Safer is Smarter - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative

Top: KIUC Member Service Manager Barbara Nagamine and Organizational Development &
Training Specialist Sheryl Grady greet and check in members at the Annual Meeting. Middle:
KIUC employees serve up chili and rice dinner plates. Bottom: Makenzie Cummings,
Call Center Supervisor Dawn Cummings, and Regulatory & Legislative Affairs Coordinator
Wanda Kabutan. Photos by Shelley Paik.
18 KIUC CURRENTS
The business portion of the meeting began at
4:30 and included a report from Board Chairman
Phil Tacbian and a president’s report and financial
report from acting President and CEO and CFO
David Bissell. Finally, the membership heard
committee reports from each of the board
committees: executive, finance and audit,
legislative, member relations, policy and strategic
planning. John Cox introduced the members to
the new KIUC Charitable Foundation.
Chairman Tacbian welcomed members and
reported on board congressional visits and past
visits from Ilocos Sur Electric Cooperative, Ilocos
Norte Electric Cooperative and American Samoa
Power District officials.
The president’s report included 2009 items of
note, including a decline in residential rates and
completion of the rate case, which began in June
of 2009 and was finalized this week by a Decision
& Order (D&O) issued by the PUC. KIUC was
granted a 2­percent rate increase, which remained
unchanged from the interim rate that has been
charged since May of 2010. Highlights included
completion of a strategic plan, $5.5 million in
stimulus matching funds awarded for automated
metering and $16 million in stimulus money
secured with help from Sen. Inouye for
undergrounding the Wailua corridor. Lydgate
Substation was placed in service, and the co­op
retired $2.4 million in 2008 patronage margins,
bringing the total returned to members since
formation of the co­op to $23.1 million. Acting
CEO Bissell also presented a brief overview of the
new 15­year strategic plan, and explained that the
plan and a complete financial overview could be
seen in detail in the annual report passed out at
the event and on­line at www.kiuc.coop.
Committee chairs discussed the duties and
responsibilities of each committee, and the floor
was open for questions.
When rural electric utilities were first formed in
the 1930s, there often were many miles between
homes and electrical lines. When annual meetings
were held, some members traveled long distances
to take part. It was often the first time in months
they had seen some of their distant neighbors. In
the co­op tradition of the past 70­plus years,
neighbors joined neighbors and KIUC board,
management and staff to enjoy a late afternoon
of food, fun and information—and all helped to
create an annual meeting that was more than just
a presentation of numbers and forecasts.