(KANSAS CITY, Kan.) — The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) Board of Directors approved its 2024 Annual Budget for the municipal electric and water utility at its December 20, 2023 Board meeting. The 2024 budget totaling $392.4 million is approximately $2.9 million more than the 2023 budget of $389.5 million. The increased budget of 0.74% is mainly the result of higher personnel and professional services costs.
When looking to 2024, BPU’s major goals and priorities will include the following:
- Provide cost effective, safe and reliable utility services, including efficient operation of electric and water production and distribution facilities within an aging infrastructure. Ensure delivery systems are adaptable and sustainable to support changes in future supply sources, while operating and maintaining utility assets in a safe, dependable, and cost-efficient manner.
- Ensure continued fiscal sustainability by effectively managing debt service coverage, cash-on-hand, and credit ratings through open and transparent fiscal and budget policies. Remain committed to cutting costs and improving efficiencies.
- Maintain policies and operating procedures that meet the requirements of a broad customer base – ensuring best-in-class utility service including customer satisfaction, issue response and resolution, etc. Identify initiatives to make information and services readily available and accessible, ensuring the use of benchmarking and surveys in achieving these standards, customer preferences, etc.
- Meet and comply with all federal and state regulatory requirements, including environmental, safe drinking water, and all other regulations – working to monitor, evaluate, and address changes as needed. Identify and address on-going risk management issues and priorities as necessary.
- Remain a champion of renewable energy (i.e., wind, community solar, hydro, etc.) while evaluating future generation mix opportunities to ensure sustainable energy usage opportunities for the community.
- Focus on ensuring residential customer ease-of-access to the services, information, and utility programs they want and deserve – while promoting the use of technologies to assist them with utility interactions
- Promote energy and water efficiency and conservation efforts and initiatives through education, community outreach services, and targeted communications.
- Utilize innovative technologies, implement utility-wide reliability standards, and maintain a safety-focused workplace that ensures reliable, high-quality utility services.
- Remain focused on corporate reporting including data analytics and operational performance metrics and benchmarking, ensuring BPU is competitive and or exceeding other peer municipal utilities.
- Improve utility recruiting efforts to better employee qualifications and performance, while simultaneously prioritizing employee training and development. Remain focused on employee safety, development, and retention.
- On-going improvements to key account programs by remaining focused on the needs of the utility’s top consumers.
- Continue expanding supply chain operations to improve the supplier diversity program through vendor preference for local businesses.
- Champion strategic alliances and partnerships that benefit the utility and the community. Continue to support economic development, business retention, and growth throughout the BPU service area.
- Seek to obtain federal and state funding for infrastructure improvements that will assist with easing the financial burden on our local community.
- Complete current generation assessment and finalize efforts for updating our integrated resource plan.
For more than 100 years, the award-winning BPU has remained committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable electric and water services to Wyandotte County. Simultaneously, this municipally owned utility will remain focused on improving the quality of life for the customers and the community it serves.