Johnson No. 1 Hydroplant, (Brian Neben, Courtesy)
HOLDREGE — The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District’s board of directors approved the operating budget for the 2025 fiscal year at their monthly meeting on Monday.
The budget, which goes into effect January 1, 2025, anticipates total revenue of $39.1 million, including $11.87 million from the sale of hydroelectric power, $4.76 million from irrigation delivery service, $1.54 million from lake lot lease fees and $20.9 million from other sources which includes $17.4 million from grants or contributions.
Anticipated expenditures for the district in 2025 total $69.6 million, with $49.11 million dedicated to capital expenditures, which involve some very large projects slated to begin in 2025. Those include the $29 million E65 Siphon project, and $13.4 million Rubicon lateral automation project. Among the other larger capital projects that are budgeted include two new bridge replacements for a total of $1.2 million, $1 million for Kingsley Dam refacing engineering and study and $1.5 million for a diversion dam dredge.
Also at Monday’s board meeting:
- The board included in the budget approval of a 2.6% CPI increase to the District wage scale starting in 2025.
- Directors approved an amendment to the water leasing agreement with the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRIPP) for $160/acre with a cap of 3,000 acres. The only change for 2025 was an increase in the lease rate from $100/acre in the 2024 agreement.
- Eric Hixson, Electrical Project Operations Manager, reported to the board on progress developing a contract for the sale of power at the Jeffrey Hydroplant with the best proposal from those received. An announcement of the participant providing the successful proposal will follow notification to the other proposal finalists.
- The board approved a new set of District policies in accordance with Bylaw 5.1. Development of the bylaws and policies began in early 2020 with the board approving an updated list of associated policies at the board meeting in August 2024. One specific policy that the board adopted was BRD-8 which sets the compensation level for directors. The policy adoption aligns with state legislation that passed in 2024 and provides that each director may receive maximum compensation of $13,450 per year and the President may receive $15,120. Directors, including the President, shall be compensated on a per diem basis at a rate of $400 per day.
- Irrigation and Water Services manager Scott Dicke reported on excess flow recharge that started on Nov. 20 when flows became available. Over Thanksgiving weekend, around 4,500-acre feet of recharge water went into Elwood Reservoir and the E65 canal. He complimented staff for working in adverse weather conditions during the holiday to clean out trash and assist with icing in the system. An impressive total of between 14,000-15,000-acre feet of excess flow recharge has taken place in 2024.
- Tyler Thulin reported that Lake McConaughy’s elevation currently is 3,234.7 feet, or 55.8% of maximum volume. Current inflows are around 1,250 cubic feet per second (cfs) and outflows are 700 cfs, with much of the outflow going towards meeting the FERC diversion requirements. Outflows are expected to decrease around December 10 after the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) refills their canal system following the outage at their hydroplant.
- Thulin added that the Johnson Lake drawdown began on Nov. 28. Water levels will be dropped around eight feet below normal to an elevation of 2,610. During the drawdown, Central crews will perform maintenance projects at the lake, including planned bank rehabilitation of the outlet canal.
