The Electric Plant Board of the City of Russellville, Kentucky was created by City ordinance on July 7, 1942, pursuant to authority granted to the City by Chapter 119 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Kentucky (1932), as amended. The Board was established and governed in accordance with the provisions of the “Little TVA Act”, KRS 96.550 through 96.900.

The Electric Plant Board of the City of Russellville operates today under the public name Russellville EPB SmartNet, reflecting the organization’s role in providing both electric and broadband services to the community.

The governing body consists of five members. Four members are appointed to staggered four-year terms, with one member’s term expiring each year, and the fifth member serves as a representative of the City’s governing body. The Board meets regularly on the second Thursday of each month at 5:00 p.m. 

Russellville EPB SmartNet is a municipal electric power distributor serving electric customers in Russellville through approximately 110 miles of electric distribution line. In 2006, the utility began offering wireless internet service to the greater Russellville area. In 2011, services expanded to include telephone and high-speed fiber internet, establishing Russellville EPB SmartNet as the community’s local provider of broadband services.

Today, Russellville EPB SmartNet serves approximately 4,300 electric customers and 4,000 broadband customers.

As a municipal utility in Kentucky, the Electric Plant Board of the City of Russellville is not regulated by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Electric operations are regulated by TVA according to the terms and conditions of its power contract.

Russellville EPB SmartNet operates under the direction of a General Manager and currently employs 21 full-time employees and 1 part-time employees.