Category: Board of Public Utilities

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16.

The work session at 5 p.m. will be followed by a regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Topics on the agenda for the 5 p.m. meeting include a board update, general manager update, the 2023 budget plan for capital improvements and a discussion of redistricting for the BPU in Wyandotte County.

Also, the regular session at 6 p.m. Wednesday will have several topics on the agenda:

Public comment time will be followed by general manager and staff reports. A risk management policy resolution, water operations benchmarking and miscellaneous comments are on the agenda, along with board comments.

The public may call in to listen to the BPU meetings on their telephones, or the public may access the internet and click on a Zoom meeting button.

To join the Zoom meeting on the internet, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724.

Those listening by telephone may call toll-free 1-888-475-4499. The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.

The board meeting information packet is available to the public at this link:
https://www.bpu.com/Portals/0/pdf/board-information-packet-11-16-22.pdf.

Bill Johnson, Board of Public Utilities’ general manager, will be receiving a two-year contract extension and a raise.

The BPU board voted 4-2 to approve the contract extension Wednesday.

It will go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.

David Haley, a board member, said Johnson currently is thought to be the highest paid public employee in Wyandotte County, at upwards of $300,000 a year currently plus perks, with the raise around $35,000. The original proposed raise was 8 percent, with some board members advocating 5 percent.

Jeff Bryant, board member, at the meeting moved to extend the general manager’s contract for two years, effective Jan. 1, 2023. The vote was 4-2 with David Haley and Rose Mulvany Henry voting no.

The board did not discuss the issue in open session, but went into a closed executive session to discuss it before voting in open session Wednesday.

Haley explained his vote after the meeting by saying the amount of the increase approaches what the average Wyandotte County resident makes in a year. He said he hears from customers who say their utility bills are too high.

While he values Johnson’s work, Haley said it was not a good financial fit for the BPU.

Johnson has been with the utility 43 years. He became general manager in April 2019. He was manager of electric operations and technology prior to becoming general manager. In September, Johnson was named to Ingram’s Magazine list of the 250 most powerful business leaders in the Greater Kansas City area.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities will meet at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. today, Nov. 2.

The work session begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the regular session at 6 p.m.

On the agenda for the 6 p.m. regular meeting are a public comment time; general manager and staff reports, the third quarter financial report; a risk management plan review; miscellaneous comments; board comments and a closed, executive session.

On the agenda for the 4:30 p.m. work session are a board update, general manager update, self-recognition resolution, and Wyandotte County redistricting.

The public may listen to the meetings through the telephone or Zoom.

To join the Zoom meeting, visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84523139724

To join by telephone, call toll-free 888-475-4499.

The meeting ID number is 845 2313 9724.

The board information packet is available online at https://www.bpu.com/Portals/0/pdf/board-information-packet-11-2-22.pdf.