The Nov. 20 passage of the Jefferson County Public Utility District budget for 2019 not only marked an achievement for General Manager Larry Dunbar, it was a swan song of sorts for outgoing PUD Commissioner Wayne King and already-departed Assistant General Manager Kevin Streett.

“I remember when this PUD was nothing but three people,” King said. “I’m proud of where we’re at now, but I was too worried about our future to just walk away. I’ve got too much skin in this game.”

PUD Commission Chairman Jeff Randall recalled how Streett, despite being retired, still made himself available via phone for consultation on the budget.

The PUD website touted the 2019 budget, with its $39.7 million in operating revenues and $37.7 million in operating expenses, as “revenue positive,” with no rate increases or additional debts incurred.

It was passed unanimously by all three commissioners, albeit after they’d all agreed to one last-minute suggestion, by PUD customer Tom Thiersch, that will require a further rule change.

After Randall and fellow PUD Commissioner Kenneth Collins agreed with King’s expressed preference for a 120-day reserve fund, instead of the 90-day reserve fund, Thiersch suggested incrementally increasing each year’s budget, starting with an increase to a 100-day reserve for the 2019 budget, followed by increases to 110 and 120 days in the successive years.

With a 90-day reserve, the 2019 budget had projected a cash balance of $19.2 million at the beginning of the year and $16.9 million at the end of the year.

Randall noted the difference was roughly equivalent to the cost of the proposed new PUD facility building.

PUD customer Sebastian Eggert cited his own background as a small-business owner for the past 40 years when he thanked the PUD for “showing restraint” and being “very prudent” in its growth.

Dunbar described what he said he’d interpreted as the PUD’s objectives with the budget, including renewed focuses on employee training, customer service, power grid reliability and overall safety.

At the same time, Dunbar deemed it essential the budget neither operate at a deficit nor increase its retail rate.

Dunbar acknowledged the PUD would “very likely” need to raise rates in 2020, if only due to the two-year cycle of rate increases from the Bonneville Power Administration.

“The budget is how the commissioners implement policy,” Dunbar said. “If it’s not in the budget, your spending ability is limited.”

Although the PUD will be working to recruit a new assistant general manager, as well as to fill its chief financial officer post, no staff increases are budgeted for 2019.

Randall pointed out Dunbar had reduced the budget’s operating expenses to $37.7 million, down from $38.6 million in the previous draft, with capital improvement projects going from $9.2 million in the previous draft to $7.06 million in the final budget.

Electrical utility capital improvement projects went from $4.16 million to $3.2 million.

Dunbar cited relatively simple scalebacks in expenses, with the final budget covering two new trucks instead of the four originally planned for in the draft budget, which was one of the points Eggert praised at the end.

The budget presentation is available online at www.jeffpud.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Budget-presentation.pdf.