LMUD’s Dual Mandate: Reliability & Affordability
On July 27, 2021, Lassen Municipal Utility District’s (LMUD) boardroom was filled with concerned citizens. Outside, the Dixie Fire raged toward Lassen County, casting a red hue over the sky and filling the air with smoke and ash. LMUD customers had just endured several days of rolling blackouts after the fire damaged PG&E transmission lines, and our backup power source failed at the worst possible moment.
Faced with a critical decision, LMUD’s board weighed whether to move forward with the Skedaddle Project—a major infrastructure upgrade designed to strengthen LMUD’s connection to the grid— or to keep the project on hold, hoping that post-COVID-19 supply chain prices would stabilize. The community showed up in force, and their message was clear: Reliability must be the top priority.
4 years later, the Skedaddle Project is nearing completion with an estimated in-service date of December 2026. While some cost increases were unavoidable, the board’s foresight to allocate reserves helped minimize the financial impact on customers. Once completed, the Skedaddle Project will be a monumental step forward in improving our electric system’s reliability.
LMUD is proud to be a community-owned utility—accountable not to shareholders, but to the people we serve. Public power means local control, transparency, and a commitment to community values. Decisions are made in open meetings, guided by input from our customers and focused on long-term benefits to the community rather than short-term profits.
Because LMUD is locally governed, we can prioritize what matters most to our community: reliable service, affordable rates, and investments that strengthen our local economy. We’re committed to maintaining that trust through responsible planning and open communication.
Every decision LMUD’s board makes is guided by a dual mandate: delivering dependable and cost-effective power. Reliability ensures homes, businesses, and essential services can operate without interruption. Affordability ensures electricity remains accessible in our rural community, where every dollar counts.
This balance is not always easy. Investing in long-term reliability—like the Skedaddle Project—requires careful financial planning to avoid placing undue burden on customers. LMUD’s approach is to plan ahead, build reserves, and seek community input to ensure that each investment reflects operational necessity and fiscal responsibility.
The board continually weighs these priorities with care and transparency. Our community’s voices resonate in the boardroom as we make decisions about which infrastructure investments will best serve our customers. Electricity is an essential service, and that’s why our 4-year capital investment plan includes major upgrades to the infrastructure that powers your home.
We invite all customers to attend our monthly public board meetings at 5:30 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday of each month in the LMUD boardroom. Together, we’re building a stronger, more resilient future for Lassen County.
Nick Dominguez
General Manager