Oct. 1 – 7 is Public Power Week — an excellent opportunity to remind municipal electric customers and our communities that they are part of something special. MEUW has prepared resources our member utilities can use — find them here, along with a link to other resources available from APPA.
As usual, we’d like to share photos and news about how your utility celebrated Public Power Week with your community. Please send pics and details to news@meuw.org so we can include them in a future edition of Live Lines. Enjoy the week!
Don’t miss out — register today for new management training class: Electric utilities are subject to dozens of regulations and operating rules to retain the “right to serve” electric customers. Don’t miss your chance to learn about them by attending the new Regulation, Compliance and Safety class, offered as part of MEUW’s “Fundamentals of Utility Management” training program. Offered in Mauston on Wednesday, Oct. 11, the course will explore the reasons behind the rules and provide insights to make compliance easier. An outline of the training topics, the instructors, and registration details are here.
Your input matters: Recently, MEUW launched its regular member survey to gather feedback about the services and future direction of the association. The survey link was sent directly to key contacts at each of our member utilities, and is available here. The survey is an important part of our planning efforts, and the input you provide is used to shift priorities and assess progress toward achievement of MEUW’s strategic goals. Please provide your feedback by Friday, Oct. 13.
Be a part of something special! The 95th anniversary celebration of MEUW’s founding and public power is just over two weeks away! On Wednesday, Oct. 18, our members will be raising awareness about the unique qualities that distinguish municipals from other utilities with two key events: A Day at the Capitol, where utility and municipal leaders will meet with lawmakers to ensure they keep public power voices in mind when considering policy; and the “Public Power on Parade,” which already has more than 75 vehicles from across the state joining a caravan from Waunakee Utilities (where a supplier showcase and safety demonstrations are planned) to the Capitol Square in downtown Madison. Have questions? Check out these helpful links. Confirmation emails have been sent to those who have registered to ensure we have solid information for planning purposes. Don’t miss your chance to join this unique event — contact Sharon Wolf at (608) 837-2263 today!
Coloring contest deadline is this Friday, Oct. 6: To build and encourage awareness of public power utilities throughout Wisconsin, and in conjunction with Public Power Week and MEUW’s upcoming 95th Anniversary Celebration, MEUW’s “Proudly Public Power” coloring contest is underway. It’s open to all children ages 4-12 in households served by MEUW member utilities wishing to participate. Please also review this helpful information if your utility is interested in offering this to your customers. We’ve already received a number of fantastic submissions!
Full details and the coloring page are available here. Entries must be postmarked or received no later than Friday, Oct. 6. We have made this information available on the front page of our website. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Wolf, MEUW Manager of Communications and Events.
New Glarus Utilities to host Substation Open House Oct. 10: The Village of New Glarus, their elected Board members, and New Glarus Utilities personnel are celebrating their new electrical substation with a ribbon cutting ceremony and guided tours of the substation, followed by refreshments at the Village Hall. MEUW members are welcome. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP to Director of Public Works/Utility Superintendent Joe Cockroft.
Like, follow, and share! Throughout the month of October we’ll be sharing updates about the “Proudly Public Power” campaign and 95th anniversary celebration. Join the online community and share our updates with your audiences and tag us in your posts. Here are some easy things you can do to join the celebration on social media.
- Follow our social media accounts.
- Facebook > MunicipalElectricUtilitiesofWisconsin
- X (Twitter) > @MunielecWis
- LinkedIn > municipal-electric-utilities-of-wisconsin
- Share our posts on your social media accounts.
- Ask us to customize social media graphics for your utility. (Use this link to request custom graphics).
- Share the custom graphics and/or share photos and announcements about your local Public Power Week activities with your social media audiences.
- Remember to tag us in your posts so we can re-share them!
- Don’t forget to use the #ProudlyPublicPower hashtag!
If you’re having trouble finding our social accounts or need more information about how to do these things, visit our Helpful Hints page.
Register today for Leading Through Coaching: As part of MEUW’s professional development programming, we’re offering a one-day leadership development course that focuses on the importance of effective coaching as an essential leadership skill for utility leaders. Held in Mauston on Wednesday, Dec. 6, “Leading Through Coaching” participants will take away practical ideas they can apply to setting a good example and becoming a leader who gets the most from others. Click here for more information and to register.
Free cybersecurity training events and funding competition announced: The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rural Municipal Utility Cybersecurity (RMUC) Program has announced two opportunities for electric utilities — a series of free cybersecurity training events, and a funding competition. Beginning this month, the DOE will host six cybersecurity training events specifically for electric utility staff. Registration for these training events is free. You can register for the date or location that is most convenient for you — each training event will cover the same material.
In addition, RMUC has announced an Advanced Cybersecurity Technology (ACT) 1 prize competition, awarding up to $200,000 in cash prizes and technical assistance to electric utilities to improve the cybersecurity posture in the winning utilities.
Details on both offerings are located here.
Special edition of Live Lines coming October 17 : As part of our 95th Anniversary celebration, we will be creating a special Anniversary Edition of Live Lines, MEUW’s monthly newsletter.