Next Management Training session set for June 1: Managing personnel matter is the topic of the next sesion in MEUW’s long-standing Management Training Program. The one-day training class will be led by Attorney Steve Zach of Boardman & Clark law firm in Madison. Among the topics to be covered are hiring and selection, discipline and discrimination and harassment. The training (Session E in the series) is set for Wednesday, June 1, at the Glacier Canyon Lodge in Wisconsin Dells. Complete details about the subject matter and a biography of the instructor are available on MEUW.org.
First Aid/CPR+AED/Bloodborne Pathogen training to be offered in June: MEUW is holding a half-day training class to allow individuals to complete adult First Aid/CPR+AED/Bloodborne Pathogen certification. The training is targeted to municipalities who do not participate in MEUW’s Regional Safety Program, and satisfies a requirement of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that an employer ensure prompt first aid treatment for injured employees. The class will be taught at MEUW’s office in Sun Prairie on Wednesday, June 8. Full details are available here.
Locating Workshop coming to Lake Mills on June 28: MEUW is holding a one-day hands-on training class regarding underground facility locating this summer. Participants will learn about locating theory, proper use of the transmitter and receiver, and have the opportunity to practice locating. The workshop is being held on Tuesday, June 28, at Lake Mills City Hall. Full details and registration information is available here.
Transitions impact MEUW Executive Committee: Rick Wicklund, Utility Manager of Sun Prairie Utilities, is now Chair of MEUW’s Board of Directors, following transitions that occurred at the association’s Annual Business Meeting held May 13 in Madison. Nick Kumm, General Manager of Marshfield Utilities, is Chair-Elect and Dean Bergstrom, General Manager of Cumberland Municipal Utility, has joined the Executive Committee as Vice Chair. George Morrissey of Cuba City is now Immediate Past Chair. Tim Herlitzka of Waunakee continues as Secretary-Treasurer. The titles for the new roles reflect changes approved by the Board of Directors to align MEUW’s governance naming structure with that used by American Public Power Association (APPA) and other trade groups.
Four individuals – Cindy Carter (Manitowoc), Brian Knapp (Shawano), Troy Murphy (Prairie du Sac), and Joe Pickart (Oconomowoc) – were recognized at the meeting as each of them are now leaving service on MEUW’s Board.
Newcomers join MEUW Board: MEUW members in even-numbered districts recently voted to fill seats on the MEUW Board of Directors. Michael Avanzi, General Manager of Kaukauna Utilities, was elected as Alternate Director for District 4, and Nick Wyss, Director of Public Works for New Lisbon, was elected as Alternate Director for District 6. Other incumbent Directors and Alternate Directors in Districts 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 were re-elected to new two-year terms.
In addition, incoming MEUW Board Chair Rick Wicklund appointed two individuals to fill At-Large seats on the Board. Troy Adams, General Manager of Manitowoc Public Utilities, and Scott Adler, Utility Manager for Jefferson Utilities, both accepted a two-year appointment that expires at the Annual Meeting in 2024.
Tim Aaby, Utility Manager for Rice Lake Utilities, was appointed Alternate Director for District 1. He will serve the remainder of a term expiring in 2023 that was previously held by Dean Bergstrom (Cumberland), who was elected to the Executive Committee.
All of these actions were approved by the Board of Directors at the May 13 meeting. For a complete list of MEUW’s 2022-23 Board of Directors, click here.
Member Inquiry: Jessica Lewer, Communications & Executive Assistant at Marshfield Utilities, is asking MEUW member utilities to share any guidelines or resources they use when responding to online reviews. Utilities may be the subject of negative customer feedback on public forums and social media from time to time, and it’s good to know whether or how to respond. To share your input, please contact Jessica directly by email.
MEUW Weekly will be on different schedule this summer: We will not distribute an e-newsletter every week during the summer. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, MEUW Weekly will be sent only once per month (on the third Tuesdays of June, July, and August). Meanwhile, MEUW’s monthly newsletter, Live Lines, will continue to be published on the first Tuesday of every month through the summer.