The Dawson PPD Board of Directors set some key goals for 2021 and beyond, including the establishment of a Rate Stabilization Fund. The purpose of the fund is to help the District keep rates steady by setting funds aside to fill in the gaps when necessary, similar to a personal emergency savings fund.
The two main sources of revenue for Dawson PPD are residential and irrigation customers. Both of these groups use electricity in reaction to the weather. When summers have plentiful rainfall and cooler temperatures, both pivots and air conditiong units are used less. However, when summers are hot and dry, pivots tend to pump more water and air conditioners are set to full blast.
No matter how much energy each group uses, there are fixed costs to running and maintaining Dawson PPD’s electrical system. The Rate Stabilization Fund will be deposited into or withdrawn from accordingly to help balance the surplus years of revenue from insufficient years.
Other contributing factors
- Irrigation sales were up by four percent
- Staying under budget by 11.4 percent
- 199 new electrical services
- Reduced labor cost by six dollars per meter at $334 annually.
Why?
Reinvestment in Dawson PPD’s electrical grid and more in-house line construction projects contributed to the reduced costs.
$4.83
Average residential cost of electricity per day
1,297 kWh
Average monthly electrical usage for General Service
3.98
Customers per mile of power lines
![2021 DPPD expense per dollar spent 2021 DPPD expense per dollar spent](https://dawsonpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2021-DPPD-expense-per-dollar-spent.png)
![2021 DPPD sales by rate class 2021 DPPD sales by rate class](https://dawsonpower.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2021-DPPD-sales-by-rate-class.png)
Lease and franchise payments reach about $400,000
Dawson PPD presented lease and franchise payments totaling about $400,000 to area communities served by the District.
A leased town owns their electric utility system including the poles, wires, transformers and meters. Dawson PPD collects a lease payment as set by the town on each monthly electric bill. This appears as a line item on customers’ bills titled “village-imposed lease payment adjustment.” Then, the payment is remitted back to the community on a schedule set by community leaders.
Hershey collects a franchise tax from its citizens. It is treated similarly to a lease payment. Dawson PPD pays the franchise tax back to Hershey once a year.
In addition, Dawson PPD adds gross revenue, or receipts, tax as mandated by state statute.
According to the 1960 statute, the gross receipts tax mandates that all public power districts pay each community’s county treasurer five percent of the gross revenue derived from these leased towns. This means that Dawson PPD adds another five percent tax to the leased town customer’s monthly electric bill and pays each community’s respective county annually. The county treasurer disperses the money.
Each item is listed on the leased town customer’s bill so they can see exactly what and how much the charges are.
2021 Dawson PPD Lease Payments
Brady | $43,714.21 |
Elwood | $97,232.44 |
Eustis | $59,940.89 |
Miller | $15,517.33 |
Overton | $89,849.36 |
Amherst | $22,302.70 |
Pleasanton | $41,531.36 |
TOTAL | $370,088.39 |
2021 Dawson PPD Franchise Payments
Hershey | $19,435.18 |
GRAND TOTAL | $389,523.57 |
2021 Dawson PPD Gross Receipts Tax*
Eustis | $30,110.93 |
Smithfield | $2,780.33 |
Elwood | $38,989.70 |
Farnam | $12,437.19 |
Sumner | $15,251.36 |
Eddyville | $4,317.56 |
Overton | $43,976.76 |
Hershey | $38,558.43 |
Maxwell | $13,868.21 |
Brady | $22,092.82 |
Miller | $7,697.94 |
Riverdale | $10,631.34 |
Ravenna | $240,281.74 |
Amherst | $14,814.72 |
Pleasanton | $22,547.84 |
TOTAL | $518,356.87 |
*The Gross Receipts Tax and the In Lieu of Tax are remitted to the county treasurer for distribution.
2021 Dawson PPD In Lieu of Tax*
Buffalo County | $604.20 |
Gosper County | $243.68 |
Dawson County | $5,106.40 |
Frontier County | $292.46 |
Lincoln County | $1,157.04 |
Hall County | $15.70 |
Sherman County | $33.51 |
TOTAL | $7,452.99 |
*The Gross Receipts Tax and the In Lieu of Tax are remitted to the county treasurer for distribution.
OTHER NEWS
Central and Dawson PPD to vote second time on consolidation documents at July 17 meetings
The boards of The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District and Dawson Public Power District plan to vote again on the documents required for their consolidation next month. The boards will each hold a special Board Meeting on July 17 at each districts’ respective headquarters.
Three youth selected to attend Youth Energy Leadership Camp
Dawson PPD is sponsoring three local students to attend the Nebraska Rural Electric Association Youth Energy Leadership Camp. The camp will be held at Camp Comeca near Cozad July 9-13, 2023.
Between the lines: Technology, the grid and Dawson PPD. (Part 1)
Dawson PPD’s electric distribution utility system is a complex network of wires, transformers and other equipment that delivers electricity from power plants to substations to homes and businesses. In recent years, there have been several new technologies that have been developed to improve the efficiency, reliability and security of the electric distribution system.