Tornado response helps to showcase power of municipal utilities working together: The National Weather Service has confirmed multiple tornadoes formed in Dodge County on Thursday, May 15, including one that led to a full system outage for Juneau Utilities around 4:30 p.m. Transmission lines feeding Juneau’s three substations were impacted, leaving more than 1,200 households without power. The tornado caused nine broken poles, six distribution poles that could be salvaged and straightened, and impacted 22 transmission poles, some of which had distribution under-build on them. A retirement facility, various small businesses, residential homes, apartments, and farms were significantly damaged or destroyed. The MEUW team coordinated two waves of mutual aid crews from Columbus, Hartford, Hustisford, Jefferson, Kaukauna, Manitowoc, Waterloo, Waunakee, and Waupun. Thirty-nine municipal utility workers from those nine MEUW communities worked alongside the Juneau crews, restoring power to 90% of customers by midnight, to everyone within 24 hours. Thanks to those who were called on for helping out.
The state of MEUW is “strong, unified, focused”: MEUW President and CEO Tim Heinrich kicked off the association’s 95th Annual Conference last week with a presentation highlighting the “State of MEUW.” The talk included a high-level report on findings from the Member Engagement Survey conducted in March and April, results that indicate continuing satisfaction with MEUW’s services. More than 70% of member utilities completed the survey, representing a strong response rate for a survey of this type. The survey results reflected higher satisfaction among members who are familiar with and have read the association’s Strategic Plan, which was refreshed through work by MEUW’s Board of Directors in 2024. The slides from the presentation that took place Thursday, May 15, in La Crosse are available here.
MEUW Executive Committee re-elected: At the May 16 MEUW Annual Business Meeting in La Crosse, the Board of Directors approved a Nominating Committee recommendation to re-elect Executive Committee members to serve another year. Nick Kumm, General Manager of Marshfield Utilities, continues as Chair of MEUW’s Board of Directors for 2025-26. Tim Aaby, Utility Manager of Rice Lake Utilities, remains Chair-Elect; Weston Arndt, Electric Superintendent of New Richmond Utilities, is Vice Chair; and Tim Herlitzka of Waunakee remains Secretary-Treasurer. Steve Brooks, General Manager of Waupun Utilities, was elected to serve as At-Large Representative of the Executive Committee.
George Morrissey (Cuba City) was recognized at the meeting, as he is now leaving service on MEUW’s Board and Executive Committee.
MEUW members in odd-numbered districts recently voted to fill seats for two-year terms on the MEUW Board of Directors. Incumbent Directors and Alternate Directors in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 were re-elected. Bruce Gomm (Shawano) and Troy Wardell (Muscoda) were confirmed as At-Large Directors to serve until the Annual Meeting in 2027. Dan Koch (Argyle) also joined the Board as Alternate Director in District 8. For a complete list of MEUW’s 2025-26 Board of Directors, click here.
MEUW’s Annual Business Meeting was held in La Crosse on Friday, May 16, in accordance with the association’s Bylaws. The draft minutes of the meeting are available here (member login is required).
APPA submits recommendations to changes at FEMA: The Trump Administration is reviewing operations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as it contemplates budget cuts and a reorganization of the agency that supports disaster response, recovery, and preparedness programs. In response to FEMA’s Request for Information, the American Public Power Association (APPA) last week submitted detailed comments to the FEMA Review Council, which was established by Executive Order 14180 and seeks public input to assess and improve FEMA’s operations. APPA’s recommendations aim to enhance FEMA’s support for public power utilities. Among the ideas provided, APPA recommended FEMA develop consistent procedures for utility project assistance, including standardized requirements that would expedite assistance by creating a new “category of work” specifically for utility emergency-restoration efforts. APPA also supports FEMA’s initiative to shift more disaster response responsibilities to state and local governments, emphasizing the need for a well-managed transition to ensure efficient and timely support for utilities. For more information, read the full comments here.
Increase your professional communication skills: Make sure you’re engaging with customers, co-workers, and others as effectively as you can ― whether by email, text, or phone call. The nuances of effective ― and legal ― business communications requires skill and attention. In this 90-minute virtual training, participants will learn the art of clear and professional communication in its many forms. This course covers phone skills such as active listening and gathering key information to ensure effective outcomes, and will explore proper etiquette, policies, and legal considerations for written communication. Learn to craft concise, impactful emails and texts that enhance customer service and reflect professionalism. The training will take place on Thursday, May 22, at 10:00 a.m., with the option to enroll as an individual learner or have one person from your municipality register for group viewing. Registration is located here.
Register today for Utility Planning and Risk Management: Learn how well-thought-out plans and careful risk assessment contribute to long-term success. As part of MEUW’s professional development programming, and led by Dave Krause, P.E., Engineering Operations Manager for EPS Engineering & Design, Inc., this one-day class is for individuals tasked with oversight for municipal utility operations, including Utility Commissioners and Council members. The class will be held Wednesday, June 4, in Mauston ― details and registration are available here.
Contribute your experience to a key MEUW committee: We are currently looking to fill a couple of vacancies on MEUW’s Accounting & Customer Service Committee. The primary role is to support MEUW staff in planning the annual Accounting and Customer Service Seminar (held in September) and other networking and training events and programs. While the opportunity to share expertise and insights is plentiful, the time commitment is minimal and involves only a handful of Teams calls each year. A listing of the current committee members is available here. Those individuals who may be interested are asked to submit a brief email that explains their background and the reason(s) they would like to be considered for a seat on the committee. Please direct questions to Sharon Wolf at (608) 837-2263. The deadline is noon on Monday, June 16.
MEUW Weekly schedule changes during 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. Watch for the next issue of MEUW Weekly on June 17.