LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors on Tuesday held its last meeting before next month’s annual election. Three members of the nine-member board will see their terms after March 28. The seats currently held by Dee
LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative Board of Directors on Tuesday held its last meeting before next month’s annual election.
Three members of the nine-member board will see their terms after March 28. The seats currently held by Dee Crowell, Dane Oda and Raymond Paler will be filled based on voter response over the next month.
Oda and Paler are vying to remain on the board as they are among the seven candidates on the ballot. The other candidates are Stewart “Stu” Burley, Milton Chung, JoAnne Georgi, Steve Rapozo and Ben Sullivan.
There will be an open candidates forum at 6:30 p.m. today at the Kaua‘i Community College student lounge. It will also be aired on Ho’ike and hawaiistream.com.
While some co-ops have long-standing board members and infrequent elections, KIUC has developed what members say is a more effective plan.
“Our system really encourages diversity,” said board member Carol Bain. “With seven candidates and not just three, it’s a real election.”
Ballots will be mailed out to voters by March 6 and must be returned by the March 28 deadline.
During Tuesday’s meeting, KIUC President and CEO Randy Hee discussed potential projects the board may pursue for Kaua‘i thanks to the recently passed federal stimulus package.
Among the possibilities are exploring “smart grid” technologies for the island. Smart grids provide advanced methods of delivering electricity to consumers digitally and have been suggested to be a necessary step toward promoting energy independence.
This type of project would go hand in hand with an advanced metering infrastructure, another KIUC priority. AMIs analyze and measure usage from advanced energy devices, such as smart grids. They also allow for two-way communication with the meters.
In the board’s financial report, CFO David Bissell talked about measures KIUC has taken to keep its funds more secure. Considering the bank failures across the country, the co-op has drastically re-balanced its investment portfolio to trend towards stability. Now $13 million of the just over $16 million the co-op has invested is in government or FDIC insured accounts.
“I’m sleeping better about it,” said Bissell.
