MEUW Weekly :: September 29, 2026

Member Roundtables are underway – register for one today: Registration is underway for this year’s Member Roundtables, giving municipal electric utility leaders and staff an opportunity to connect with their peers, exchange ideas and learn what’s working in other communities. These informal gatherings are a chance to talk openly about leading practices, operating challenges and emerging issues affecting municipal electric utilities. Bring your questions, share your experiences and take away ideas you can put to work at your own utility.

Remaining 2026 Roundtable dates & locations:

Each session begins at 9:00 a.m. and wraps up after lunch. There is no cost, but pre-registration is required. Sign up today!

Next week is Public Power Week 2026: We encourage all member utilities to use the annual Public Power Week — to be celebrated Oct. 4–10 this year — as a chance to remind your customers that they are part of something special. MEUW has prepared a sample news release you can make available to your local newspaper and radio stations. You can find it here, along with a link to other resources available from APPA. 

And, as always, we’d like to share photos and news about how you celebrated Public Power Week with your community. Please send pics and details to news@meuw.org so we can include it in a future edition of Live Lines.

October 6 webinar on Navigating FEMA Disaster Recovery offered by APPA: As federal disaster recovery programs continue to evolve, public power utilities face increasing pressure to deliver projects quickly while maintaining compliance with changing requirements. This session led by Ernst & Young and presented by the American Public Power Association (APPA) will provide practical lessons and strategies drawn from real-world disaster recovery efforts, focusing on how utilities can reduce risk, accelerate recovery, and position projects for successful reimbursement. The webinar will run from 12 to 1 p.m. (CST). Registration and additional information are available here.

Know the risks, build a better plan: Effective utility leaders understand the basics of strategic operational planning, why planning matters, and how well-thought-out plans and careful assessments of risks can contribute to long-term success. As part of MEUW’s professional development programming, we’re offering this one-day course to focus on utility planning and risk management. Taught by seasoned engineer, Dave Krause, P.E., this class will send you back to your utility with a wealth of information. Held in Mauston on Oct. 7, registration and instructor details can be found here.

Become a better leader through coaching: Invest in your own professional development through this Dec. 2 Leading Through Coaching course. As part of MEUW’s professional development programming, we’re offering a one-day leadership development course that focuses on knowing how and when to coach — highlighting the skills and emotional intelligence needed to coach others effectively. Good coaches are seen as role models and therefore need to understand those things that cause them to have frustration, negative self-talk, and, in turn, keep them from channeling their emotions productively. Knowing yourself will help you to be more effective as a leader and a coach resulting in the ability to effectively develop others. Registration and details about what you’ll learn are available here.