Kevin D. Brooks

The board meeting agenda includes a manager's update covering retirement news, the Tech Goes Home program, fiscal year budget updates, and fiber infrastructure progress. The consent agenda focuses on various procurement approvals, including purchase orders for optical network terminals for the fiber division, secondary pedestals for new developments, new pickup trucks for the fiber and electric engineering departments, a replacement loader backhoe for the line department, and a new septage receiving station to improve reliability.

The board meeting included a management update on winter weather preparedness and a status report on the fiber project, which has achieved its first month of positive net income. Detailed reports were presented regarding the SCADA system upgrade and the transition to a new AMI system utilizing the fiber network. The Board reviewed and accepted the FY 2025 Audit Report, which provided an unmodified opinion on the utility's financial statements. Additionally, the Board authorized several purchase orders for operational infrastructure, including SCADA system software, AMI equipment, VMware system support, and various water and wastewater system improvements.

The agenda for the CU Authority Board meeting included managerial updates and announcements such as recognition for winter storm mutual aid and Tree Line USA, a reminder for a Public Informational Session, a Fiber Project Update, and notification of the upcoming CU Awards Banquet. Key consent agenda items involved approval of financial reports, a purchase order for Distributors Insurance Company reimbursement of sewer claim payments, a substantial purchase order for Adtran, Inc. residential gateways for fiber installations, a sole source purchase order for a replacement rotating assembly for the Wastewater Treatment Plant centrifuge, and review of Safety Internal Performance Measures for 2025. New business focused on the approval of a low bid purchase order to Don Ledford Automotive for three new pickup trucks.

The meeting included several operational updates, notably a Fiber Project Update indicating customer growth nearing 2,000, project completion expected by the end of 2025, and substantial projected budget savings. The Board recognized a $31,500 TVA EnergyRight rebate awarded to Horizon Square Preservation apartments for an HVAC unit replacement, marking it as the largest residential multi-family energy efficiency project in the TVA service territory. Management recognized three employees for their retirements. The Board unanimously re-elected Aubrey Ector as Chairman, Joe Cate as Vice Chairman, and Amy Ensley as Board Secretary. The Consent Agenda approved monthly financial, electric, and water/wastewater division reports for November 2025, which detailed performance metrics and customer service data across divisions. Action items included approving purchase orders to Lakua, LLC, and FiCOM Group, Inc., for fiber related work in 2026, and approving purchase orders for stock transformers and ductile iron pipe inventory. Policy updates were approved, including a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy. During the Executive Session, consultants briefed the board on wastewater infrastructure, planning for growth, and capacity constraints. Consensus was reached to develop a fee structure to fairly share costs between existing customers and new developments, with plans for a public informational session in February.

The agenda for the board meeting includes a Manager's Update covering a Winter Weather Report, Fiber Project Update, Electric SCADA / AMI Project Report, and announcements regarding upcoming holidays and a Public Informational Session. The Consent Agenda involves several proposed purchase order approvals: a $241,365 purchase for a Survalent Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system upgrade, multiple significant purchases for the Electric AMI Project including meters and communication modules from Wesco and Irby Utilities totaling over $1.9 million, support renewal for the VxRail system, a $322,800 purchase for a waterline replacement project on Lower River Road NW, $350,400 for handrail replacement at the Cleveland Filter Plant, and $103,950 for Poly-Aluminum Chloride (PAC) supply. New Business is scheduled for the FY 2025 Audit Presentation and subsequent Approval & Acceptance.