by Joe Nipper, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs & Communications, APPA

Public Power Week is coming up, Oct 4–10. Please join 2,000 small and large municipal utilities across the country in telling your customers about the benefits of public power.

You'll find many tools and templates from the American Public Power Association at www.PublicPower.org/PublicPowerWeek. Simply use your APPA member login to download any or all of these resources, adapt as you see fit, and use them to tell your story. In addition to sample fact sheets, press releases, op-eds, and letters to public officials, we have a host of brand-new digital resources for you this year. Do check out the Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram images, info-graphics, comic strips; and videos that we developed specially for you.

At its fall meeting, the board of directors of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Demonstration of Energy and Efficiency Developments program, or DEED, awarded two grants for IAMU projects.  The first grant is to develop a handbook on innovative business models and services for small public power utilities.  For many small public power utilities, evaluating the diverse array of potential innovations can be overwhelming. This project will provide a handbook, designed for managers and governing bodies of small municipal utilities, that details practical ways a utility can modify its business model and offer additional services to customers.

The second grant is to develop a succession planning toolkit for public power utilities.  The toolkit will be for governing bodies addressing top level leadership succession and  for public power management, often with limited human resources experience or support, addressing succession planning for positions of critical skills. It will include (1) an educational guide on the importance of, issues surrounding, and steps to be taken to address leadership or critical skills succession planning, (2) a succession preparedness checklist to help governing bodies and management evaluate risks that may create a succession need, and to assess both utility's preparedness and capability to address those needs quickly, and (3) a quick start guide to addressing the most serious preparedness issues.

Both projects will provide important resources for municipal utilities in Iowa and across the country as they adapt to a period of great change in the electric utility industry.  IAMU will present the results of the projects through webinars and conference presentations.

APPA’s DEED program is a research and demonstration program funded by and for public power utilities.  In addition DEED provides funding for student internships and scholarships.  DEED members can apply for funding, receive updates about current research projects, and have access to a database of all the projects funded through DEED.  Municipal utilities that are members of APPA are encouraged to become DEED members as well.  More information about the program can be found online.

Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) are proud to invite you to a webinar regarding on-bill financing and, specifically, its applications for member-owned utilities in Iowa. This presentation will look at two on-bill financing programs. The first presentation is a successful weatherization loan program run by Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) in Eugene, Oregon. Iowa’s own Bloomfield Municipal Utility will provide an overview of their on-bill program and their energy independence goals.

Don’t get left out. Registration space for the IAMU Municipal Utility Law 101 workshop presented by Ahlers & Cooney, PC is filling up quickly. This one day workshop will be held October 14, 2015 at the IAMU office, and will provide an overview of a wide range of important municipal utility related legal topics. It is designed for municipal utility personnel including general managers, superintendents, finance officers and utility clerks. Opportunities will be provided to ask questions in advance of the workshop and throughout the presentations.
Representative topics will include:

• Open Meetings & Records
• Board & Council Duties & Authority
• Iowa’s Gift Law
• Utility Fees & Charges
• Utility Service Territories
• Billing & Collections
• Disconnection
• City Payments (franchise fees, PILOTs, surplus transfers)
• Iowa Utilities Board Jurisdiction
• Competitive Bid Requirements & Contracts
• Financing Utility Projects
• Public Purpose Requirements
• Ordinances & Resolutions

Register and pay online. Class size will be limited and filling up quickly so register now to reserve your seat.

Join us November 17-19 for the 21st Annual Water & Wastewater Operator’s Workshop.

We have planned an impressive line-up of topics and speakers starting with LimnoTech presenting about the algal bloom in Toledo, Ohio.

Wednesday’s sessions include: Leak Locating Technology, I & I Reduction in Dubuque, Retrofitting Treatment Plants, Trenchless Technology-Pipe Bursting and Hydrants 101.

The workshop will close Thursday with representatives from the City of Cedar Rapids talking about lessons learned from their flood recovery efforts.

You can view the full agenda and register online here.

See you there!

Webinar: Free Preparedness Resources for Water Utilitiess

Click here to Register!

Water and Wastewater Utilities: Learn how to use powerful resources that will support your utility through all types of emergencies during our November 10th Webinar.

For additional information about the webinar, please contact: Karen Edwards, EPA - (202) 564-3797 - [email protected].

Tipton Municipal Utilities will be hosting 5th and 6th grade students at the Electric Utility for tours on the 12th and 13th of October.  The general public is invited to join from 4 to 6 pm on Tuesday the 13th.

In addition, Tipton joins the growing list of municipal utilities that are supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing pink during the month of October.

Pictured Standing L to R: Floyd Taber, Brian Hudson, Tawnya Johnson and Jon Walsh
Standing in Bucket Truck L to R: Jim Stiff and Josh McAdoo

GMU joins the growing list of municipal utilities, including Harlan and McGregor, showing their support for Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing pink.

Greenfield Municipal Utilities employees show their support for Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing pink in honor of all the lives touched by breast cancer.

Standing: Maxwell Brashear, Lineman; Jared Masker, Lineman; Jason Bruce, Water Plant Foreman; Jonathan Pilgreen, Water Plant Operator
Sitting: Jessica Foster, Utility Billing Clerk; Rebecca Haase, Office Manager
Top Row: Scott Tonderum, General Manager; Craig Ford, Assistant General Manager; Steve McCann, Power Plant Foreman