Under the Dome is back: MEUW’s political advocacy newsletter, Under the Dome, is back for another session of the Wisconsin legislature. To catch up on the latest updates from MEUW’s Government Affairs team at the Kammer Group, click here.
The current edition focuses on Gov. Tony Evers’s budget proposal and the specific provisions that may impact the public power community. We will include periodic updates throughout the legislative session to enable MEUW members to stay on top of what’s happening at the Capitol.
Let your voice be heard! MEUW is currently conducting our annual member survey to gather feedback about the services and future direction of the association. The key contact from each of our member utilities received details to complete the survey.
We’d also like to hear from you — please follow this link and take a few minutes to share insights and help us identify opportunities to improve MEUW’s support of community-owned utilities. The survey will remain open until Friday, March 15.
Please take a minute to provide info for a Member Poll: Kaukauna Utilities (KU) is requesting information about MEUW members’ lease agreements with AT&T. Recently AT&T approached KU to renegotiate an existing water tower lease that expires in 2026. Driven by increased technology demands, AT&T is reportedly instituting a new program to evaluate terms and conditions of its existing lease agreements. The revised leases extend through 2046 with significantly lower lease payments and terms that mostly benefit AT&T. KU is interested in hearing from municipal utilities that currently have lease agreements with AT&T and whether any of those utilities has recently been approached by AT&T to renegotiate the terms. To share your insights, please click here.
Watt-Hour Metering Workshop next week: MEUW’s annual three-day Watt-Hour Metering Workshop will be March 19-21 at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. The workshop is considered a “must-attend” event for meter technicians, as industry leaders will explain new technologies and approved work practices. Other agenda highlights include verifying and identifying metering inaccuracies, and choosing the correct metering equipment. A half-day “Pre-Workshop Session” begins at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, March 18, and covers basic metering for those who are new to metering or would like a refresher.
The registration fee for the Workshop is $495 per person; the Pre-Workshop session is an additional $75. Registration closes on Friday, March 15. Click here to learn more and to sign up.
Workshop to be held March 27 and 28: Dairyland Power Cooperative is hosting a “Key Person” Workshop targeted for superintendents, forepersons, journeymen, or other lead personnel at The Metropolis Resort & Conference Center in Eau Claire on March 27 and 28. The workshop covers a variety of topics, including the consequences associated with drinking and driving, dealing with and de-escalating difficult customers, the cost of power theft and how to identify drug activities and associated suspicious behaviors. Additionally, there will be a showcase of new products and technologies from Hubbell Power Systems and a discussion of proper use, testing and maintenance of material-handler jib arms. The registration fee is $175 per attendee.
If you’re interested, the registration deadline is Friday, March 15. For more information, click here.
Sign up for upcoming informational sessions: MEUW is hosting two events in the coming weeks to help share information with members:
- Collections Seminar, Tuesday, March 26, in Marshfield — focus on the rules and regulations for utility collections with some new tips and techniques to make the process effective and efficient. More information and registration details are available here.
- 5G Forum, Thursday, April 4, in Wisconsin Dells — focus on the latest developments involving 5G “small cell” wireless technology and the most significant issues and impact of new rules on municipal utilities. To learn more and to register, visit MEUW.org.
The March edition of Live Lines was distributed last week. In case you missed it, you can find it online here.