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Public Service Commission budget briefing notes flat staffing, modest travel and separate IT operations
Summary
The Public Service Commission presented a compact FY26 budget focused on fees and self-generated revenues, modest travel increases for regional regulatory activity and largely in‑house IT operations separate from OTS.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) presented its FY26 recommended budget, which is almost entirely funded by fees and self-generated revenues collected in dedicated accounts.
Senate Fiscal staff noted the PSC’s budget has stayed largely flat since FY18. The agency’s funding is concentrated in personnel services (about 65% of the budget) and other charges (interagency transfers and operational expenses). PSC officials told senators their appropriation is fee-supported (about 96% of the means of finance comes from utility and carrier inspection fees) and explained a modest requested increase in travel ($33,000) to support regional representation and attendance at federal and multistate grid and regulatory meetings. The PSC also said most of its IT needs are run in-house because the commission maintains constitutionally sensitive datasets and an administrative‑law unit; OTS charges reported were primarily phone and data circuits.
Commission staff said the agency has about 95 authorized positions, with 16 vacancies as of late December, and statutory vehicle allowance for commissioners. Senators requested a small number of follow-up items such as copies of line‑item interagency charges, travel details and the Monroe district-office relocation plan and costs.
