Title
Board/Commission Appointment(s) - Board of Public Utilities
Recommended Action
I nominate Daniel Leonard, Curtis Christensen, Matt Heavner, David North, Josip Loncaric, Chris Rose, and John Pearson to fill one vacancy on the Board of Public Utilities and move that Council appoint one nominee to the vacant position as follows: by roll call vote, Councilors vote for one nominee, and the nominee with the highest total of four or more votes will be appointed to fill the partial term for Position UT1 beginning February 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2026.
If Matt Heavner is appointed, Council will need to take a second action to acknowledge and approve concurrent memberships for his current term on the Transportation Board which ends on February 28, 2025. Mr. Heavner indicated that he would like to serve two additional months on the Transportation Board to allow some time to recruit his replacement.
I further move Council acknowledge that Matt Heavner intends to continue serving on the Transportation Board while serving on the Board of Public Utilities. Council finds these positions not incompatible and approves of Mr. Heavner serving concurrently for two months on both boards, and hereby appoints him to the Board of Public Utilities.
Body
The purpose of this item is to fill one vacancy on the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). Please refer to Attachment B. This vacancy represents the term currently held by Cornell G. Wright, Jr. in Position UT1, which will end on June 30, 2026. Member Wright was appointed to a partial term on July 14, 2020, which ended June 30, 2021. He was then appointed to his first term on July 1, 2021 and resigned effective January 30, 2024. He has served a total of three years and six months as a dedicated member, Chair, and Vice Chair of the BPU.
This five-member board serves staggered five-year terms beginning July 1st and ending June 30th. Party affiliations are noted as [D] Democrat, [R] Republican, [ I ] Independent, [G] Green, [L] Libertarian, [DTS] Declined to State, and [N] Not Registered to Vote. The BPU appointment process is outlined in Attachment A and all member and applicant party affiliations have been verified with the Clerk's Office (Attachment D) . Given the current makeup of the Board of Public Utilities, nominees may have any party affiliation (Attachment C). Appointing any of the nominees will not violate the County Charter restriction concerning political party majorities on Boards and Commissions.
The following seven applicants are presented to Council for their consideration:
(Attachments E - K)
Daniel Leonard - new applicant
Curtis Christensen - new applicant
Matt Heavner - new applicant
David North - new applicant
Josip Loncaric - new applicant
Chris Rose - new applicant
John Pearson - new applicant
Please note that Mr. Samuel Baty was offered an interview as a new applicant. He notified staff on the day of the interview that he was on travel and was unable to participate remotely. His application is included as Attachment L.
The following members of interview committee interviewed all applicants as indicated on Attachment N. Links to the Zoom recordings of the interviews are also listed on Attachment N.
Theresa Cull, Council Vice Chair & BPU Liaison
David Reagor, Councilor
Steve Tobin, BPU Member (Chair's Designee)
Steven Lynne, County Manager
Philo Shelton, Utilities Manager (Ex Officio)
After careful consideration, the interview committee recommends Matt Heavner to fill the partial term for Position UT1 on the Board of Public Utilities, effective February 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2026.
Attachments
A - Appointment Process for BPU
B - BPU Vacancy Brochure
C - BPU Member Roster
D - BPU Member & Applicant Party Affiliation
E - Daniel Leonard BPU Application
F - Curtis Christensen BPU Application
G - Matt Heavner BPU Application
H - David North BPU Application
I - Josip Loncaric BPU Application
J - Chris Rose BPU Application
K - John Pearson BPU Application
L - Samuel Baty BPU Application
M - BPU Interview Questions
N - Interview Committee Recommendation Form