Rate of Availability for Utility Services

The availability of utility services is a critical function of the City of Tallahassee and essential for the wellbeing of its residents and prosperity of its businesses. The City ensures utility services are provided to its residents with minimal disruption through efficient planning, design, construction, maintenance and operations. Although the City faces many typical industry challenges, such as managing infrastructure and maintenance costs, it is continually recognized as a national leader in the delivery of high-quality utility services. The City’s utilities are consistently awarded national recognitions:

• Maintained a Diamond-level designation, the highest recognition awarded by the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Reliable Public Power Provider program in 2022.
• Received the 2021 E. F. Scattergood System Achievement Award. This national designation recognizes the top public utility in the country according to The American Public Power Association (APPA).
• Presented the American Public Gas Association (APGA) Gold Level System Operational Achievement Recognition (SOAR) Award, recognizing the City's gas utility for excellence in operations in July 2020. To date, the City of Tallahassee is the only public utility in the nation to receive this award three times in a row.
• In 2019, the City’s gas utility was recognized as the best in the nation having received the 2019 Public Gas Achievement Award [1].

Gas

While many across the country are seeing substantial increases in their electric bills, the City took proactive measures to save utility customers $75 million in FY22 through price hedging agreements for natural gas. Total savings from these agreements through the end of FY24 are projected to be $212 million. As a result, average residential electric bills in Tallahassee are $106 and remain 31% below the state average of $154. The City tracks reliability indices each month to ensure that we are minimizing the frequency and duration of outages. For gas customers, the system is designed to withstand pressures, such as those caused by major storms, virtually eliminating outages. The most common reason for gas outages is third-party damage to infrastructure during excavation. We track third-party excavation damage and work to educate contractors and the community to minimize these impacts.

Water

In 2022, the City constructed a new, best-in-region Water Quality Laboratory and increased the allocation for potable water system enhancements by $4.9 million to ensure residents have safe, clean drinking water for years to come. The City continues to maintain a rate of water service availability greater than 99%. Customers rarely experience interruptions in water service delivery. However, any interruptions that do occur are typically a result of an emergency repair, a planned service interruption to fix a leak, making a new connection for upgrades to infrastructure, installing new fire hydrants for improved fire protection, or expanding water service to new developments.

1. This is the highest recognition earned by one deserving utility provider out of over 1,000 publicly owned natural gas systems nationwide by the American Public Gas Association.

Electric & Gas; Underground Utilities & Public Infrastructure. Last Updated: April 2023