The Indiana agency representing ratepayers in utility cases is set — before the end of the year — to share office space with the independent arbiter that decides those cases, Energy and Natural Resources Secretary Suzanne Jaworowski has confirmed.
In December, they’ll move to newly renovated digs at the Indiana Government Center’s north building in downtown Indianapolis, a quarter-mile from their separate offices in the PNC Center.
The Office of Utility Consumer Counselor currently occupies 18,000 square feet in the PNC Center’s south tower. Counselor Abby Gray leads a 49-person team to intervene in rate cases and other utility proceedings on behalf of Hoosier customers.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission regulates electricity, natural gas and other utility providers, balancing utility and consumer interests. Led by a five-person commission, the 70-strong agency currently leases 27,000 square feet in the east tower.
Government Center North’s 10th floor space, at 22,000 square feet, will be less than half the size of their total current footprints.
Jaworowski, who oversees several agencies including the OUCC and IURC, noted the move will save the state money within three years.
Both agencies have 10-year leases with PNC Center landlord HPT Indianapolis, with rents that gradually ratchet up over the decade. In 2026, OUCC paid nearly $398,000 in rent, while the IURC paid almost $649,000.
“Together, the two agencies pay roughly $1M/year in rent, which will be a cost savings once they move into the Government Center,” Jaworowski wrote.
But first, the state is spending nearly $2 million to renovate the 10th floor of the building, which hasn’t been fixed up since the 1990s. The project includes updated mechanical systems, lighting and cabling, plus a reconfiguration of the space with new workstations and offices for each agency, according to agendas for a pair of State Budget Committee meetings.
The lawmaker-led body approved an initial $1 million to renovate the space last year, and an additional $950,000 in June.
Opposite sides, same space
The two agencies often play competing roles in the rate cases that determine utility prices for most customers.
Jaworowski said they’ll share a front desk reception area but maintained that “there will be separation.”
“Each agency will have their own offices, workstations, and smaller conference rooms and meeting enclaves,” she said, with badge access separating those spaces.
Jim Atterholt, who chaired the IURC from 2009 to 2014 — and again in 2017 — was confident that staff at both agencies are “professional enough that they’ll be able to manage the appropriate interaction with respect to ex parte conversations.”
“There are real strict guidelines on what you can and cannot discuss, either amongst yourselves or publicly, and particularly if it’s an active case before the commission,” he explained.
More with less
Atterholt pointed to employee morale as a “bigger issue” amid a wave of retirements and higher turnover. Staff include lawyers, accountants, engineers, economists and more.
The “phenomenal” facilities at the PNC Center — hearing rooms outfitted with streaming technology, plenty of private office spaces and more — are one attraction for employees facing growing responsibilities and public pressure, he said.
“If you’re asking more of the commission, to put more scrutiny on the regulated entities, then you’re going to want to make sure that they have the appropriate resources, the appropriate facilities, and the appropriate morale,” Atterholt said.
An unusually high share of employees have private offices, for instance. Most will downgrade.
The IURC will drop from 43 offices to eight and the OUCC will go from 23 to four, according to Jaworowski’s office. The offices will be reserved for executive-level staff.
The total number of non-office work stations will rise slightly from 73 to 92, but the sharp decrease in private offices means a net drop of 35 individual desks for workers.
That’s because a “large majority” of staff will begin working remotely full-time, according to Jaworowski’s office, and will come in only when required for in-person hearings and related meetings. Each agency will have several meeting rooms doing double-duty as “hoteling” workspaces.
OUCC spokeswoman Ashley Bishop reported no current remote agreements, while IURC spokesman Ben Gavelek said there are 11 remote field workers investigating violations of an Indiana law protecting underground utility lines.
Gov. Mike Braun last year issued a “return to work” executive order requiring state employees to work in person — generally banning hybrid and remote work — with “limited exceptions” for remote work depending on agency needs, job functions, available space and other factors.
“The (order) prompted us to take a fresh look at how our agencies operate, and specifically, what our actual workspace needs are,” said Jaworowski Chief of Staff Parvonay Stover. “Staff in certain roles identified that they could perform their work effectively on a fully remote basis, while still coming into the office when their responsibilities require an in-person presence, like IURC’s hearings and related prep meetings. We evaluated that from an operational standpoint and agreed it made sense for those positions.”
“Once we established that, it became clear that our physical space requirements had changed. We didn’t need to maintain office space based on the assumption that every employee needed a permanent workstation every day,” Stover continued. “That allowed us to explore consolidating the agencies into existing state-owned facilities rather than continuing to lease separate facilities. The result is a more thoughtful use of both our workforce and our physical space.”
The money saved, she said, “can then be redirected towards IURC and OUCC’s core missions rather than continuing to pay for space we no longer need.”
Latest change
There will be no lease-breaking penalties owed.
Controversial former IURC Chair David Hardy first negotiated the IURC’s “competitive” lease at the PNC Center, and Atterholt renewed it while he was chairman. It expires at the end of year.
OUCC’s lease, meanwhile, was renegotiated in 2024 with a clause that allowed the agreement to be broken without penalty if state funding was inadequate. The agency just has to pay rent through the end of the year, according to Jaworowski’s office.
The move comes amid major shakeups at the IURC. Braun has appointed five commissioners this year — including one recent replacement for a pick he fired.
That leaves only one commissioner with more than a year of experience: David Ziegner, who has served since 1990 but whose term expires in just six months.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
