Strategic Initiatives

TDPUD Strategic Plan & Initiatives

At Truckee Donner PUD, we consider ourselves a foundational part of the Truckee community. After all, what’s more important than access to water and electricity? But our role doesn’t end with these services. We know this community has big goals, and our expertise in the world of power and water make us uniquely suited to help our community reach some of those goals.

The TDPUD Board of Directors has chosen to pursue strategic initiatives that explore how TDPUD can best utilize its expertise and services to improve the quality of life in our community. In 2020, the TDPUD board embarked on a strategic planning effort that included a series of board meetings, a customer survey, and community focus groups, culminating in the adoption of the 2021-24 Strategic Plan in May 2020.

Click here to view the TDPUD Strategic Plan

TDPUD Strategic Plan: Mid-Cycle Update

In 2023, the board did a mid-cycle revisit of these initiatives to check in on their progress, as well examine how these initiatives fit into a rapidly-changing world, from utility, financial, sustainability and cultural standpoints. Considering the initiatives through these lenses ensured that TDPUD is on the right path and that we’re utilizing our resources in the best way possible to serve our community.

When the board and key staff began this review process in early 2023, they discovered that the original strategic initiatives focused too heavily on specific projects, rather than the desired outcome to benefit the community. In many cases, the projects selected were prohibitively expensive or would take years to come to fruition. The board and staff realized that if they made the initiatives more focused on outcome rather than the specific process, it would allow TDPUD to achieve the same or similar results without stalling progress or adding significant burden to ratepayer funds. They defined new or updated strategic initiatives, which they then asked the community to weigh in on in a series of Community Circles public workshops. Seven community meetings were held in a number of locations across town, and Spanish translation services were provided at every meeting. The results of these community meetings helped guide the board in developing and implementing the Strategic Plan update.

Click here to read the TDPUD Community Circles Recap

Original Strategic Initiatives	Updated Strategic Initiatives
Enable Community-Wide Broadband	Community Broadband
Underground of Overhead Utilities	Service Reliability and Safety
100% Clean Renewable Energy	Net Carbon Reduction
Local Clean Generation	Local Watershed Stewardship

A gathering around a campfire with people engaged in discussion, promoting community and action together.

Community Broadband

TDPUD Strategic Plan & Initiatives

At Truckee Donner PUD, we consider ourselves a foundational part of the Truckee community. After all, what’s more important than access to water and electricity? But our role doesn’t end with these services. We know this community has big goals, and our expertise in the world of power and water make us uniquely suited to help our community reach some of those goals.

The TDPUD Board of Directors has chosen to pursue strategic initiatives that explore how TDPUD can best utilize its expertise and services to improve the quality of life in our community. In 2020, the TDPUD board embarked on a strategic planning effort that included a series of board meetings, a customer survey, and community focus groups, culminating in the adoption of the 2021-24 Strategic Plan in May 2020

Click here to view the TDPUD 2021-2024 Strategic PlanTDPUD Focus Group Data Presentation TDPUD Community Survey Presentation TDPUD Community Survey Final Report

TDPUD Strategic Plan: Mid-Cycle Update

In 2023, the board did a mid-cycle revisit of these initiatives to check in on their progress, as well examine how these initiatives fit into a rapidly-changing world, from utility, financial, sustainability and cultural standpoints. Considering the initiatives through these lenses ensured that TDPUD is on the right path and that we’re utilizing our resources in the best way possible to serve our community.

When the board and key staff began this review process in early 2023, they discovered that the original strategic initiatives focused too heavily on specific projects, rather than the desired outcome to benefit the community. In many cases, the projects selected were prohibitively expensive or would take years to come to fruition. The board and staff realized that if they made the initiatives more focused on outcome rather than the specific process, it would allow TDPUD to achieve the same or similar results without stalling progress or adding significant burden to ratepayer funds. They defined new or updated strategic initiatives, which they then asked the community to weigh in on in a series of Community Circles public workshops. Seven community meetings were held in a number of locations across town, and Spanish translation services were provided at every meeting. The results of these community meetings helped guide the board in developing and implementing the Strategic Plan update.

Click here to read the TDPUD Community Circles Recap

Original Strategic Initiatives	Updated Strategic Initiatives
Enable Community-Wide Broadband	Community Broadband
Underground of Overhead Utilities	Service Reliability and Safety
100% Clean Renewable Energy	Net Carbon Reduction
Local Clean Generation	Local Watershed Stewardship

Progress on this initiative has included committee work, a community survey and an in-depth scoping study that showed that the community is unsatisfied, but not underserved when it comes to internet access. The next step is to pursue funding for a full feasibility study/business plan for the potential options identified for enabling community-wide broadband—including exploring public and private partnerships—and weigh them against need, risks and cost.

Service Reliability & Safety

This is a reimagining of the original “underground overhead utilities” initiative, which the public identified as a chief concern following catastrophic wildfires in our region at the time. However, undergrounding utilities is extremely costly and there are other options to consider. Under this new initiative, TDPUD can focus on continuing to improve system reliability and safety for both the electric and water utility through the most feasible actions, like our Wildfire Mitigation Plan, public partnerships and education and engineering best practices.

Net Carbon Reduction

This initiative combines the “100% clean renewable energy” and “local clean generation” initiatives. The ultimate goal behind these initiatives is to reduce the amount of carbon in Truckee’s environment, or being produced by Truckee’s actions. However, both of these focused solely on energy procurement as a means of greenhouse gas reduction, without considering how and when we use electricity. TDPUD wants to set carbon reduction goals that can consider both energy purchase as well as conservation, while also weighing costs and benefits.

Local Watershed Stewardship

This is a completely new initiative that focuses on how, as a 100 % groundwater agency, TDPUD can have a positive impact on the stewardship and quality of Truckee’s overall watershed. TDPUD has committed to going beyond regulatory standards when it comes to managing Truckee’s groundwater basin. It now wants to explore what its role should be in the overall watershed, and how it can partner with local water stewardship stakeholders and use best available science to support long-term basin sustainability.

Community Circles

The proposed initiatives are meant to benefit the community, so they need to align with our customers’ needs. We want to help Truckee pursue goals around safety, sustainability, stewardship and more, but we also have a responsibility to keep rates affordable and service reliable. Community input will be crucial as we decide how to invest in Truckee’s future, which is why we’re hosting multiple public meetings–called Community Circles–to receive input from community members.

Banda Ancha Comunitaria

El progreso de esta iniciativa ha incluido el trabajo del comite, una encuesta comunitaria y un studio de alcance en profundidad que mostro a la comunidad estar insatisfecha, pero no desatendida, en lo que respecta al acceso de Internet. El proximo paso es buscar financiamiento para un estudio de factibilidad/plan de negocios completo para las posibles opciones identificadas para habilitar la banda ancha en toda la comunidad, incluida la exploracion de asociaciones publicas y privadas, y pesar contra la necesidad, riesgo y costo.

Servicio Confiable y Seguridad

Esta es una reinvencion de la iniciativa original “servicios subterraneo aereos”, que el publico identifico como una de las principales preocupaciones luego de los catastroficos incedios forestales en nuestra region en ese momento. Sin embargo, los servicios publicos subterraneos son extremadamente costoso y hay otras opciones a considerar. Bajo esta nueva iniciativa, TDPUD puede enfocarse en continuar mejorando la confiabilidad y seguridad del sistema tanto para la empresa de servicios publicos de electricidad y de agua a traves de acciones mas factibles, como nuestro Plan de Mitigacion de Incendios Forestales, asociaciones publicas y mejores practicas de educacion e ingenieria.

Reduccion Neto de Carbono

Esta iniciativa es una combinacion de las iniciativas de “energia renovable 100% limpia” y “generacion limpia local”. El objetivo final detras de estas iniciativas es reducir la cantidad de carbono en el medioambiente de Truckee o que sea producido por acciones de Truckee. Sin embargo, ambos se enfocaron unicamente en la adquisicion de energia como medio para reducir los gases de efecto invernadero, sin considerar como y cuando usamos electricidad. TDPUD quiere establecer objetivos de reduccion de carbon que puedan considerer tanto la compra y conservacion de energia, al mismo tiempo pesando los costos y los beneficios.

Administracion Local de Cuencas Hidrograficas

Esta es una iniciativa completamente nueva que se enfoca en como, siendo una agencia 100% de aguas subterraneas, TDPUD puede tener un impacto positivo en la administracion y la calidad de la Cuenca hidrografica. TDPUD se ha comprometido a ir mas alla de los estandares regulatorios cuando se trata de administrar la Cuenca de agua subterranea de Truckee. Ahora quiere explorar cual deberia ser su papel en la Cuenca hidrografica, y como poder asociarse con las partes locales interesadas en la administracion del agua y utilizar la mejor ciencia disponible para apoyar sostenibilidad de la Cuenca a largo plazo.

Circulos Comunitarios

Las propuestas iniciales estan destinadas a beneficiar a la comunidad, por lo que deben alinearse con las necesidades de nuestros clientes. Queremos ayudar a Truckee a alcanzar objetivos relacionados con la seguridad, sostenibilidad, administracion y mas, pero tambien tenemos la responsabilidad de mantener las tarifas asequibles y el servicio confiable. Los aportes de la comunidad seran cruciales cuando decidamos como invertir en el futuro de Truckee, razon por la cual estamos organizando varias reuniones publicas – llamadas Circulos Comunitarios, para recivir aportes de los miembros de la comunidad.