SECRETARY, BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES

Examples of work

• Has a statutory duty to keep a true and accurate record of all Board proceedings.
• Serves at all Board meetings as the official reporter.
• Establishes the date for all Board hearings. Prepares and disseminates legal public notices of all Board proceedings in compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act, N.J.S.A. 52:14B-1 et. seq.
• Receives and processes all applications, petitions, motions and other pertinent legal memoranda filed by the industries the Board regulates; interested local, State and federal governmental agencies, including but not limited to the Division of Rate Counsel, Department of the Public Advocate, the Department of Law and Public Safety, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and both the State and Federal Departments of Energy; and the public.
• Informs all interested parties of the final decisions of the Board on all rate cases, motions, and other notifications the Board requires.
• Processes all cases transmitted by the Board to the Office of Administrative Law.
• Receives and distributes to agency representatives all Initial Decisions received by the Board and assures that the Board acts upon such Initial Decisions within the time limitations prescribed by law.
• Reviews for legal and technical sufficiency all public documents issued by the Board including but riot limited to Board Orders, official letters and notices of disposition of motions.
• Reviews and issues decisions, orders, subpoenas, and other legal documents as directed by the Board.
• Coordinates the prompt distribution of and responds to all correspondence received by the Board to assure that the concerns raised by the public are acted upon and answered within the scope of the Board's statutory and regulatory power.
• Prepares, updates and. publishes the Agenda of the Board's weekly public meeting, assuring complete technical and legal analysis are presented for proper Board review.
• Supervises and manages the Board's Bureau of Customer Assistance.
• Engages and assists in resolving customer-utility complaints through informal negotiations or through formal settlement conferences.
• Coordinates Board customer complaint staff with Board technical staff in order to resolve complicated technical customer complaints.
• Develops rules and regulations regulating the safe and adequate provision of electric, gas, water, solid waste, telephone and cable television utility services in New Jersey.
• Prepares and formulates utility customer outreach programs.
• Directs the formatting, printing and mailing of all Board decisions, orders and official documents through supervision of the Board's Central Word Processing Unit.
• Directs the classifying, filing maintenance of 411 closed and pending cases at the Board through the Board's Document and File Center.
• Supervises the Board's Computerized Case Management System to assure that all case records are kept up-to-date and complete.
• Formulates policy and procedures for the conduct of pre-transmittal conferences.
• Supervises and manages the case pre-transmittal conferences prior to transmittal by the Board to the Office of Administrative Law as contested cases, assuring that all relevant factual and legal issues are developed and/or stipulated prior to hearing.
• Coordinates all scheduled pre-transmittal conferences designed to settle issues and/or cases of any petitions pending before the Board.
• Coordinates the activities of the Citizens Advisory Board which provides the Board with public input on pressing public utility matters.
• Establishes and designs a Code of Ethics for Board employees to be approved by the Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Commission of Ethical Standards.
• Attends and testifies at Legislative Committee Hearings on pending legislation affecting or modifying the statutory responsibilities of the Board.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for employee evaluations and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting and/or disciplining of employees.
• Personally inspects the facilities and observes the operation of utilities in the State when so required by difficult and complex problems and attends consumer conferences throughout the State.
• Prepares or directs the preparation of appropriate comprehensive formal reports and memoranda on various subjects for the review of the Board.
• Advises the Board with respect to various statutes, including the Administrative Procedures Act and the Open Public Meetings Act as they apply to formal public meetings of the Board of Public Utility Commissioners.
• Formulates, supervises and coordinates training programs for all persons who conduct formal hearings and investigations on behalf of the Board.
• Performs such other functions and duties as may be assigned by the Board.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.