Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 10, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 6     (6 of 40 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 6     (6 of 40 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
December 10, 2020
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




l Page A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020 PUD 3 distributes $300K in funds to help customers EJRi‘ii'Esiiéitfiéf “ kbox/eitner@masoncounty. com Mason Public Utility District 3 dis— tributed all $300,000 it received as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by giving $741 to each of the 405 cus- tomers who applied and qualified for assistance with their bills. The uniform amount was settled on because of the difficulty of fairly and accurately weighing the respec— tive financial effects on each of the qualifying customers without access to private information such as their tax forms or pay statements, said Mason PUD 3 Communications and Govern- ment Relations Manager Lynn Eaton. Eaton said the PUD’s customer ser- vice personnel had reached out to all of the utility’s customers in an effort to ensure that no one who qualified would be turned away. Diane Hennessy, customer service manager for Mason PUD 3, agreed with Eaton that achieving this level of outreach was no small feat. It saw the PUD engage in a multimedia infor- mational campaign that included mes- saging about the available CARES Act funds in customers’ billing statements, in newsletters, on the PUD’s website and social media accounts, and outside media such as radio broadcasts and mentions in the newspaper. “We only had five weeks, but we got out 73,830 emails, mobile texts and push notifications,” Hennessy said. Several PUD customers’ accounts still have outstanding balances, even with this federally supplemented at- tempt to address everyone who re- mains in arrears. Eaton reassured PUD custom- ers that no one’s utility services will be disconnected “anytime soon,” and she encouraged customers in need of further support to check the PUD’s website at www.pud3.org/service/bill- ing-options/assistance—programs for information on the Community Action Council, as well as other COVID-19 assistance and financial aid. Those interested in lending a help- ing hand to fellow Mason County resi- dents can choose to “round up” their bills for the Project Share Assistance Program, at www.pud3.org/service/ manage-your-account/round-up-for- project-share. Eaton also noted that Gov. Jay In- slee had recently announced an antici- pated $15 million for energy bills for low—income households, although she does not have any details at this time on how the money might be distribut- ed, including whether county agencies or the public utility districts would be the subrecipients dispensing them to the utility customers. “We’ve had a great partnership with the county on this process, which we really appreciated, and from which we learned a lot,” Eaton said. “We’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories, which makes us especially grateful to have been able to impact those peo- ple’s lives positively.” PUD budget to see 5% increase for 2021, higher rates sir/kirk series... 5 kbox/eitner@masoncounty com The $81.5 million budget for Mason Public Utility Dis— trict 3 in 2021 includes an increase in the daily system charge, similar to last year’s, and the first local energy rate increase since 2016. PUD 3 is increasing its res- idential kilowatt—hour rates by 3%, and is increasing its residential and large com- mercial and industrial daily system charges by 15 cents, which PUD 3 Communica- tions and Government Rela- tions Manager Lynn Eaton said amounts to an average energy cost increase of $4.40 per month, and an average system charge increase of $4.50 per month. The previous local energy rate increase in 2016 was 4%, while last year’s increase in the daily system charge was SHOP LOCAL. SHOP MASON COUNTY. 10 cents. The PUD 3 budget for 2021, which was adopted Nov. 24 following public hearings and a Nov. 10 workshop on both the budget and the rate in- creases, also includes a $1.50 increase in the demand rate. All of those rate increases go into effect with the meter readings on or after Jan. 1. Eaton said the adopted budget takes “a conserva- tive approach,” based on the uncertain economic effects of COVID-19, while still priori— tizing “the safety and reliabil- ity of the essential services” that PUD 3 provides. After commissioners and staff analyzed every func- tion at PUD 3 for its needs and costs, which include sus— taining the priorities set in the PUD’s five-year strategic plan, as well as factoring in regulatory requirements and other effects outside of the utility’s control, the 2021 bud- 1. Make a local purchase or donation. 2. Snap a photo and get tagging. “ w 3. Use hashtags #KeepTheCheerHere & #ShopMasonCounty. L 4. Earn a chance to win $200 towards local purchases made during the holiday season! uni/1m: cmn gm... Ace-mes pin/mow” cent" The ad for the Mason County Senior Activities AssociatIOn which ran on page A-3 of the November 26 edition of the Journal, had been paid for by get wound up being 5% higher than the budget for 2020. Notable costs in PUD 3’s budget include: 0 Wholesale rate changes from the Bonneville Power Administration. 0 $3.7 million in 2021 to meet the requirements of the state Energy Independence Act. 0 Planning, designing and preparing for infrastruc- ture such as substations and transmission needs to meet the ongoing growth of both the community and the sys- tem. 0 $1.5 million for the con- tinued implementation of the supervisory control and data acquisition network, fongxideand has also ;raisad-,,it§.nale-.y monitoring, control, outage restoration and optimization. 0 Accelerated deployment of ruralbroadband to match state and federal grants, as well as upgrades to the ex- isting network, allowing cus- tomers to connect more easily in response to the pandemic. 0 Multiyear fiber-tagging and relocation, as required in the PUD 3 Pole Attachment License Agreement. 0 Pole inspection and treatment, set up on a 10- year cycle, to ensure contin- ued safety and reliability. Other items in the budget are due to fluctuations in the cost of goods and services, as well as ongoing effects of CO- VID-19. To offset those increased costs, PUD 3 is using $1.3 million in bond money for capital expenses such as the SCADA system and in- frastructure construction, attachment rates, effective with its July 2021 billings, to recover the increased costs for maintenance to its pole inventory. To help families finan- cially affected by COVlD-19, PUD 3 will still waive late fees and disconnections for nonpayment, and recently joined with Mason County to distribute $300,000 of Coro- navirus Aid, Relief, and Eco- nomic Security (CARES) Act funding to. qualifying cus- tomers who successfully ap— plied for bill repayment aid through the PUD. Eaton said that customers in need should also contact the Mason County Commu- nity Action Council for as— sistance, since low-income senior citizens and disabled customers may qualify for discounts that would waive the daily system charge from their bills. ..f‘.EUDa3s¥HlL-bflm ,. ' financial analyses through- out 2021, as part of an on- going process to ensure its . rates support the most reli- able, economical- and safest service possible for its cus- tomers,” Eaton said. $62 in Mason County* Call‘360-426-4412 today! Celebrate Mason County with a 1-year Subscription! Slpilonétluaonfiomdy llonnml est. 1886 www.masoncountycom *Outside Mason County $75/year. Senior discounts available.