Middleborough general manager reports $4.1 million year-to-date net income; building and substation projects move forward

At a meeting of Town of Middleborough commissioners (date not specified), the general manager reported combined year-to-date net income of about $4.1 million through Nov. 30 and updated commissioners on building, substation and procurement plans.

The general manager said electric division net income for the month of November was $828,000 and year-to-date electric net income was $3.3 million. The gas division showed a monthly loss of $330,000 for November but a year-to-date net income of $812,000; combined net income for the year was reported as $4.1 million. The department continues to budget to a 4% rate of return, the manager said.

The manager said the department's power supply is its largest expense, accounting for about 66% of total spending; capital was 6%, general and administrative 15% and operations and maintenance 13%. He also reported the department's OPEB funding level rose from 91.6% at Oct. 31 to 94% at Nov. 30. The manager said sources-of-energy figures for November showed 61% carbon-free generation and 11% classified as renewable (8% solar and 3% wind).

On infrastructure, the manager said the design-development drawing set for the new building was released in late December and the project is moving toward construction drawings and bidding. The department has rented two spaces at 25 Wareham Street to stage equipment and install Wi‑Fi while the project advances, he said. The manager said a parking-lot purchase connected to the project has a closing date of Jan. 21 (documented in meeting materials), which the manager described as an important early milestone for site logistics and security.

Regarding a planned new substation at Pine Street, the manager said staff discussed options with PLM and that PLM believes two spare breaker cubicles at the existing substation could be used to supply additional capacity. That approach could allow the new substation to be configured at 138 kilovolts rather than 34.5 kilovolts, the manager said. Staff are evaluating feeder reroutes and adding feeders to provide capacity in the area; the manager identified Zach and Paul (line foreman) as staff working on those options.

The manager said equipment bidding for the substation is scheduled to start in February per the project schedule prepared by Mike Barrett. He warned that some long‑lead items, such as station transformers, have lead times of more than a year; he said 115‑kV breakers are among the longest‑lead items and that procurement planning has begun.

On labor agreements, the manager said the clerical and gas memorandums of agreement have been signed and went into effect Jan. 1; the electric agreement is still being finalized and expected soon. He said the MOAs will be incorporated into updated collective bargaining agreement (CBA) documents for the commissioners' signatures. The manager also said he would like to extend some benefits negotiated in those agreements — including an apparent 4.57 contribution and an extra sick‑time incentive day — to management staff for retention and recruitment; that proposal was presented as a management request rather than a finalized action.

The manager reported PLM advised against charging customers directly for transformers and recommended addressing any change in a future rate study, saying the weighted average cost is already built into existing rates. He also said the department has a leasing option for bucket trucks and digger derricks through First American, and that the vendor indicated leased equipment could be registered through the vendor's process if needed.

The manager said auditors from Goulais El Video and Associates began the year‑end inventory audit on Jan. 2 and found no issues in inventory counts for either electric or gas divisions.

The manager closed by summarizing next steps: finalizing the electric CBA, starting substation equipment bidding in February, and progressing toward the Jan. 21 parking‑lot closing to support the new building project.

The meeting record shows these were informational reports and updates; no formal votes on the building, substation design, CBAs or the managerial benefit request were recorded in the transcript.