Mesa energy staff report lower supply costs, seek new locating staff as fiber rollout increases work

Summary

City energy officials told the City Council April 24 that electric supply costs are expected to come in below SRP after recent contracts, that solar capacity downtown is expanding, and that utility locating workload has surged because of the fiber-to-the-home buildout, prompting a request for one supervisor and four locators.

Scott Boucher, Mesa’s energy and sustainability director, told the City Council at a study session April 24 that the city is projecting lower electric supply costs for the coming fiscal year after executing new contracts and a long-term deal with Salt River Project (SRP). “I think this is the first year since, before the market disruption that we're actually gonna be below SRP,” said Anthony Cadorn, the department’s program manager.

Why it matters: changes in supply contracts and staffing requests can affect utility operations, response times, and future budgets for Mesa’s city-owned electric and natural gas utility. The department presented performance metrics, proposed budget adjustments and one-time equipment requests, and asked council to consider staffing additions to handle sharply rising field work tied to a major fiber rollout.

Boucher opened the presentation by listing the utility’s public purpose and performance objectives, then summarized reliability and safety metrics. He reported 2,443 days without a lost-time accident and said the system’s interruption-duration index compares favorably to other…

Mesa energy staff report lower supply costs, seek new locating staff as fiber rollout increases work

Summary

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