Trustees debate billing frequency, postage costs and unclear solar-credit accounting

At the November meeting the board discussed billing cadence and the costs of outsourcing versus returning billing in-house, and asked staff for clearer accounting of credits from the local solar array (Caribou Solar).

Staff described the outsourcing arrangement that prints, stuffs and mails about 1,800 bills per month for approximately $1,800. Speaker 6 said the district’s current permitted postage rate through its meter is 59.5¢ per envelope under the outsourcing arrangement but estimated in‑house postage would be around 74¢ per item. "So based on a month's bill, it would be $1,440 just for the postage," Speaker 6 said while noting in‑house labor and processing time would add cost and time.

Board members expressed concern that stretching billing cycles (bi-monthly or quarterly) can make collections harder because customers may lose track of payment months. Staff warned that moving billing back in‑house would add labor and equipment time and cited past issues with bulk mail classification; the post office requires first‑class mail for individualized bills.

On solar, members asked whether the district receives a lease payment or bill credits and how much the array actually produces month to month. John (Speaker 1) said the district takes the power and the company turns production into a credit on the bill, while the solar provider bills quarterly; he offered to calculate monthly generation and effective savings but noted that would require pulling individual bills and rate lookups.

Board direction: staff will prepare clearer account-level reporting on postage and the outsourcing cost-benefit and will report back with production and credit calculations for the solar array.