Okanogan County PUD commissioners and staff reviewed the draft 2023 budget, presented Sept. 12. With large construction projects ahead and major increases to the costs of supplies, the PUD is proposing a 3.75% revenue increase.

If commissioners approve the revenue increase, it would be applied differently to the various rate classes based on each class’s actual share of the costs to provide electricity.

The draft budget and supporting documents can be viewed on our budget page. The draft budget includes:

• Revenues of $69.5 million, including up to $4.3 million expected from FEMA;
• Expenditures of $55.8 million, including possibly hiring four additional staff members;
• Debt service of $4.1 million; and
• Capital projects of $16.2 million, including the rebuild of the Tonasket substation, increasing capacity and reliability for the northern part of the county.

In other business, the board:

• Approved an updated fiber extension policy that more closely matches the electric line extension policy, simplifying the process to save time and money.
• Heard from Director of Power Resources and Broadband Services Ron Gadeberg that the volatility of the power market was demonstrated in the first half of September. With a heat wave and high energy demand Sept. 1-2, the PUD had to purchase power at more than $1,000 per megawatt (MW), beyond what had been budgeted. However, in the days following with milder temperatures and lower power usage, the PUD was able to sell back into the market for anywhere from $100-500 per MW. The PUD earned back more than the money originally spent by Sept. 12, better than anticipated in the budget. With the changes in the market supply, Gadeberg said he expects massive fluctuations like this to be more frequent.
• Heard from Right-of-Way Superintendent Nick Christoph that tree trimming is behind schedule this year since contracted crews are struggling with staffing issues.
• Approved an amendment to the vehicle replacement fund to increase the maximum balance to $2 million.
• Approved the surplus of several old items from the Information Systems department.
• Set future board meetings for Oct. 10 and 24, Nov. 14 and 28 and Dec. 12.