The Tacoma City Council has appointed David S. Nelson, a local certified public accountant, as the newest member of the Public Utility Board. He replaces David Curry, who resigned his post in June. Nelson began his two-year term yesterday.
A city resident for most of his life, Nelson worked as a summer hire for Tacoma Public Utilities in the mid-1960s, while he attended the University of Puget Sound. He now makes a living as a CPA.
While in college, he wrote two papers about accounting principles for utilities. The first focused on financial analysis of Tacoma Public Utilities’ financial statements and the second covered dams and how their depreciation, along with federal regulations, affect how power rates are set.
The Public Utility Board is the governing body for Tacoma Public Utilities, which consists of Tacoma Power, Tacoma Water and Tacoma Rail. Tacoma Public Utilities serves 180,000 customers in the Tacoma-Pierce County area.
The City Council appoints the five members, who serve five-year terms without pay. (Nelson was appointed for two years to complete David Currys unexpired term.) The Board meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Public Utilities Administration Building, South 35th Street and Union Avenue. Meetings are open to the public and public comments are accepted. Meetings are broadcast live on TV Tacoma channel 12.
