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Huntersville preparing to bring electric distribution in-house; staff say hiring and equipment timelines are a risk
Summary
Town staff told the board Huntersville will transfer operation of the local electric distribution system from Electricities to town control in a transition planned for July 2026; staff said they estimate needing 23 positions, have offers outstanding to existing Electricities staff (about nine have indicated they will join), and warned that hiring linemen and ordering specialized equipment will take months to years.
Huntersville staff described a major operational change underway: the town intends to transition electric-distribution operations from Electricities back to town management and told the board the handover will require substantial hiring, equipment procurement and coordination.
Laura (HR) summarized the plan: staff estimate the town will need about 23 employees to run the distribution system and break those roles into line/in-service crews (line workers, crew leaders, operations manager) and a business-office side (customer service, billing, accounts payable). She said Electricities staff were offered positions with the town and that nine employees have confirmed they will move to town employment; other roles remain vacant and will require recruitment. "We believe we're going to need 23 employees to manage the system for us," Laura said.
Council and staff warned of practical constraints: industry hiring competition (private utilities and nearby municipal systems), the long lead times for some specialized electric equipment (staff said some items can have weeks-to-months or even multi-year lead times), and the need to maintain mutual-aid and on-call contracts during the ramp. Staff also noted existing contracts (on-call engineering, underground boring, etc.) and partnerships that will help continuity while internal capacity is ramped up.
Next steps: staff are recruiting for director- and operations-manager-level positions, will continue coordination with Electricities and CRTPO/other partners for project support, and plan to finalize more detailed hiring and procurement schedules ahead of the July transition window.
