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Every two months, OMPA prepares a newsletter, the Outlet.

It contains information on changes in the electric municipal industry, OMPA and member cities events and activities, updates on policies and regulations at the state and federal level and more. OMPA sends this newsletter to city staff and elected and appointed officials.

Please view our January-February 2024 edition below.

The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA) Board of Directors approved at its February meeting a plan to help recover expenditures from extraordinary costs incurred from recent winter storm Gerri.

The plan approved largely avoids any impact on rates, thanks to utilization of the Authority’s Rate Stabilization Fund.

Power suppliers throughout the region were forced to deal with natural gas prices topping as much as 10 times beyond normal during the three-day-holiday weekend of Jan. 13-16. OMPA was able to take advantage of a variety of strategies – including calling on natural gas storage, hedging and purchasing physical deliveries at fixed prices – to avoid some of the expense but was still left with approximately $3.53 million in unexpected cost.

The Board agreed to fund $2.9 million of the unexpected costs through OMPA’s Rate Stabilization Fund, allowing the fuel cost for January to remain near what was anticipated.

“The OMPA Board electing to use reserve funds to cover the cost of severe storms is a great example of the value of Public Power and being a member of OMPA,” General Manager Dave Osburn said.

The Board then voted to replenish OMPA’s Rate Stabilization Fund with $4.3 million from excess revenues from 2023. OMPA’s average monthly cost to cities in 2023 was the lowest since 2019, leaving the Authority with lower-than-expected costs to the membership. A further $3.5 million in excess revenue from 2023 was also placed into the Decommissioning Fund, upon direction of the Board.

The Rate Stabilization Fund was previously called upon following winter storm Uri in 2021. OMPA incurred around $64 million in unexpected costs following that storm, but was again able to avoid raising wholesale rates by utilizing the fund and reissuing bonds.

Richard Raupe of Okeene and Kenzie Wheeler of Duncan were each approved to seats on the OMPA Board of Directors at its monthly meeting in December.

Raupe is the Town Administrator for Okeene. His career in municipal government spans more than 30 years, including stints as both a town administrator and mayor. Okeene is the third community where he has served as town administrator.  Raupe has also served on numerous boards and authorities during his long career. He fills the position vacated by Dale Bunn of Purcell. The move is effective Jan. 1, 2024 and lasts through the remainder of the term at the 2024 Annual Meeting. This is the third Okeene representative to serve on the OMPA Board.

Wheeler is the current Interim City Manager at Duncan, due to the previous city manager – Kimberly Meek – taking the same position at the City of Stillwater. Wheeler had previously served as the city’s Assistant City Manager. The Board seat’s term lasts to the 2025 Annual Meeting.

A wholesale power supplier with 42 municipal members throughout Oklahoma, OMPA is governed by its 11-member Board of Directors, who are elected by representatives of the members. The board is comprised of elected officials, city managers and others who are involved in the operating or governing of their electric systems. Board members serve staggered three-year terms, with one-third of them coming up for election each year.