Port of Allyn raises electricity rates to keep pace with PUD

The Port of Allyn Commission had a public hearing during its special meeting Oct. 24 about its proposed plans to not significantly revise its district boundaries this year.

“I’m good with not moving things around, because water is going to find its own level,” Port Commissioner John Sheridan said. “It’s not significant enough.”

Area resident Ken Van Buskirk noted the Port of Shelton has at-large commissioners, adding that Mason County officials had told him the Port of Allyn could create at-large districts of its own. A petition of 10% of its voters would be needed to put such a proposal on the ballot, so the port wouldn’t need to go through another redistricting process every 10 years.

“Let me know if you support that idea, because I’d be happy to get a petition together to make it happen,” Van Buskirk said. “In my opinion, it would make it a lot easier, if there’s a vacancy on the board, to request folks from the whole port district, rather than whatever district the person is in.”

Area resident Barry Betsinger questioned the amount of territory covered by the Port of Allyn district within Belfair.

“When I tell people the Port of Allyn is also over on the North Shore in Belfair, they say, ‘Whoa, what’s it doing over there?’ ” Betsinger said. “It was set up that way in the first place because there wasn’t the population we have now.”

Betsinger floated the idea that the respective population groups’ needs might be better served under different groupings of land areas because “I can see people in Belfair, the North Shore and that district over there wanting maybe something a little bit different than the people around Allyn.”

Port Commissioner Judy Scott said, “What’s unique about us, too, is we have two UGAs (urban growth areas). I think that’s why it’s important to keep it, even though it’s a hassle and more expensive.”

Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola said the port’s redistricting plans are set to be voted on as a resolution during the port commission’s regularly scheduled Nov. 7 meeting.

Coppola then addressed the matter of moorage electricity at the port facilities, because “right now, we’re losing money with our current rates.”

Coppola proposed raising the port facilities’ daily electricity rate from $5 to $7.50, and its monthly electricity rate from $50 to $75, because “we will more than break even at those costs, but I think we should look at them every year, just like we do our moorage rates.”

Coppola said “the last time we discussed this, everybody was a little hesitant to raise it, but the PUD has raised its rates to where it’s costing us money to provide electricity.”

Port Commissioner Ted Jackson seconded Sheridan’s motion to approve Coppola’s proposal, after Coppola clarified that his proposed rates would result in the port “making the same amount of profit that we would have been making before the PUD raised its rates.” Scott joined them in passing the new rates.