Independence Power & Light staff told the Public Utility Advisory Board on July 10 that the search for a program manager for the city’s advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) project is in its final stages and that a recommendation is expected by the August meeting.

An IPL staff member said the city completed vendor presentations and reference checks over the last two weeks and that the finance and selection teams would meet in the coming week to finalize a recommendation. "By the August meeting, we should have our recommendation to be able to move forward with who we think should be the program manager for the AMI project," the staff member said.

IPL staff also reported workforce and facilities updates. The board was told lineman crews are staffed at about 50% of authorized strength and that the utility is pursuing contract crews to fill short‑term gaps; IPL staff cited recent retirements in engineering and T&D management and said interviews are underway to fill several key positions. Board members were told the Third Floor of the IUC has been largely vacated and affected staff are working from the service center until the Municipal Commons project is complete.

On finance, Jacob Arnold, accounting manager at City Hall, briefed the board that IPL revenue was up for the month and that “the big driver there was charges for services and penalties of 5% year‑to‑date over last year.” Arnold said expenses were down for the month. He noted that transfers out to capital show a projected $17.7 million but that only $3.89 million has been spent so far; when capital that has not yet been encumbered is considered, available cash and reserve numbers appear lower than a cursory look at the report suggests. Arnold said preliminary year‑end financials should be available by mid‑August.

Staff also updated the board on the Municipal Commons move. The deputy city manager said the city must clear the current building at the end of July so contractors can begin demolition and remodel in August; the project is tracking for a fall move‑in with the second floor ready first and the health department framing underway.

No formal decisions were made on staffing or AMI procurement at the July 10 meeting; staff said they will return with a program‑manager recommendation and additional financial details at future meetings.