The Truckee Donner Public Utility District board of directors met for its April meeting and approved new account management tools for customers, accepted new funding from grants and insurance reimbursement for training and operations, and recognized staff for their hard work, both on the job and at the recent Lineworkers Rodeo.
The TDPUD board approved two new ways for customers to pay their bills. While customers can access their accounts 24/7 online on the Smarthub platform, customers who do not utilize electronic banking previously only had one solution to pay their bills: to come in person to the TDPUD counter during office hours.
To give these customers more accessibility to pay their bills during and outside of business hours, California public power utility TDPUD will utilize InComm, a third-party service that has an existing partnership with TDPUD’s customer management platform.
Through this service, customers will be able to pay their bills at Truckee CVS and 7-Eleven stores. This will improve the service TDPUD can offer unbanked and underbanked customers, as they will be able to pay their bill 24 hours a day.
TDPUD will also install a customer payment kiosk outside of its office building, as another way to expand its customer service offerings. This will give customers 24-hour access to bill payment.
TDPUD believes these two new additions will help reduce disconnects for non-payment, late fees and the staff work hours it takes to process these actions.
APPA Lineworkers Rodeo
TDPUD staff recently attended the American Public Power Association’s annual Lineworkers Rodeo in Roseville, Calif.
The two-day event brings together public power utilities from all over the country for training and competition.
TDPUD’s two apprentice linemen, Kolby Silkwood and Jesse Ledesma, competed in five events, including an obstacle course, a timed equipment installation and a written test, for their first rodeo.
Director of Electric Power Supply Jared Carpenter competed in a drone-flying event and finished in third place. Other staff traveled down the hill to cheer on their coworkers and enjoy the family-friendly festival.
Grant Funding for Emergency Planning
In March, TDPUD was awarded a $10,000 Risk Control Grant from its insurance provider,
The Association of California Water Agencies Joint Powers Insurance Authority (ACWA JPIA).
TDPUD applied for the grant to fund the development of its Emergency Operations Program and related staff training. TDPUD was awarded the grant under the insurer’s Unified Preparedness Project category, citing the anticipated mitigation results the plan and training will provide TDPUD directly, and, by extension, the overall membership of ACWA JPIA.
Pole Replacement Reimbursement
In February, TDPUD collected $110,249 in property damage claim reimbursements, the majority of which were for “car pole” incidents that occurred in 2024. When a car crashes into a power pole, often the pole needs to be replaced. Thanks to staff’s hard work, a large amount of the cost of this work is offset by these claim reimbursements, which in the long term helps reduce electricity costs for customers.
Staff Recognition & Promotion
After nearly 10 years with TDPUD, TJ Dwyer was recently promoted to water department operations manager. He replaces Earl Smith, who will be retiring from TDPUD after 20 years of service.
“TJ brings extensive experience and leadership to this position,” said Chad Reed, water utility director. “His vast expertise in water distribution and treatment—gained through hands-on work across multiple systems—will be invaluable in ensuring efficient and reliable operations. We look forward to his continued leadership in this critical role, and thank Earl for his decades of service to the Truckee community.”
In March, three Core Value Recognitions were awarded to staff. This program celebrates TDPUD staff who go above and beyond in a way that exemplifies one of the utility’s six core values.
Accounting Specialist Lead Jennifer Mason was recognized for her accountability for persevering through unexpected hurdles. Facilities Maintenance Foreman Matt Wellise was recognized for his timeliness in troubleshooting TDPUD’s fire alarm system after a false alarm was triggered. And the Customer Service Department was recognized for its integrity in light of challenging customer interactions.
