IAMU energy services engineer Joel Logan has been promoted to Director of Energy Services for the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities.  Joel replaces Anne Kimber, who recently left the position to become Executive Director of the Electric Power Research Center (EPRC) at Iowa State University.

Logan joined the IAMU staff in May 2008.  He has a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis in energy systems.  "Joel is uniquely qualified to lead IAMU’s energy services efforts," says IAMU Executive Director Troy DeJoode.  "Joel has been a key part of IAMU’s energy services team, and a valued resource on a number of technical issues affecting our members."

"I am excited to continue working with Iowa's municipal utilities in this new role," says Logan.  "During this time of significant industry change, IAMU will continue to help members provide customer-focused electricity and gas service."

Please join us all in congratulating Joel on this well-deserved promotion!

The Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) will complete their Fall Customer Service meetings this week.  The purpose of the meetings is to discuss various customer service issues that may arise during the provision of electric, gas and telecommunications services and IUB regulations to address those issues.  At the meeting, the IUB provided a "Utility Service Questions" brochure which is available on the IUB's website, click here to access the brochure.

The degree to which municipal electric, gas and telecommunications utilities are subject to IUB regulation has been and continues to be the subject of much discussion and some dispute.  

Municipal gas and electric utilities are reminded that they must publish a notice of the availability of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) prior to November 1st.  The new LIHEAP income eligibility levels and updated bill inserts are posted on the Iowa Department of Human Rights website. Municipal gas and electric utilities are also reminded that they must notify customers of the availability of a customer contribution fund, commonly called Project Share at least twice a year.  Template Project Share notifications can be found on IAMU’s website.

For more information on these and other annual filing requirements, please see IAMU’s electric utility  calendar of filing deadlines or the gas utility calendar of filing deadlines.

These calendars are maintained by IAMU and contain the dates of important regulatory filings for municipal electric and gas utilities.  These calendars contain a brief description of each filing listed as well as links to relevant forms and instructions for completing the filing.  IAMU updates these calendars on a regular basis, and we encourage you check them for important filing deadlines and resources   

If you have question regarding electric or gas utility filings please contact Joel Logan, jlogan@iamu.org.

http://www.dcaa.iowa.gov/bureau_EA/whos_eligible.html

http://www.iamu.org/documents/filelibrary/energy_services/regulatory_calendars/Project_Share_Bill_Stuffer_16F423D7C5DE5.doc

http://www.iamu.org/en/services/electric/electric_regulatory_calendar/

http://www.iamu.org/en/services/gas/gas_regulatory_calendar/

Jester Insurance has announced their fall seminars for the IAMU Safety Group Insurance Program. These seminars (previously held in January) have always proved very useful for city and utility personnel, as well as agents.

IAMU’s Job Training and Safety (JT&S) department has established with local utilities and cities safety clusters and individual contracts to deliver face-to-face safety education and training to more than 420 different cities/utilities/counties in more than 60 different topics.  The department also helps utilities/cities with their programs and processes, as well as acting as safety coordinators.  All of you that are part of these groups should be applauded for your commitment to offer your employees this vitally important and required education.  But are you doing all that the laws require?

Spencer Municipal Utilities is moving forward with a two-and-a-half year, $14 million project that will add new wells and increase capacity at its water treatment facility.  Planning for the plant upgrade has been underway for the past 18 months, with Phase 1 of the project scheduled to be completed in May 2015.

For more information, read the story published on the Spencer Daily Reporter website.

On September 11, 2014, the Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities (IAMU) presented to the Board of Directors of Algona Municipal Utilities (AMU) the results of a study IAMU conducted as part of an Energy Independent Community Grant funded in part by from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). The study reviewed the technical and financial feasibility of of reducing AMU’s usage of conventional electric generation resources through deep energy efficiency and development of local renewable energy generation sources. 

An important-and costly-topic was discussed at the IAMU Fall Broadband meeting on September 23rd...the upcoming round of negotiations between cable companies and TV stations over the right to carry their signals/

IAMU staff and members of the Water Safety and Training Committee take pride in selecting interesting and pertinent topics and speakers for this workshop. We are very excited to have Daniel Nix, Operations Manager from Wichita Falls, Texas on the agenda for Tuesday, November 18th.  Wichita Falls has been in an extreme prolonged drought for 3 years to which they have a unique solution: Direct Potable Reuse.

Below are links to both the Wichita Falls website with information about the process they went through, an NPR article covering the project, and a link to register for the workshop to hear Mr. Nix in person.

See you there!

http://www.wichitafallstx.gov/index.aspx?NID=1595    

http://www.npr.org/2014/05/06/309101579/drought-stricken-texas-town-turns-to-toilets-for-water   

http://www.iamu.org/index.cfm/52940/52595/2014_waterwastewater_operators_workshop  

A new, first-of-its-kind study released today by the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council Americas finds that communities with widely available gigabit access have per capita GDP that is 1.1 percent higher than communities with little to no availability of gigabit services. The study examined 55 communities in 9 states, finding a positive impact on economic activity in the 14 communities where gigabit services are widely available.