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Kansas Municipal Utilities outlines training, mutual aid and energy-storage pilot to House committee
Summary
Representatives of Kansas Municipal Utilities detailed training programs, a McPherson training center, mutual aid operations, workforce development and an energy storage pilot at a House Committee on Local Government hearing, emphasizing water operator certification needs and local utility support services.
Representatives of Kansas Municipal Utilities (KMU) briefed the House Committee on Local Government on the association’s services, including workforce development, a training center in McPherson, mutual aid capabilities and an energy-storage pilot that officials said has produced measurable savings for a participating community.
Greg Dumars, KMU’s vice president of operations and a longtime former city manager, told the committee KMU now serves about 214 member utilities across Kansas and neighboring states and operates a 35-acre training center in McPherson that opened in 2016. The center hosts classroom and hands-on instruction; KMU reported more than 170 events and about 5,500 visitors last year and said it offers programs such as a line-worker apprenticeship (about 66 enrollees), CDL/Class B training tailored to utility work and mobile-crane operator certification.
On funding, KMU staff said the association’s revenue model is a mix of membership dues, fee-for-service work and grants. Dumars described how dues are assessed: electric dues are based on a three-year rolling average of annual megawatt-hour sales, natural gas dues use a three-year rolling average of MCF, and water and wastewater dues are based on certified population figures.
KMU staff outlined mutual aid operations under the Kansas Mutual Aid Program, established in 2007 in response to the Greensburg tornado and a statewide ice storm that year. Mutual aid coordinates personnel and equipment across municipal utilities during large-scale events; KMU said most aid requests historically come from the electric sector.
On water and wastewater, KMU emphasized an ongoing shortage of certified operators and the organization’s role in training and certification prep. KMU’s director of water services, Katie Miller (referenced in testimony), has participated in workgroups on operator certification and provided testimony supporting water-certification legislation in the past. KMU staff said they are pursuing more flexible testing and training options, including online testing, to reduce travel burdens on operators in small systems.
The committee also heard technical details about an energy-storage pilot. KMU representatives described the Solomon Energy Storage project, a battery installation that has been used in Minneapolis to avoid running an expensive diesel generator during peak demand and to sell dispatchable energy back into the SPP market. KMU told the committee the project saves about $341,000 annually in avoided diesel costs and market revenue; Josh (KMU staff) said utility-scale battery projects are estimated to last roughly "between 10 and 20 years," with newer systems likely to offer longer lifespans.
Committee members asked about specifics including the training center location (McPherson), funding and program delivery. Representative questions also covered certification reciprocity, KMU’s role in statewide regulatory discussions and how mutual-aid activations are prioritized during widespread outages. KMU told the committee it would continue to work with state agencies and local utilities and offered tours of its McPherson training center.
No committee action or vote was taken on KMU’s presentation; the item was presented for information and discussion.
