Two state lawmakers and a mayor are calling for changes to how electric service is handled outside Davidson County after the recent ice storm exposed what some local leaders say is a disconnect between Nashville Electric Service and the communities it serves beyond Nashville. State Rep. Mike Sparks and Rep. Robert Stevens, both represent parts of Rutherford County, sent a letter this week raising two possible paths forward for cities like La Vergne: giving communities served by Nashville Electric Service a seat in utility leadership or studying whether Middle Tennessee Electric should take over service in certain areas.
The letter follows public frustration from La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole, who last week said residents endured prolonged power outages during the storm with little communication from NES.
“Our residents are tired of sitting in the dark and not getting answers,” Cole said. Sparks says communities outside Davidson County fall into a gray area; served by NES but without representation when decisions are made. “If they’re going to serve our communities, then our communities deserve a seat at the table,” Sparks said.
The lawmaker emphasized that the proposal is not meant to apply to every county served by NES. Instead, he said Rutherford County, and specifically the City of La Vergne, should be evaluated separately to determine whether Middle Tennessee Electric could provide more responsive service.
The push comes as utilities across Middle Tennessee faced very different conditions during the storm. At the height of outages, NES reported roughly 175,000 customers without power, while Middle Tennessee Electric reported significantly fewer outages and had hundreds of line workers staged early in the response. Sparks said his concerns are not directed at line workers, but at communication, preparedness and governance. “This isn’t about the linemen,” Sparks said. “They work incredibly hard. This is about structure and communication.” FOX 17 reached out to both utilities for comment. Nashville Electric Service statement “We are grateful for the partnership with elected officials in all aspects of response and recovery. We will continue working together through the after-action review process.” Middle Tennessee Electric statement “At this time, Middle Tennessee Electric has not received the letter referenced, and our President and CEO, Chris Jones, is currently out of the office. MTE is honored to serve in support of NES’s restoration efforts, and that will continue, as we can be of service, through after-action reviews across our local-power-company community.” For now, Sparks said the letter is intended to start a broader conversation about how communities outside Nashville are represented when issues arise and whether changes should be considered moving forward.
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