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Murray power and forestry report: high reliability, Tree City USA streak continues
Summary
The city’s power and forestry divisions reported operational metrics, tree maintenance activity, a Tree City USA recognition (47th consecutive year) and ongoing AMI meter rollout; officials said tree‑caused outages remained very low.
Murray City’s power department and forestry crews reported performance and operational highlights to the council on Jan. 7, including outage metrics, tree management activity and progress on advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).
What the department reported: Greg Belan presented the department update and praised crews as the city’s “greatest asset.” He provided the following figures: - Tree work: forestry crews pruned about 870 trees, removed 218 trees and maintained roughly 6,668 street trees in 2024; staff planted 89 street trees as part of the city’s planting program. - Reliability: the power system recorded 308 unplanned outages in 2024 with an average interruption of about 96 minutes and an average response time of 22 minutes; tree‑caused outages represented six incidents, under 2% of all outages. - Recognition: Murray City received its 47th consecutive Tree City USA recognition. - AMI rollout: the utility has installed infrastructure and is reprogramming meters in batches; staff reported reprogramming about 1,000 meters and continuing staged meter deployments to avoid billing disruption.
Other projects and equipment: Belan also discussed the Little Cottonwood hydro penstock work, potential turbine and control upgrades, and plans for a central substation RFP and future bonding. Department leaders said they face hiring pressures for technical roles (line crews, substation technicians and utility arborists) and are planning targeted recruitment and apprenticeships.
Why it matters: The data show continued high system availability (reported as 99.981%) and active tree‑care operations that staff say reduce outage risk. The Tree City USA designation signals long‑running urban forestry program compliance.
Council reaction: Members praised crews for rapid responses and noted citizen feedback on downtown lighting design and other streetscape choices. Staff said they would work with downtown stakeholders on historic‑style light fixtures in certain corridors.
Ending: The department will continue the AMI rollout, evaluate substation and turbine needs, and bring budget or bond proposals to council for significant capital work as required.
