The Lassen Municipal Utility District Board of Directors in late June approved a $30.1 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26 during their regular monthly meeting on June 24. 

The budget includes significant investments in infrastructure improvements and reflects changing costs in the energy market, the California public power utility noted.

Leading up to the budget approval, the board participated in three budget workshops. The May 13th meeting highlighted the significance of purchased power. The June 5th meeting focused on capital investment planning, while the June 19th meeting addressed the complete budget, including operating revenue and expenses, as well as purchased power costs.

The budget reflects a conservative 1% growth in electricity sales, an allocation of $1 million for tree trimming and vegetation management, and a projected 14.5% decrease in the cost of purchased power.

The budget also includes a four-year, $45 million capital investment program focused on system reliability, wildfire mitigation, system hardening, and upgrades to existing equipment and facilities.

"This significant investment in infrastructure and capital improvements reflects the Board's strong confidence in the LMUD team and our shared mission to deliver safe, reliable and affordable power to the communities we serve," says Nick Dominguez, LMUD's General Manager. "This budget also ensures LMUD's ability to maintain our long-term financial sustainability."