Help us celebrate line workers: April 18 (Saturday) is National Lineman Appreciation Day, and we want to celebrate the more than 300 municipal utility line workers who keep the lights on in MEUW member communities. We plan to use our website and social media pages to recognize these hard-working folks. Please send us a current photo of your line crews so we can post and share. Send the pictures to news@meuw.org.
Register today for the Annual Conference: Time is running out to register for this year’s Annual Conference in Madison and Sun Prairie! You won’t want to miss the great agenda or the opportunity to connect with your colleagues from across the state. The Annual Conference will take place May 12–14 in Madison and Sun Prairie, with the bulk of the programming (and the awards ceremony) set for Thursday, May 14. You’re invited to attend as much or as little of the conference as your schedule allows. Join in the “Day at the Capitol” advocacy day on Tuesday, golf outing or Utility Governance Roundtable on Wednesday, a tour of Sun Prairie Utilities’ impressive new facilities Wednesday afternoon, the trade show, and then a welcome reception Wednesday evening, May 13. Click here to learn more.
The April edition of Live Lines was distributed last week. In case you missed it, you can find it here.
Wage & Benefits Survey responses due this Friday: Every year, MEUW collects information about the pay and perks provided to public power employees across the state. Instructions for completing this year’s survey were recently shared with key contacts at each utility. Full details about this year’s Wage & Benefits Survey are available here. As a reminder, only those utilities that provide information for the survey are able to receive the results. A list of the communities/utilities to already submit responses is here. The deadline to respond is noon on Friday, April 17.
Spots available in the Overhead Workshop/Hotline School: MEUW and Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) are once again partnering to present the Overhead Workshop/Hotline School. This training offers an ideal setting for hands-on training both in the classroom and in the training building on the campus of CVTC. The workshop will be held April 28−30 in Eau Claire and will include a vendor trade show. Information about the planned topics and registration details are here.
Join us for the Utility Governance Roundtable on May 13: MEUW’s Utility Governance Roundtable brings municipal leaders together for a practical, peer‑driven look at how to oversee strong, sustainable community‑owned utilities. The highly interactive forum will happen in Sun Prairie in conjunction with the 96th Annual Conference and will focus on oversight, finances, and leading practices in public power utilities. Learn more here.
Reinforce safety with local tree-trimmers: Tree-trimming work can be dangerous, especially near power lines. Following strict safety precautions and staying vigilant is critical to ensuring tree-trimmer safety. MEUW has put together information member utilities can customize and use to spread the important messages about tree-trimmer safety practices. The Tree-Trimming Safety Communication Toolkit includes a draft newsletter article, a flier, and social media messaging that can be branded and used by members. Please use any and all parts of this toolkit to get out these important safety messages to help prevent future injuries.
Add “Regulation, Compliance & Safety” course to your professional development plan: Utilities are highly regulated businesses and there are more than 100 specific rules utilities must follow to retain the “right-to-serve” electric customers. Join this one-day class which helps explain why the rules exist and how to navigate the complexities of compliance — skills fundamental to success as a utility manager. Led by John Andres, an expert on utility regulations, and Melissa Barnes, a seasoned Human Resources Manager, participants will walk away from this class with a greater understanding of utility regulations and how to comply. You won’t want to miss this popular (and highly recommended) training that is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, in Mauston. Registration is now open — sign up today!
Help us shape the future of MEUW communications: This year marks an incredible milestone — MEUW has been publishing our monthly Live Lines newsletter for 65 years! For generations, it has played an important role in keeping our members informed, connected, and up to date.
As we celebrate this legacy, we’re also taking a thoughtful look at how we communicate today. A core part of our mission is to provide information that is clear, relevant, and useful — and we want to ensure we’re doing that as effectively as possible.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be asking for your feedback through a short survey about how you use and experience our communications, including our weekly emails, monthly newsletter, website, social media, and bulletins. Your input will help guide how we share information moving forward — so we can honor our history while continuing to meet the evolving needs of our members today.
Thank you in advance for your input to help us shape what comes next.
