Nashville Electric Service is set to face some tough questions Tuesday evening when representatives appear before La Vergne’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m., comes after weeks of growing public frustration over how NES handled communication during January’s devastating ice storm.
La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole has not been shy about his criticism of the utility. The January storm knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of customers across Middle Tennessee, and in some parts of the region, outages stretched nearly two weeks before power was fully restored. Throughout that period, Cole said city leaders struggled to get timely updates from NES as residents flooded local officials with questions and concerns.
The lack of communication during the crisis is at the center of Tuesday’s meeting, but it is not the only issue on the table. Leaders have also raised a broader question about whether communities outside Davidson County should have a seat on the NES Board. Right now, board members are appointed by Nashville’s mayor and confirmed by Metro Council, with no dedicated representation for the surrounding cities that NES serves.
Tuesday’s meeting gives NES an opening to respond directly to those criticisms and explain how it plans to work more closely with neighboring municipalities going forward.
The scrutiny does not stop at the local level either. Discussions about utility oversight and storm preparedness have been taking place at both the Metro and state level, reflecting wider concerns about how Middle Tennessee handles future weather emergencies.
Coverage of the meeting will be available both on-air and online.