7:01 p.m. Board members in attendance were Jim Dyer, Nancy Towslee, Bill
Wolf, Jeff Anderson and Curt Culver. Salem Electric Member Assistance Program (SEMAP) Report Helen Findley, the Special Services Representative, gave a report
on the SEMAP program comparing figures from the prior year. This program gives
heating assistance to qualifying low income SE members. Findley presented a
composite picture of the average recipient as being a 33-year-old female living
with three other persons and having a monthly income of $787. The report broke
the statistics down by seniors, disabled, and low income only groups. This is a
very wonderful program. I would also encourage all members who can afford it to
check off the box on their billings and add one dollar to their total, even if
only once a year. The Salvation Army administers this money which is also used
to help SE members with their electric bills. Member Services Report Terry Kelly, the Member Services Manager, presented the April and
May reports. He drew attention to a new item on the report entitled ``Community
Involvement." Highlights included Salem Electric's donations to the Discovery
Village project (Salem Electric employees averaged over four hours of volunteer
work per employee). Salem Electric also sponsored the Keizer Iris Festival Run
and awed the parade crowds with another stellar performance by the Salem
Electric Drill Team. SE also co-sponsored the World Beat Festival on June 27
and 28. Kelly reviewed the staff recommendation to approve the use of SE
funds to weatherize qualifying low-income households. Currently, the
Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency (MWVCAA) has handled these
projects paying 10% with SE paying 90%. SE would coordinate our own projects in
addition to the cases referred by MWVCAA. We would fund these at 100% with
minimal additional out-of-pocket expenses. Motion to approve the recommendation
was made by Anderson, seconded by Culver and carried unanimously. Manager's Report Bob Speckman gave an update on the Oregon Rural Electric
Cooperative Association (ORECA) Restructuring Task Force meeting that he and
Board President Jim Dyer attended. The group is preparing for the upcoming
legislative session. ORECA is organizing educational seminars throughout the
state and inviting politicians to meet and discuss deregulation issues. A Salem
session will take place on August 12 and SE will be represented by General
Manager Bob Speckman and Jim Dyer. Speckman said Anderson is up for re-election to the ORECA board
at their annual meeting in December. A resolution will be presented at this
meeting to urge the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) to
address a taxation issue that would affect co-ops' ability to be competitive in
a deregulated environment. At issue is the current tax code that limits
``unrelated" income for co-ops to 15% of gross revenues. The board agreed by
consensus to support the resolution. Financing Options to Purchase BPA Substations - Recommendation Several financing options were presented to the board for
financing of the BPA substations purchase. The board approved staff's
recommendation to fund a portion of the purchase price from reserves and to
borrow the remainder. Motion was made by Anderson, seconded by Culver and
carried unanimously to approve the recommendation. Request for Contributions Jim Gray and Dorothy Garrett from the Oregon Symphony Association
in Salem presented a request for SE to once again co-sponsor one of the summer
Oregon Symphony concerts. The cost has gone up this year from $1,750 to $2,000.
The board has raised questions in the past about the availability of
opportunities for low-income persons, especially children, to attend the
concerts. Garrett described in detail the children's concert that is given at
Willamette University each year. This includes instruction and background
information for the 2,400 children who attend the two performances. Students
only pay $2 admission, but no one is turned away if they cannot afford it. Last
year $1,000 of free admissions were awarded. Some discussion followed regarding
the availability of budgeted amounts allowed for board contributions. The
consensus was that the board would like to see a quarterly report on the
contributions granted by SE. Culver also stressed that in the future he would
like to see SE help fund the youth concert. Wolf agreed that the youth should
be supported. Motion was made by Anderson, seconded by Towslee and carried to
contribute $2,000 for a co-sponsorship. Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. The board met in executive session
to discuss the procedure for filling the board vacancy. The executive session
adjourned at 9:00 p.m. | Board Reports |
August 1998
Minutes of the Meeting Held on:
June 23, 1998
-- Bill Wolf, Secretary/Treasurer
