State board orders training fixes, warns of pay recovery after staff finds officials fast-tracked mandatory courses
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Summary
The board ordered October 31 compliance deadlines for required board-member training after staff found some officials used a platform glitch to claim certificates without completing videos. Staff was authorized to pursue restitution of per-diem where training was fraudulently claimed and the board adopted a new subpoena-rescission policy.
The Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation on June 26 ordered utilities and appointed board members statewide to correct shortfalls in required annual training by Oct. 31, 2025, after staff found that some officials had used a glitch in the online training platform to obtain certificates without watching the required content.
Board staff said the state training platform briefly routed certain videos through a public video site, allowing participants to skip ahead and immediately receive completion certificates. Staff identified dozens of instances in which attendees completed hour-long modules in seconds or minutes and then filed certificates with the state.
Dan Allen, assistant city administrator and general manager for Spring Hill Water, told the board his utility had discovered the issue and was instructing members who had obtained certificates incorrectly to rewatch the material. "They understand they're not supposed to do that, and they're going to go back and rewatch those videos and correct it," Allen said.
The board set an Oct. 31 compliance deadline for officials and utilities already under training review, and directed staff to identify any individuals who had been paid per diem or other compensation while not in compliance. Board staff will present an accounting at the next meeting and may recommend recovery of funds if certificates were fraudulently obtained.
The board also adopted a formal subpoena-rescission guideline. The new policy empowers staff to withdraw subpoenas when a party cures the deficiency that prompted the subpoena, but requires board staff to notify the board chair and vice chair in advance and gives the chair or vice chair authority to require the subpoena remain in effect.
Why this matters: Board-member training is a statutory eligibility trigger for per-diem and is fundamental to oversight of local utilities. The boards action restores confidence in the certification process, sets deadlines for remediation, and creates a clearer enforcement pathway (including possible pay recovery) when training certificates are improperly obtained.