Monett to expand substation with $3.6 million loan, city administrator says

Mickey Eads, Monett city administrator, said the city is expanding a local electrical substation to address peak demand and support local growth. "This project is underway," Eads said at the substation site, calling it "an essential service for the city of Monett. Everybody wants their lights to come on."

The project follows a 2022 electric study, Eads said, that identified the need for a new substation during peak periods. He told listeners the expansion is intended to both manage current electric loads and accommodate the city's growth.

Eads described the financing as a $3.6 million loan from the Missouri Public Utilities Alliance and said the loan "is being paid back by our current rate structure. So, no increase in our rate structure." The city administrator presented the repayment plan as using existing rate revenues rather than raising customer rates.

The remarks on site framed the work as reliability and capacity-focused rather than a rate change. There was no vote or formal action recorded in the transcript; Eads's comments were an announcement about project status and financing.

The city did not provide additional technical details in these remarks, including a project schedule, construction milestones, or which city department will oversee implementation. The 2022 study that Eads referenced was mentioned but not cited by name in the transcript; details from that study (scope, modeling assumptions, or exact peak-demand figures) were not specified in the remarks.

Eads closed with a community-oriented statement: "Monett is proud, and we are making progress."