1.5 ERMUSR 04-11-2017 Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
ERMU Commission Michelle Canterbury—Executive Administrative Assistant
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
April 11, 2017 1.5
SUBJECT:
Recognition of ERMU's Tom Bovitz Memorial Scholarship Award Winner
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
BACKGROUND:
On January 8, 2013,the Utilities Commission approved ERMU participating in the Minnesota
Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) Tom Bovitz Memorial Scholarship. This award
program is offered by MMUA to promote public power and increase goodwill within public
power communities. High school seniors that are a customer, or have a legal guardian that is a
customer of ERMU are eligible to apply. At that time, the ERMU Utilities Commission also
approved annually awarding a local winner a $500 scholarship.
DISCUSSION:
Staff advertised for the scholarship through local high schools,the Star Newspaper and ERMU's
website. Students were required to submit a 500-750 word essay on the topic "Municipal
Utilities: Good for All of Us."
Staff has reviewed the submissions and has chosen the following essay to receive ERMU's $500
award. This student did their homework and researched ERMU as well as all of the advantages a
municipally owned utility provides to its community. This is a testament to the benefit of
educating our customers and community about the advantages of public power. The winning
essay will now be forwarded on to MMUA judges for a chance to win an additional $500, $1000,
$1500, or$2000 through their scholarship program.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$500 budgeted item.
ATTACHMENTS:
• "Municipal Utilities: Good for All of Us" Scholarship Essay Submission
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"Municipal Utilities, Good for All of Us"
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Municipal Utilities,Good for All of Us
The question arises often, "Are municipal utilities good for the consuming public?" That question can be
answered with a simple, "yes!"
There are numerous reasons that municipal utilities are good for all of us. Utilities,whether that being
electricity, natural gas,or sanitary sewer and water services are a necessity to function as a community.
We all need electricity in order to produce goods and services that enable our community to prosper as
an Energy City in Minnesota. Our utilities enable us to exist in an environment where we having running
water,functioning bathroom facilities and the energy necessary to provide food and shelter for our
families.
In the City of Elk River, utility services are provided either through the City of Elk River Utility
department or larger utility companies like Connexus Energy or CenterPoint Energy. All provide
outstanding services, but a locally owned and operated utility service is different in that they serve in
the community in which it exists. With that, Elk River Utilities has a personal connection with the people
they serve. Most of the employees have either grown up here or fell in love with the community and
decided to raise their families here. Having a personal connection to the community you serve tends to
bring out the best decisions and results in a more trusting environment.
An advantage of a municipally owned utility is that the City and the City Council can govern the decisions
of said utility with input from the public it serves. Decision making can be done quickly and efficiently,
most times providing a more economic resource. Larger utility companies don't always have the small
community in mind when making decisions as they have a much larger area to serve. The decision
making is done to try to do the best for the most population. Often times,those decisions are not good
for the smaller communities being served.
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A municipal utility has a local presence. With a local presence, response time to deal with complaints or
issues is minimized. Having a local presence means that the community has the opportunity to discuss
things with people that they likely know or have a personal connection. That is a nice alternative to
having to go to a state agency or higher to talk about something that may or may not be a big enough
issue to discuss.
The biggest advantage of having a locally owned municipal utility is the contribution it makes to the
community. My municipal utility is always involved with community outreach,whether that being a
resource for educational functions, donating labor and materials for projects or just simply being there
in a time of need.
I am proud of the community that I have grown up in and grateful that my community has a municipal
utility providing services necessary for me to excel now and into the future.
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