Executive Summary
The Metropolitan Utilities District has been serving the Greater Omaha community for well over a century. Many changes in people, process, materials, techniques and technology have occurred. It is imperative the District acknowledges its past while serving the community in the present and anticipates how to best prepare to serve future generations. This Strategic Plan seeks to do just that.
We are fortunate to live in an area of the country where source water is plentiful and our Board of Directors have supported investments in expanding water treatment plants, infrastructure replacement and capital improvement plans to ensure our water is not only safe and economical, but we also have a system that is resilient when faced with floods, droughts, ice jams and other interruptions.
We recognize the growing importance of natural gas in our everchanging energy economy. We are proud of the historical support of peak-shaving facilities and natural gas purchasing agreements
that enable us to provide the best pricing to our customer-owners while mitigating the risk of price volatility.
We believe firmly that remaining a public utility governed by elected customer-owners enables an appropriate focus on providing safe, reliable natural gas and water for this ever-growing community. Making cost-effective investments, attracting and engaging top talent, being a good community partner, managing resources wisely and focusing on our diverse customer base enables us to best serve our community.
It is with recognition of our past, understanding the present and a focus on the future that this Strategic Plan is presented to address the next decade of service to the community. We rally around five strategic priorities: Customer Experience, Organizational Excellence, Community Engagement, Strategic Asset Management and Environmental Stewardship. With this focus we will ensure we are well positioned to continue to serve our neighbors, families and visitors with life-essential services.
MISSION VISION
Enhance quality of life by delivering safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas and water, essential for today and future generations.
Surpass customer expectations while committing to the growth of a vibrant community.
We operate with integrity.
OUR CORE PRINCIPLES
We build for reliability and resilience.
We will always demonstrate fiscal responsibility. We care about our colleagues, customers and community and it shows.
Innovation is embraced.
Safety and security are paramount in our daily work.
We are strategically positioned for growth of our products, services and presence to support the region.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES & OBJECTIVES
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Exceed customer expectations with every interaction.
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Deploy a diverse, responsive, effective and engaged team.
INCREASE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ATTRACT TALENT
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC ASSET MGMT
Impact the community in a meaningful way.
Invest in, fully leverage and safeguard District assets.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Conserve, protect and care for the natural environment.
INCREASE VISIBILITY
DEVELOP AND OPTIMIZE ASSET MGMT PROGRAMS
PARTNER AND EDUCATE
CREATE A CUSTOMERCENTRIC CULTURE
DEVELOP AND ENGAGE THE WORKFORCE
BUILD COMMUNITY TRUST AND CONFIDENCE
LEVERAGE DATA FOR DECISION-MAKING
ENHANCE INTERNAL SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
IMPROVE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
PERFORM EFFECTIVELY AND WITH PURPOSE PROMOTE AND GIVE BACK
PURSUE LEADING EDGE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SEEK ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE SOLUTIONS
OUR MISSION
Enhance quality of life by delivering safe, reliable and cost-effective natural gas and water, essential for today and future generations.
QUALITY OF LIFE
Quality of life may mean helping customers in need to keep services on; plentiful irrigation for customers maintaining a nice landscape; sufficient water to keep a commercial and industrial customer’s business running; reliable gas keeping us warm during the winter; and rates that are competitive. This phrase recognizes the diversity of our customers and the impact of the life-essential services we provide.
COST-EFFECTIVE
The services we provide must be economical, ensuring optimal results for what we spend. With a cost-conscious mindset we will make sound financial decisions to enable our teams and demonstrate value to our customer-owners.
SAFE & RELIABLE
These two words in our mission statement speak to how critically important these components are to what we do every day.
NATURAL GAS AND WATER
Natural gas and water are the valuable resources the District manages and delivers to our customers. Our focus is delivering these life-essential services as we explore other services when technology and needs change.
FUTURE GENERATIONS
This phrase highlights our focus, decision-making and rate structure. We are not limiting our resources on current-day needs but are willing to invest. Ensuring we can provide safe and reliable services well into the future is our commitment to the community.
OUR VISION
Surpass customer expectations while committing to the growth of a vibrant community.
SURPASS
Meeting customer expectations is not sufficient. We aspire to surpass expectations. This phrase challenges the District to go above and beyond in service and in the deployment of innovative and unexpected solutions by a utility.
GROWTH OF A VIBRANT COMMUNITY
We are a service provider, but as a public utility providing life-essential services, we are part of the community. Our employees live in and serve the community. As an organization we have a duty to engage in, support and contribute to the community we serve.
CORE PRINCIPLES
WE OPERATE WITH INTEGRITY
Each member of the M.U.D. team is an integral part of providing lifeessential services. Our words and actions demonstrate our commitment to truth, honesty and transparency and help to ensure our community trusts their public utility to do the right thing.
WE CARE ABOUT OUR COLLEAGUES, CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY AND IT SHOWS
It takes the whole team to deliver on our mission. We genuinely want the best for our teammates. We acknowledge the diversity of our customers and strive to understand their situations and how we can help. And as members of the community ourselves, we work and volunteer to make it a great place to live.
SAFETY & SECURITY ARE PARAMOUNT IN OUR DAILY WORK
The nature of our work is dangerous, and we learn of new threats to our people and our assets every day. We remain vigilant of these dangers and act responsibly and expeditiously when we observe unsafe situations or active physical or cyber threats.
WE WILL ALWAYS DEMONSTRATE FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Our customer-owners enjoy the services we provide. We are ever aware of the cost of doing business and investing in new initiatives and work hard to deliver on our mission while offering competitive rates.
INNOVATION IS EMBRACED
M.U.D. is staffed by talented individuals. Our employees are encouraged to bring new ideas, methods and solutions forward for the benefit of our customers and staff.
WE BUILD FOR RELIABILITY AND RESILIENCE
Delivering products and services falls short if they are not designed, built and managed for continuous performance and capable of withstanding man-made and natural threats. Our customers have enjoyed the benefits of past investments made with diligent planning and execution. It is our duty to continue the same.
WE ARE STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED FOR GROWTH OF OUR PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND PRESENCE TO SUPPORT THE REGION
We join with local and regional economic development partners in pursuit of growth and prosperity throughout the greater Omaha area. When neighboring communities seek our services, we are prepared to act. When we are uniquely positioned to offer new solutions to make a difference, we create and deploy the products and services necessary to serve.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES & OBJECTIVES
The District’s strategic plan is built upon five strategic priorities. A focus on and across each of these priorities ensures the District can execute its mission and achieve its vision while earning trust and confidence. Each strategic priority will be achieved through specific strategic objectives:
Customer Experience (CX)
Organizational Excellence (OX)
Community Engagement (CE)
Strategic Asset Management (SAM)
Environmental Stewardship (ES)
Exceed customer expectations with every interaction
Deploy a diverse, responsive, effective and engaged team
Impact the community in a meaningful way
Invest in, fully leverage and safeguard District assets
Conserve, protect and care for the natural environment
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The first strategic priority is focused on our customers for whom we exist. We seek to please our customers by surpassing their own expectations of service and reliability. Whether in the field or back office, all our employees can impact our customers’ impressions of the District with each interaction.
CX 1: Increase customer satisfaction – We will measure customer satisfaction, celebrate our success and work hard on areas of improvement. This objective is to ensure our customers are satisfied with the services provided and to deliver new offerings to meet their needs.
CX 2: Create a customer-centric culture – We will not exceed customer expectations if we are not all focused on how our work affects the customer. Every employee is expected to be aware of how their decisions and actions can make a positive impact on our customers. This objective ensures all activities and decisions include an understanding of the impact to new, existing and potential customers.
CX 3: Improve customer engagement – We will encourage and provide forums for which our customers can provide ideas and feedback. Our customer-owners are an integral part of our business and their engagement should be fostered if we are to exceed expectations. This objective ensures customers have multiple ways to provide feedback and know they are “customer-owners.”
Our Organizational Excellence strategic priority demands we have a talented and engaged workforce with the appropriate training, tools and business processes to ensure the District accomplishes its mission effectively and can achieve all strategic priorities within a productive and healthy workplace.
OX 1: Attract talent – We seek to recruit skilled and diverse talent that supports our mission, vision and core principles and offer appealing compensation, benefits and amenities.
OX 2: Develop and engage the workforce – The District is committed to ensure employees have opportunities to develop skills and grow personally and professionally while contributing to a positive culture.
OX 3: Perform effectively and with purpose – Our environment continues to change, and we must change with it. We will continue to identify and demand efficient and effective business processes. Our employees and customers deserve it.
STRATEGIC ASSET MANAGEMENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
As a provider of life-essential services to the community in which our workforce lives in and around, we are committed to being a good partner that can be counted on to contribute to a vibrant community.
CE 1: Increase visibility – The District will provide and engage in opportunities that enable the community to recognize the District’s commitment to the greater Omaha metropolitan community.
CE 2: Build community trust and confidence – Our actions speak louder than words. As a public entity, we will act with transparency and effectively execute on mission and vision. In doing so, we earn the trust and confidence of our neighbors.
CE 3: Promote and give back – As a critical part of the communities we serve, we will partner with others and promote volunteering, events and initiatives that contribute to a strong, healthy community.
The District is accountable to the effective deployment and management of assets that are critical to our operation and mission. A focus on Strategic Asset Management ensures we make intentional planning, operational and maintenance decisions to optimize the use, security and lifespan of assets.
SAM 1: Develop and optimize asset management programs – Managing key assets is essential to the District’s mission. This objective seeks to ensure all assets critical to District operations have a long-term plan and investment forecast to meet expected levels of service.
SAM 2: Leverage data for decision-making – The District creates, uses and stores data across all functional areas. This objective will capitalize on the breadth and depth of available data to develop and use models, trends and analysis in both strategic decisionmaking and operational processes. We must treat data as a corporate asset.
SAM 3: Pursue leading edge science and technology – The District has embraced technological advances since the invention of the motorcar. We will embrace an early adopter approach to science and technology when its proven to enhance our operational capabilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
The District is in the business of providing life-essential services to the community and is dependent on natural resources to do it. As such we have an intrinsic interest and accountability to environmental sustainability.
ES 1: Partner and educate – We seek to leverage local and national organizations with shared interests to collaborate and educate the community on responsible water and natural gas usage, landscaping ideas and smart energy saving practices.
ES 2: Enhance internal sustainability efforts – The District has continually adopted sustainable best practices. This objective challenges us to manage and enhance a sustainability program that reduces waste.
ES 3: Seek environmentally responsible solutions – As good stewards of the environment, we evaluate and implement practices, products and solutions that enable conservation and responsible use of natural resources.
“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
— Warren Buffett
The greater Omaha community benefits from the M.U.D. leaders, engineers and workforce of yesterday who planned, designed and implemented the gas and water infrastructure that serves us today. In rallying behind this District strategy, we will ensure we are deliberate in planting the right “trees” in the years ahead that will benefit our workforce and community for generations to come.
