Our performance management system stresses employee accountability and measurable results, with an emphasis on improving the performance of the entire organization. The outcome: extremely reliable service, some of the lowest prices in the country and excellent customer service.
Our compensation program focuses base pay on being competitive and in alignment with the market.
Compensation impact on overall budget
- Labor is about 16% of the total budget.
- Natural gas, coal and capital project costs are the major rate drivers.
Compensation redesign
- In 2009, we eliminated the existing pay for performance program.
- Also in 2009, we redesigned our compensation program using extensive research. As a result, we have a new base pay structure to ensure that employees are compensated appropriately for their scope of work and performance.
- Employees did not receive a cost of living adjustment in 2009, and we did not propose one for 2010.
Skilled employees critical to operations
- Maintaining a skilled workforce is critical to providing safe, reliable and competitively priced electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services.
- Many utility jobs require specialized training, experience and certifications.
Controlling costs
- We have eliminated 200 positions through attrition one year ahead of schedule - avoiding $14 million in annual operating costs.
- Automated and cost-effective new technologies, such as Automated Meter Reading, are helping us serve 14,000 more customers now compared to 2003.
- Although we're serving more customers, our operations and maintenance budget has remained essentially flat over the last several years.
- We prioritize projects and maintenance based on the impact on safety and reliability. Only critical work is being performed.
Accomplishments from 2009
- We ranked third in west in the midsize utility segment and 10th in the nation regardless of utility size, in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM.
- We ranked third in the west in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM.
- Standard & Poor's, Fitch and Moody's ratings services affirmed the AA, or equivalent, long-term rating to Colorado Springs Utilities' bonds. The AA rating makes Springs Utilities one of the highest-rated utilities in the nation.
- We launched our online account management system and our outage management system, providing enhanced customer service.
- Generating units 5, 6 and 7 at Colorado Springs Utilities' Martin Drake Power Plant ran continuously for 100 days or more, saving customers approximately $6 million.
- We have made extraordinary efforts to make our wastewater system one of the best in the country and to improve Fountain Creek.
- We removed the final portion of cast iron pipe - installed in 1907 - from the natural gas system. Replacement of cast-iron significantly benefits customers and employees who work on the system with improved safety, cost and reliability.
- We received the record of decision from the Bureau of Reclamation under the National Environmental Policy Act and approval of our 1041 land-use permit for the Southern Delivery System from Pueblo Board of County Commissioners, supporting our preferred alternative for the Southern Delivery System.
