Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas: Board of Public Utilities (Aug. 5, 2026)

By Giselle Alvarado-Ortega, Kansas City Documenter

These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government.

Summary

• Chief Financial Officer Andrew Ferris presented data for the second quarter of 2026.
• Summer interns made presentations to the board.
• Board members recognized a retiring worker and expressed condolences about a lineman who died while on duty in July.

Notes

General Manager/Team Reports

2026 Second Quarter Financials

• As per the report from Ferris, data from the second quarter showed that, compared with the same period last year:
  • Overall electric use was essentially the same and water use was down by about 2.5%. Industrial use in both areas was down. The other two categories are residential and commercial.
    • The industrial side, including the General Motors Fairfax plant, is “much lumpier” than residential and commercial, he said, because it has a smaller customer base. “We’re generally looking at about 16 accounts on the industrial side,” Ferris said, “so it does move the needle a lot easier when we see those large customers move and change their load patterns.”
  • Combined revenue from electric and water increased by 8% to approximately $96 million.
  • Operating expenses for both electric and water remained flat and were running about 3% below 2026 budget projections. 
• BPU generated more of its own electricity rather than buying, which resulted in higher fuel costs and lower purchased-power costs.
• In response to a question, Ferris explained why 79% of the capital budget remained unspent halfway through the year.
• He said that most of the remaining capital budget is tied to debt that will be issued later in the year. He said those funds will be used for major equipment purchases.
• One big item is projected spending for a 5-megawatt solar generation facility “intended to provide a local energy source and reduce BPU’s exposure to pricing volatility in regional energy markets,” according to a BPU news release.
  • The project will connect to the BPU distribution system near the Nearman Creek Substation.
  • Approximately $21 million in funding is included in the 2026 budget for solar projects. 

Summer Intern Update

• Talent specialist Claudia Vazquez provided an update on the BPU summer internship program. She said:
  • The program has grown from two interns in 2024 to 11 across eight departments in 2026.
  • One of BPU’s substation engineers led off presentations by the interns by telling how he was an intern at the utility six years ago.
    • “When I was at K-State, a lot of careers are kind of thrown in your face as you go about through your different career fairs and you meet a ton of different people, and utilities don’t come up that often, unfortunately,” he said. “I was very grateful … when I came across a BPU application. I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll try this out.’ I went through my summer and fell in love with the BPU family.”
  • The 11 interns provided overviews of their summer work in presentations to the board. 

Board Comments

• Board members express their condolences to the friends, family and co-workers of BPU employee Joshua McKee.
• The board recognized Steve Nirschl for his years of service and wished him well in retirement. 
• Board members mentioned rescheduling an upcoming board meeting to align better with the budget work session. All agreed to follow up via email before making a final decision. 

Observations & Follow-Up Questions

• How many BPU interns will end up coming back as employees?
• How will the BPU budget fare in the second half of the year?
• What will be the ultimate outcome of BPU’s solar project?

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