Repeated power outages in Southlake, Texas, have prompted local leaders to file a formal complaint with state regulators, saying the disruptions continued through some of the hottest months of the year.
Here's what to know
On August 11, Shawn McCaskill, the mayor of Southlake, Texas, sent a complaint letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, according to NBC5. The letter accuses Tri-County Electric Cooperative of persistent service problems tied to eight outages between April and August.
NBC5 reported that the filing was made on behalf of the mayor's office and the Carroll Independent School District board president. The news outlet also said that city officials had already raised concerns with TCEC, but outages kept happening during periods of extreme heat.
In their letter, city leaders noted that summertime outages in particular pose a serious threat, writing that power loss during high temperatures "risks the health and safety of our residents, especially those in school and healthcare facilities."
For their part, state regulators told NBC5 they still had not received the complaint. Once it arrives, the Public Utility Commission of Texas would typically have 15 days to investigate.
More background
In addition to residents that rely on air conditioning to keep their homes livable, small businesses appear to be among those hit hardest.
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For example, Rupesh Neupane of 33 Peaks Cafe said the outages have interfered with normal service and customer purchases.
"It is very hard," he said, per NBC5. "People love hanging out over here, and they have the money; we just can't take it."
What's being done?
In a statement to NBC5, Tri-County Electric Cooperative acknowledged the problem and the need to address it.
"Tri-County Electric Cooperative recognizes that the recent level of power outages experienced by members in Southlake is unacceptable," the TCEC said.
The utility said that, in response, it has directed more resources to the area, including "accelerated tree trimming, vegetation clearing, and system inspections."
"Southlake reliability improvements will be finalized in the coming weeks. Our immediate focus remains on improving reliability for members," the TCEC added.
Whatever the solution, residents like Neupane of 33 Peaks Cafe just want to know that they will have consistent access to the electricity they need to run their businesses and live their everyday lives.
"You need power to run the machine," Neupane said. "You can't make coffee without an espresso machine."
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