PUD commissioners plan budgets for 2017

Commissioners approved the preliminary budget for 2017 for all three of their systems at the Wahkiakum County PUD Board of Commissioner’s meeting on Tuesday morning.

Expected revenues and expenses for the proposed budget of the electric system are $4,142,815; $413,115 for the Puget Island water system; and $320,730 for the western Wahkiakum water system.

Auditor Erin Wilson and General Manager David Tramblie talked about painting projects, security issues and future vehicle needs with the commissioners.

“There’s no proposed rate increase on any of the systems for this budget,” Tramblie pointed out.

There will be a budget hearing, open to the public, at the first meeting in October. The final budget must be approved at the first meeting in December.

“We have lots of time to make changes,” Wilson said.

Tramblie reported that he had ordered 250 AMR water meters and 250 AMR electric meters for Puget Island. He hopes to have them installed by the end of the year and put in a similar order for more at the beginning of 2017.

“That should just about complete the island,” Tramblie said. “We haven’t worked out all the details for implementation on the Westend.”

Tramblie also reported that some progress had been made on the intertie project with Pacific County. The crew will begin to set poles along the highway soon. He doesn’t expect the underground portion will be completed by November as he had initially hoped but the project doesn’t have to be completed until August 2017.

“We won’t be doing that in wet weather and our window is shrinking pretty rapidly,” Tramblie said of the underground work.

Tramblie also said that the Deep River mainline reroute project has been completed and that the PUD should have the Barr Road project completed this week.

The next PUD Board of Commissioner’s meeting is scheduled for September 20 at 8:30 a.m.