Citizens are invited to attend a Public Hearing on Monday to share their feedback as City Council considers transitioning The City’s Electric Utility to a Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC).
The Public Hearing is the culmination of more than three years of focused work on the Utility Governance Modernization project. Dating back to 2022, an initial scoping study was done to identify alternative governance options to manage The City’s nearly 100-year old Electric Utility and position it for long-term sustainability, reliability and growth. Those options included Department+ (invest in the existing municipal department model), transition to an MCC, or divest (sell). Through a series of independent evaluations, benchmarking, and analysis, Council provided direction in the summer of 2024 to explore a possible transition to an MCC.
From there, The City undertook a thorough – and legislated – MCC review process. The project team worked closely with external, independent consultants to develop a business plan that outlines how the MCC would operate and be financed. A series of Open Houses was held across the community to educate and inform citizens on the change and how they could get involved in the decision-making process.
“This process has been rigorous and comprehensive, involving detailed financial modeling, risk assessments, governance analysis, and comparisons with other municipal utilities across Canada,” said Sarah Tittemore, Community Services General Manager. “We’ve taken the time to fully understand the implications of this potential change, and Council is now equipped with a clear, well-researched foundation to support its decision-making.”
The Public Hearing will take place Monday, June 23 at 5 p.m. in Council Chambers. For information on how to participate, please visit reddeer.ca/publichearing.
For more information about the project, including what an MCC is, please visit reddeer.ca/UtilitiesModel.