20070116min.doc

IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

MINUTES OF DECISION MEETING

January 16, 2007 – 1:30 P.M.

In attendance were Commissioners Paul Kjellander, Marsha Smith and Dennis Hansen.

Commissioner Kjellander called the meeting to order. The first order of business was approval of MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETING on January 9, 2007. Commissioner Kjellander moved for approval of the minutes. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.

The second order of business was approval of the CONSENT AGENDA. Commissioner Kjellander noted that item 6 would be considered under Matters in Progress, leaving items 2 – 5 and 7 on the Consent Agenda. There was no discussion and Commissioner Kjellander moved for approval of the Consent Agenda. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.

The next order of business was MATTERS IN PROGRESS:

Scott Woodbury’s January 11, 2007 Decision Memorandum re: Uncertificated Water Service Area – Proposed Allocation, Case No. GNR-W-04-01 (Water Service – Eagle Area.)

Mr. Woodbury reviewed his Decision Memo. Commissioner Smith stated she has no problem taking comments on this matter but she does have some concern over adding new customers to the service territory of Eagle Water, which to date has failed to provide the engineering study the Commission was supposed to receive before the end of last year and which has not provided the Commission with a plan as to how it is going to serve the customers it has now. She said she could not vote to allocate any more area or customers to Eagle Water Company until she sees the engineering study and hears from the company how it plans to adequately serve its existing customers, let alone 104 new ones. She said she did not want to hold up the Parrs if they are in a position to do something with their property because they have already been waiting more than two years to have this resolved.

Commissioner Hansen commented that he was concerned about the potential customers being aware of what is going on. He said the companies have drawn the lines but he would like to make sure the Eagle Water customers are aware of the proposal and have a chance to submit their comments. He asked if there is any way the customers in the affected area can be made aware of this Stipulation.

Commissioner Smith confirmed that the customers are now getting their water from private wells so neither company would have a customer list with addresses. Commissioner Kjellander confirmed there is a weekly newspaper that serves Eagle, and he suggested that notice could be published in that paper. There was no further discussion. Commissioner Kjellander made a motion to process the matter by modified procedure with additional effort to insure that customers in the affected area be notified to the extent possible of the proposed Stipulation. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.

8. Discussion re: Formal Complaint of Jerene Phillips Against Idaho Power Company. [No Memo – Cecelia Gassner, Attorney.]

Ms. Gassner stated that Jerene Phillips had filed a formal complaint with the Commission against Idaho Power Company regarding back billing due to an incorrect multiplier that had been used to calculate her bills. Ms. Gassner explained that when the company discovered the mistake, it made a correction and billed her for the last three years of service, as it had been only billing her for about half of what the bills supposedly should have been. She noted the formal complaint is a product of an unresolved informal complaint that staff has been working on for the last four to five months, and there may be more complaints similar to this one from other Idaho Power customers. She said the question before the Commission is whether it would like to assign a case number to this complaint and have this matter advance to our formal complaint resolution procedures.

Commissioner Hansen asked if it would be possible to see what her billings have been each month since March of 2006, when the multiplier was corrected from 20 to 40. He said he was puzzled as to why her electricity bill to make up the difference over the three years is $6,359, which is a lot of money. He said he is surprised it could be that much, and he questioned if it is just residential usage. He also asked what her bills are like now that the multiplier has been changed.

Ms. Gassner explained that it is a residence and these meters are used primarily for large homes and for commercial buildings. Harry Hall explained the home has all electric heat and the bills are now running about $400 per month as opposed to $200 per month under the previous multiplier. He estimated the square footage of the home to be about 3,000 to 4,000 square feet, with heated floors.

Commissioner Smith made a motion to accept the complaint for filing, give it a case number, and send a Summons to Idaho Power for a response, especially if we think there are other similar complaints. There was no further discussion. A vote was taken on the motion and it carried unanimously.

The only other items on the agenda, items 9 – 13, were under the category of FULLY SUBMITTED MATTERS and Commissioner Kjellander stated the Commission would deliberate those privately. He then adjourned the meeting.

DATED this ______ day of January, 2007.

____________________________________
COMMISSION SECRETARY