The Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities is a city-owned utility established in 1931. We operate the electric, water, sewer, and fiber utility systems within Sikeston and serve over 8,500 electric customers and 8,000+ water and sanitary sewer customers. Sikeston BMU is governed by a four-person Board, which is appointed by the Sikeston City Council.
Article VI Section 130.240 of the Ordinance of the City of Sikeston states “There is created the Board of Municipal Utilities of the City, which shall have jurisdiction, control, and management of the department and all its operations and facilities. The Board shall have all powers and duties possessed by the City to construct, acquire, expand, and operate utility systems, and to do all acts or things that are necessary, convenient, or desirable to operate, maintain, enlarge, extend, preserve, and promote an orderly, economic and business-like administration of the utility systems. The Board shall operate as a separate unit of City government; and except as otherwise provided in this article, both the Board and the Department shall be free from the jurisdiction, direction, and control of other City officers and of the City Council.”
The bi-partisan Board consists of four members appointed by the City Council for a four-year term each. The board is responsible for establishing BMU policies, rules, and regulations that govern the day-to-day operations of the utility system. The Board of Municipal Utilities holds public meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at 4:00 PM in the Board Room of the BMU office at 107 East Malone Avenue.
Sikeston’s electric supply comes from the city-owned and operated Sikeston Power Station, a 235-megawatt coal-fired electric generating station located on a 622-acre site on the western edge of the city. In addition, To finance the plant, Revenue Bonds were sold in three issues, totaling $250,000,000. These bonds were paid in full as of June 1, 2022. Groundbreaking for the Power Plant took place in March 1978, and the unit was placed in commercial operation in September 1981. Roughly 20% of the power generation output of the Plant is for the needs of Sikeston, the remainder of the capacity furnishes dependable power to several cities in the State. Any excess power beyond the needs of Sikeston and these contract cities is sold in the power market. Coal for the Sikeston Power Station is furnished by the Western Fuels Association; a non-profit corporation formed by municipal and cooperative-owned electric utilities to acquire and develop fuel resources for its customers.
Sikeston BMU operates three water treatment plants with potable water being drawn from eleven deep wells. These plants can provide Sikeston with over 9.3 million gallons of water per day. Sikeston’s average water consumption is approximately 3.5 million gallons per day with a peak daily consumption of approximately 6.2 million gallons. BMU’s water distribution system consists of 130 miles of water mains, 850 fire hydrants, and 4.2 million gallons of water storage capacity.
The sanitary sewer system includes one orbal oxidation ditch and two contact stabilization treatment plants that produce a total capacity of 4.4 million gallons per day. The sanitary sewer distribution system uses twenty-seven lift stations and five miles of forced mains. The collection system consists of approximately 100 miles of sewer lines ranging in size from six inches to twenty-seven inches. The BMU sewer department also operates an aerated lagoon wastewater treatment facility that serves the Sikeston Business, Education, and Technology Park on Highway 61 North.
In 1999 BMU constructed a 33-mile fiber optic communications backbone throughout Sikeston. This fiber backbone gives BMU the ability to connect, monitor, and communicate with all components of the electric, water, and sewer systems. This connectivity gives BMU the means to automate the operations of electric substations, improve service reliability, and reduce operational and maintenance costs. The fiber system also allows the Utility to link all Utility and City facilities and the public school system on a high-speed, wide-area communications network.
The Board of Municipal Utilities currently employs 138 people. There are 69 employees at the Power Plant; 4 at our Substations; 16 in Electrical Distribution; 13 in the Water and Sewer Distribution Department; 8 at Water Plants; 4 at Wastewater Plants; and 22 at our Downtown Office. The job classifications are as diversified as our company. Most of our company is skilled labor consisting of Journeyman in the following Power Plant departments: Mechanical Maintenance; Electrical; Instrumentation; Operations; Laboratory; Warehouse; and in the Coal Yard at our Power Plant. Our Distribution Departments consist of various positions from Utility men and Linemen to Water and Wastewater Plant Operators. The Administrative Staff is located at our Downtown Office at 107 E Malone Avenue and consists of customer service representatives, the finance Department, Human Resources Department, Engineering, and Management, who oversee all the operations.
