Utility Board Gains New Member

Board Members Hernandez, Horning, Thrall, Beard

Michael Horning, Lamar businessman, was sworn in as the latest member of the Lamar Utility Board, replacing the vacancy left when Michael Bryant’s term expired. Judge Stanley Brinkley administered his oath of office at the Lamar Light Plant offices on Tuesday afternoon, October 27^th.  He will serve a five year term until 2020.

Board chairman, Rick Beard turned the meeting over the attorney John Lefferdink who presided while the board conducted reorganization absent of any changes. Beard will remain Chair with Doug Thrall as Vice-Chair.  Lefferdink remains the board’s attorney and Houssin Hourieh was voted as the Light Plant Superintendent.

Purchase orders of $17,128.94 and payment of bills totaling $974,514.13 were authorized. The September 2015 financial showed no significant changes to the balance sheet.  Cash is up $223,731 from August.  Accounts receivable decreased by $89,206.  Total operating revenues, year-to-date are $10,520,810 and total operating costs are $8,606,321 for a gross operating profit of $1,914,489. With non-operating revenues and expenses considered, there is a net profit of $508,817.  Retail sales are up 1% or $116,593 compared to this same time last year and overall operating expenses are down less than 1%, or $23,161 for the same time frame.

Hourieh told board members, the wind turbine performance is about 11.6% below the same period in 2014, attributable to less wind as well as being taken off line to upgrade the software and control modules. The Springfield turbine continues to outperform the other turbines with an average capacity factor of 37.73% compared to the Lamar turbines at 25.42%, a decrease of 4.37% from last year at this point.

The board went into executive session to discuss legal aspects of the Lamar Repowering Project

By Russ Baldwin