The commission oversaw hydro and water services, and after 1935 it also looked after the city's public transportation system.
[1] It was overseen for many years by a team of elected commissioners, who represented different wards in the city.
[2] The Brantford City Council passed a by-law in 1996 that dismembered the commission.
City council shut down the latter commission in 2001, two years after the provincial government of Mike Harris changed the oversight of public utilities to encourage deregulation and privatization.
City councillor Richard Carpenter criticized this decision, saying that it could result in private-sector control and higher rates without proper oversight.