FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Oct. 9, 2017
LAST WEEK
Mount Dora Board Representative
Mount Dora appointed Deputy Electric Utility Director Steve Langley as its alteate representative to FMPA’s Board of Directors. Electric Utility Manager Charles Revell will continue to serve as the city’s primary representative.
General Funds Transfer Survey
The preliminary results from a survey of general fund transfer policies for FMPA members has been posted on the Portal. The comparative data for fiscal 2016 shows retail sales, total operating electric revenues and electric fund transfers. If you have not submitted your survey, please provide your responses by clicking on this https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2017-Utility-general-fund-transfer-survey>
IT Community Roundtable
FMPA’s Information Technology (IT) Community Roundtable that was originally scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 12, has been rescheduled for April 2018. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
THIS WEEK
ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets Monday at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) overview of September loads, 3) resource update for September, and 4) review of September ARP rate calculation. Contact: Jason Wolfe
Member City Visits
FMPA staff will visit member cities this week to give presentations on the proposed sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility. On Monday, Jacob Williams travels to Leesburg and Mark McCain travels to Alachua. On Tuesday, Jacob travels to Fort Meade and Frank Gaffney travels to Homestead.
APPA Legal and Regulatory Conference
Jody Finklea and Dan O’Hagan are in New Orleans through Wednesday to attend the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Legal and Regulatory Conference. Jody is serving as Chair of the Legal Section this year.
Introductory Visits
Mike McCleary travels to Bartow, Fort Pierce, Moore Haven, Homestead and Key West this week to continue his introductory meetings with FMPA member cities. Members who have not scheduled meetings with Mike are encouraged to do so by sending him an email.
FEMA Public Assistance
Tuesday is the deadline for applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for public assistance related to Hurricane Irma. Cities or utilities that believe they may qualify for FEMA reimbursement are encouraged to begin the process by completing the request for public assistance application at http://www.floridapa.org>
FM Global
Rich Popp and David Schumann will be in Phoenix on Tuesday through Friday attending the FM Global Risk Management forum. FM Global is FMPA’s insurance provider. Discussion topics include best practices and a breakout session on power generation.
Excellence as a Supervisor
The first module of Series II of FMPA’s Excellence as a Supervisor training is Tuesday and Wednesday at FMPA’s Orlando office. This training is designed for first-line supervisors, middle-level supervisors and prospective supervisors. Series II provides information on selection and development of employees, performance evaluations, employee motivation, leading change, as well as an overview of ensuring a harassment-free and respectful workplace. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Vero Beach Meeting
Jacob Williams, Jody Finklea and Mark Larson will meet Thursday with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan Chase and Co. to bring the banks up to date on the proposed sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility and discuss the banks’ role in the approval process.
Industry News Enhancement
In response to the recent FMPA Weekly readership survey, stories in the newsletter’s Industry News section will include links, when available, for more information on the stories. Click on the headline to see the source. More details about the results of the reader survey will be published in a future edition of FMPA Weekly. Thank you to all readers who provided feedback and suggestions. Contact: Mark McCain
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. The graph is updated through Oct 8. Contact: Jim Atz
COMING UP
October Goveing Board Meetings
FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee will meet in Fort Pierce on Oct. 18 at the Treasure Coast Energy Center. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m., and the meeting will start at 1:30. A tour of the plant is planned beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m. FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee will meet Oct. 19 at the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority’s offices. The Board will meet at 8 a.m. and the Executive Committee will meet at 8:30 a.m., or immediately following the Board of Directors meeting. Contact: Jacob Williams
Linemen’s Roundtable
There’s still time to https://fmpa.com/event/linemens-roundtable-october-26-2017/>
FMEA Energy Connections Conference
The Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Energy Connections Conference is scheduled for Nov. 8-9 at the Renaissance World Golf Village Hotel in St. Augustine. General session topics include proactive communication strategies, Hurricane Irma response and recovery, managing safety programs and more. The pre-registration deadline is Oct. 20. Visit FMEA’s http://publicpower.com/energy-connections-conference/>
Purchasing Roundtable
https://fmpa.com/event/fmpa-purchasing-roundtable/>
INDUSTRY NEWS
Commissioner Ronald Brisé of the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last Tuesday called for a discussion with investor-owned utilities to see how they communicated expectations of power restoration efforts during Hurricane Irma. PSC staff will review data on transmission and distribution facilities, tree trimming practices, pole inspection cycles and customers’ experiences with utilities during Irma to find ways to meet customer expectations. The commissioners expressed a need for utilities to keep the public well informed throughout the process. Once the data is reviewed, staff will present recommendations for improvement to commissioners at a workshop. Municipal and cooperative utilities will also be reviewed.
The Florida House and Senate will hold the first round of committee meetings this week to discuss storm-related issues following Hurricane Irma. Senate committees will discuss insurance issues, impacts on the agriculture industry, communication practices and an update on a proposed rule requiring assisted living facilities to install generators to power air-conditioning systems in the event of an outage. The House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness is scheduled to meet Thursday. The 2018 legislative session starts in January.
A Florida House Republican filed a bill last Friday seeking to ensure electric power restoration for nursing homes and hospitals is a priority after hurricanes and other emergencies. The bill (HB 245) filed by Rep. Shawn Harrison, R-Tampa, comes after the deaths of residents in a Broward County nursing home that lost power Sept. 10 due to Hurricane Irma. Eight residents of The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills died Sept. 13 due to the lack of air conditioning and four more died later after the facility was evacuated. Harrison’s bill, filed for the 2018 legislative session, would require a state comprehensive emergency-management plan to include guidelines for restoring electrical service with “prioritization of critical end-use facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes.
The Florida Public Service Commission held a workshop last Tuesday to discuss the Ten-Year Site Plans for Florida’s largest electric utilities. The plans identify system upgrades and modifications needed to maintain adequate electric reliability over the next decade. The Commission is required by Florida Statute to perform an annual review of the utilities’ plans and classify them as “suitable or “unsuitable. The plans for each of the 11 utilities required to file can be found on the http://www.psc.state.fl.us/ElectricNaturalGas/TenYearSitePlans>
FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and goveing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Jeff Grainger or Holly Cammisa in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.
Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to lea more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Holly Cammisa
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
http://www.fmpa.com>www.fmpa.com
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