What do you do outside of serving on Dawson PPD’s board of directors?
I farm and ranch with my family east of Brady in Lincoln County. I also enjoy serving on the board of Trustees at the First United Methodist Church in Gothenburg and attending Nebraska Cattlemen and Dawson County Cattlemen meetings and activities. My fun hobby is to raise show pigs for 4-H and FFA kids with my sons Patrick and Evan.
What made you want to serve on the Dawson PPD Board of Directors?
The opportunity presented itself in 2014 to run for the Lincoln subdivision and I have always had an interest in how the electrical power system worked and benefited farmers and communities. I am currently serving my second term and treasurer of the Dawson PPD board.
What is your favorite memory serving on the board?
Being a young fellow coming on the board and being able to sit with legends such as Paul Neil, Bill Henry, Dave Dwiggins and the current board members; and how they were open and mentored me to be the current board member I am.
Why is it important to serve on Dawson PPD’s board?
Nebraska is a public power state and needs to be served by individuals in the state that are consumers of the product. In order to maintain the public power model, we need to ensure that we maintain safe and affordable public power from today through the tomorrows.
What does the future hold for public power?
Some exciting times, but also some challenging times lie ahead. We need to ensure that the electrical generators maintain a healthy mix of base load generation with the right mix of renewable energy generation. Along with this, the need to incorporate our customers’ renewable generation such as home solar and wind projects into the electrical formulas. The mix of all of this is to make sure we have continuous power to the District’s customers 24/7. The future is bright for Dawson PPD and this could not be done without the workforce at Dawson PPD who maintain our infrastructure, poles, wires, equipment and provide customer service all while monitoring the continuous increased cost of inputs and maintaining affordable rates to our customers.
OTHER NEWS
Dawson PPD’s stance on national energy policy
Dawson Public Power District is a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. NRECA works on the behalf of Dawson PPD and other electric providers to advocate for customers. They carry out this work by talking to government officials, members of congress and raising public awareness. The following are a list of NRECA policies supported by Dawson PPD.
Irrigation rates have not changed since 2021
At their December meeting, Dawson PPD’s board affirmed that there will be no changes to the irrigation rate for the 2024 season. The rates have remained stable since 2021. The District will conduct a rate study later this year. The goal of the study is to ensure that...
Service upgrade policy changes
Starting in January 2024, Dawson PPD will charge to increase the size of an existing electric service. The value of the retired equipment will be credited toward the cost of new equipment. Increasing the size of a motor on an irrigation service, adding a swing arm to...