Municipal Services deputy director Rich Kempel told the board the department has been working on a cost-of-service study for several months and expects to finish the final touches in the coming weeks, with a presentation to the board planned at the next meeting.

Staffing changes and retirements
Board members were told IPL faces several near-term leadership retirements: an engineering manager and a networks/system supervisor are retiring at the end of the month, and the T&D (transmission and distribution) manager is retiring in July. Staff emphasized these are planned retirements and that the utility is recruiting to fill key positions; staff said the intent is not to reduce headcount but to backfill or reassign roles as needed.

Move to the Commons: schedule and furniture
A deputy city manager updated the board on the move to the Commons building. Construction fencing is in place, furniture is being disassembled and stored, and the first group (second and third floors, then fourth and first-floor customer service) will move in after reassembly. The timeline has shifted slightly: the second floor group was originally expected to move in July, but staff now expects moves to begin in August or early September, with a final building move-in currently targeted for November.

Other operational items
Kempel said the municipal cost-of-service study is intended to inform future rate and budget decisions; staff noted the steelworkers collective-bargaining negotiations were just opened for water construction, distribution and treatment staff and the cost implications will be part of ongoing labor and service-cost planning.