According to NBU, after his retirement, Taylor will continue in an advisory role and work with the board of trustees to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
"Years ago, I chose public service because I wanted my time away from family and friends to be spent in service to others,” Taylor said. “I never imagined I would get to serve with a team of professionals that would give of themselves in such extraordinary ways during extraordinary times to ensure the delivery of essential services to an entire community. This NBU team seems to have no end to their capacity to give. No matter the situation—record growth, COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri, or any other calamity—they perform out of a sense of duty and get the job done. I love them all and will miss them dearly.”
The announcement of Taylor’s retirement was made at the April 13 board of trustees meeting, who selected NBU Chief Operations Officer Ryan Kelso to serve as interim CEO beginning July 1 and directed staff to begin the search for Taylor’s replacement.
“Taylor has led NBU during a period of historic growth and transition,” NBU said in a press release. “During his tenure, New Braunfels ranked as the second fastest-growing city in the nation while NBU scaled in size and sophistication to meet the needs of a rapidly changing community and industry.”
According to NBU, since Taylor became CEO in 2016, NBU expedited a capital program that tripled in size in an effort to keep pace with growth and return the water system to compliance. NBU doubled its community's water supply and began construction of an Aquifer Storage and Recovery project. Regional partners have been brought together to create an unprecedented One Water Road Map for future water management planning, and the utilities electric system also expanded.
“On behalf of the entire NBU board of trustees, this is a bittersweet time,” NBU Board President Judith Dykes-Hoffmann said. “We are incredibly proud of Ian’s accomplishments at NBU over the past six-plus years as CEO. He’s led the organization through remarkable times, some of which many CEOs may never experience during their tenure. The NBU board of trustees has decades of institutional knowledge to lead the utility into the future. In addition, he’s assembled a strong and resilient leadership team, which is well-prepared to take the utility to the next level. Ian leaves NBU in a very good place as we begin to look to the future and identify our next CEO. We wish Ian and his family the best as they enter their next chapter.”
Other milestones mentioned by NBU in the press release include completing master plans, establishing an ethics program and overhauling their technology systems. NBU’s conservation legacy project the Headwaters at the Comal also completed Phase 1 construction and is beginning work on Phase 2 under Taylor’s leadership.
Programs are currently being developed to provide customers the ability to operate distributive energy sources synch as electric vehicles, rooftop solar and battery storage. NBU also plans to begin a public engagement process following the effective use of the Rate Advisory Committee to update its Energy Integrated Resource Plan and similar projects.
“Taylor leaves NBU in a strong operational and financial position,” NBU said in a press release. “New Braunfels Utilities enjoys one of the highest bond ratings among its peers, and has further strengthened its financial position by working with the New Braunfels City Council to approve impact fees and a two-year rate plan which will allow NBU to continue to provide reliable services at competitive rates.”
