Thursday, March 28, 2024

The PUD

Posted
I strenuously disagree with the PUD commissioners and overpaid general manager Riazzi regarding the PUD rate increases. When I ran for PUD commissioner I made certain promises, some of which are:

• I would not raise electric rates unless very necessary and the raise would have to be justified.

• I would not overpay the general manager and would cut the number of management personnel.

• I would control PUD spending. No more boondoggles.

• I would make it easier and less expensive for building contractors to pay for new hookups.

• I would exercise more control over the general manager.

• I would choose the next general manager from within the current PUD organization.

The public apparently didn't agree with me so I lost to commissioner Werner Janssen. Electric rates have been raised without need or justification. I reject the commissioners and Riazzi's reasoning to support increasing electric rates. It is circular logic to justify rate increases by saying we have the lowest electric rates in the country because we have the dams. The PUD should be able to average out the projected revenues of future excess power sales so as to avoid temporary surcharge rate increases. The rate increases the commission has approved are not temporary. They are permanent. I am not buying their reasoning to raise electric rates. The PUD should control its spending. The general manager was given a large salary to begin with and then recently given a large pay raise. I am absolutely opposed to this. Within a short time on the job Riazzi recommended electricity rate increases and a raise for himself.

In my opinion the elected commissioners have not listened to the public. I believe I was the only candidate to promise no rate increases - period. The PUD makes enough money already. It is their spending that needs to be controlled. These are concepts that are basic and should be immune from pettifogging managers or other self-supporting projections. I guess the public gets what it deserves because they had a choice who to elect. Me or the current crop of commissioners who raised rates after they implied they would not. Implied but not promised. This says volumes about an uniformed electorate. The commissioners have overpaid the general manager in my opinion. It is faulty logic to try to justify this by saying we have to compete on the national labor market to get the best qualified person and these wages are commensurate with other PUD general managers. I think we have several qualified potential general managers already within the PUD management structure and we should have promoted from within. Bill Forhan is right and the commissioners are wrong.

Bill Cowles

Peshastin
Opinion

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