PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County Public Utility District commissioners spent three hours in closed executive session Wednesday, reconvening in public to announce that a decision about acquiring Puget Sound Energy’s electric service facilities and going into the power business was a month away.
“Our people have to go back and do more digging,” PUD commissioners president Ken McMillen said, opening the public meeting late Wednesday afternoon.
“We could be ready for some kind of announcement, yea or nay, in a month.”
PUD commissioners hinted last week that a decision could be made Wednesday.
McMillen said at the beginning of the PUD commissioners’ meeting that a “big announcement” would not be made.
That cleared the commissioners’ meeting room of most attending, including Karl Karzmar, one of PSE’s representatives negotiating with Jefferson PUD leaders and their Portland attorneys, Kirk Gibson and Joel Paisner.
The PUD commissioners said they were still negotiating price and possible legal options, such as legal condemnation of PSE’s power facilities to acquire them, in East Jefferson County.
PUD commissioners previously set a loose deadline of mid-April earlier this month on whether the public agency that now provides water and sewer services in East Jefferson County will get into the electrical power business also.
At PSE’s request, PUD commissioners have been all but sworn to secrecy, carrying out all negotiations with the private corporation, behind closed doors, as part of a confidentiality agreement.
Jefferson County voters in a November 2008 election granted PUD the authority to get into the electrical business, which could include the option of acquiring PSE’s power system that serves more than 18,000 East County customers.
Representatives of the group that successfully campaigned to get voters to grant PUD the authority to acquire a power system and produce electric service recently asked PUD commissioners to conduct a more open process, but the commissioners said their hands were tied by the confidentiality agreement.
Without the agreement, they said, there would be no progress toward striking a deal with PSE.
PUD’s attorney Gibson has said that PUD and PSE are exchanging information and having discussions about the possible sale.
By state law, the PUD has 10 years to exercise its authority or go to another vote.
PUD consultant D. Hittle & Associates Inc. estimates a cost of PSE’s facilities ranging from $35 million to $70 million, while PSE representatives have quoted a figure of $100 million or more.
“We’re not buying a lemonade stand here,” said PUD Commissioner Wayne King.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
