Boerne Utilities Director Mike Mann is set to retire at the start of the new year after more than 25 years of leading the department.
In that time, Boerne has grown from a town of about 5,000 people to about 25,000 today. Boerne Utilities has grown along with the town as infrastructure for the utility systems has expanded into newly developed areas.
The utility provides water, wastewater, electricity, and natural gas service to its customers. According to Mike, Boerne is one of only a couple of municipalities in the state to own and operate all four utilities under the direction of City Council.
People often aren’t aware of what’s required to keep the utilities operating at a high level amid development-related growth, changing regulatory requirements, and other challenges.
“It’s like maintaining an older car; as soon as you fix one thing, something else needs attention. Part of the system is very old and part of it is new,” Mann said.
Operating all four utilities is a constant exercise in problem solving, which is fine by Mike.
“I like to learn and figure things out. That’s the best part about the job,” Mann said. “No two days are the same. You very rarely get to finish what you’ve started without something else coming up.”
Career Accomplishments
After two and a half decades of projects completed and problems solved, Mike says the accomplishment he’s most proud of during his time with the City of Boerne has been the addition of the reclaimed water system.
He first became aware of the benefits and possibilities of reclaimed water in the 1980s while interning in Florida. He continued to study the topic and was prepared to present the idea to City Council when the opportunity came in the mid-2000s.
At that time, the City was in the planning stages for the new Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Center (WWTRC) on Old San Antonio Road when it was approached by the developers of what would become Esperanza. The developers, who already had water allotted from GBRA, wanted Boerne Utilities to be its provider because the municipality had the capability of controlling the flow of water during peak usage.
Seeing the opportunity, the City asked the developers to transfer their water supply to Boerne Utilities and fund the installation of reclaimed water infrastructure at the new WWTRC. They agreed and the reclaimed system came online in 2016, making Boerne the first municipality in the state to sell retail reclaimed water to individual homes.
It now serves the residential irrigation needs of the Esperanza and Ranches at Creekside developments, which led to more than 156 million gallons of potable water conservation in 2024 alone.
“I think reclaimed water and potable reuse of treated effluent is the future water supply in Texas,” Mann said. “The development of the reclaimed system has not only been a huge conservation method for potable water, but it will also enable us logistically to own and operate a direct potable reuse in the future.”
With the planned increased reclaimed capacity at the WWTRC, the system will continue to expand and further increase potable water conservation.
Legacy of Reliable Service
Boerne Utilities has earned a reputation for reliable service across each of the utilities it operates, always striving to put the needs of residents and customers at the forefront.
To ensure that reliability well into the future, Mann oversaw a multi-year reconductoring project that improved dependability between the two electric substations within the City. The process meant upgrading and replacing old wires with advanced, higher capacity lines, allowing the two substations to better transfer loads between one another.
“From a customer service standpoint, we are serving every person with utilities every day by keeping things running,” Mann said. “So, I think service is the biggest part of our job.”
Reliable utilities contribute to the community’s quality of life, Mike says.
“We provide the things that people take for granted,” he said. “We’ve made it so reliable that people expect it to be on – that reliability is what we provide.”
In 25 years, Boerne Utilities has not issued a single boil-water notice for its customers.
The dependability of Boerne Utilities was perhaps most notably on display during 2021 Winter Storm, when the lights stayed on in Boerne while the rest of the state experienced prolonged water and electrical outages as temperatures plummeted into single digits for several days.
Looking Ahead
Mike says it’s hard to know what he’s going to miss about working at the City, but he’s looking forward to the freedom of a clear schedule.
He plans to enjoy some downtime, but at his core he still loves a challenge and learning new skills. His short list of things to learn includes welding, which he plans to use restoring a 1953 GMC pickup that needs a new floor.
Boerne has been home for Mike and his wife, Kelly, for more than 30 years. Together, they raised two kids here and still enjoy the small-town community.
