Kenner council renews Entergy franchise after debate over unremoved utility poles and service transfers

The Kenner City Council on Jan. 9 approved Summary Ordinance No. 13,710, granting a franchise agreement with Entergy Louisiana LLC to provide electric service in the city. The council approved the measure by voice vote with a 6-0-1 tally; Councilwoman McKenney abstained, saying she is an Entergy employee and would not vote.

The franchise renewal carries a revenue provision of 2% of Entergy’s gross revenue from Kenner residents (excluding government accounts). City staff said the agreement is expected to yield about $1,700,000 this year, which offsets some municipal street-lighting costs.

Council members pressed Entergy officials over maintenance and lingering “stub” poles that residents and council members said have remained in the ground for months. Councilwoman McKenney said she had repeatedly asked Entergy during the previous nine to 10 months to remove a pole at 20th Street and Iowa that remains in place. “I’ve gotten zero response from Entergy,” she said during the meeting.

Jimmy Aiken, Entergy’s customer service manager for Jefferson Parish, acknowledged that the company had shortcomings in its transfer process for poles and other facilities but urged the council to consider that transfers involve multiple utilities. “Not all the transfers are on Entergy. There are two other utilities that utilize those poles,” Aiken said. He explained the process uses an inter-utility ticketing system (referred to in the meeting as the ENGINES process) and said that coordination failures among the utilities sometimes leave stub poles in place. “We’ve got to do a better job with ENGINES,” Aiken said. “There are a lot of eyes on this process right now … I you have my word that moving forward there will be more eyes and more hands on deck.”

Other council members described recent Entergy infrastructure work positively in parts of the city. Councilman Lahat (speaker identified in the meeting) said an underground re-cabling project on Lake Trail was ahead of schedule and that Entergy’s hurricane response had been “sensational,” with most customers restored quickly. At the same time, several council members said persistent transfer and stub-pole problems remain in some neighborhoods.

Council discussion did not produce a formal amendment to the franchise ordinance or a council directive recorded in the minutes requiring additional conditions; the measure was approved as presented. The clerk recorded the motion to approve as made by Council Member Dunn and seconded by Council Member Lehat.

The council and Entergy representatives discussed next steps for coordination and follow-up outside the meeting. Aiken offered to meet individually with council members and said Entergy will pursue meetings with the other utilities to accelerate transfers and removals of obsolete poles.

Votes at a glance: Summary Ordinance No. 13,710 — approve franchise with Entergy Louisiana LLC: outcome approved, tally yes 6 / no 0 / abstain 1 (Councilwoman McKenney abstained).