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Utility reports improved margins, ongoing hiring hurdles and a platinum safety award
Summary
Staff reported February financials showing $7.5 million in revenue and a net position near $600,000, noted staffing shortages (notably in water where background and drug checks blocked hires), and announced the utility's safety team received a platinum award from APA and that a new pre‑trip inspection app is being deployed.
Finance staff told commissioners the utility’s cumulative revenue for the period was about $7.5 million with total expenses of roughly $6.9 million and a net position of approximately $599,800. Key ratios improved month‑to‑month: days cash on hand rose to 86, fixed charge coverage was 1.25 and operating margin approached 19.73%.
HR reported staffing pressure in the electric and water departments: the electric group has 17 positions with 14 filled and three open, while the water department’s open positions rose to four. Staff said multiple candidates failed background checks or drug screens after offers were made, which has been the primary barrier to filling water roles; trade‑school pipelines help electric hiring but similar pipelines are not available for water positions.
On safety, staff reported 13 days since the last recordable incident and one year‑to‑date injury. The presentation described a recent wrench‑related incident that required observation at a hospital but did not result in lost time. Staff announced the utility’s safety team received a platinum award from the American Public Power Association and described rollout of a new pre‑trip vehicle inspection app for field crews to submit inspections in real time.
Commissioners asked for industry benchmarking on incident rates; staff said statewide and federal aggregates were not at hand and that a comparison would be provided at a future meeting.
