2.4 ERMUSR 05-14-2024Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Tony Mauren — Governance & Communications Manager
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
May 14, 2024
2.4
SUBJECT:
ERMU Scholarship Award Winner
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
BACKGROUND:
Since commission approval in 2013, ERMU has participated in the Minnesota Municipal Utilities
Association (MMUA) Tom Bovitz Memorial Scholarship. This program was created to increase
goodwill within public power communities by inviting high school seniors that live in the service
territory to write an essay about their utilities and the benefits of public ownership. Utilities
participating in the scholarship select a local winner and submit it to MMUA's statewide
completion for an additional award opportunity.
Notably in 2024, MMUA has taken a one-year hiatus from its statewide scholarship program for
restructuring, and it was decided to increase ERMU's local award amount from $500 to $1,000
to ensure that it is a benefit to students and to encourage participation.
DISCUSSION:
Staff advertised and promoted the scholarship through local high schools, social media, and
ERMU's website. The attached, winning essay is yet another success for the program, creating
an opportunity to educate our community about the advantages of public utilities.
We will be inviting winner Hayden Robinson to attend the June commission meeting.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
$1,000 budgeted item.
ATTACHMENTS:
• ERMU Scholarship Award Winning Essay — Hayden Robinson
Page 1 of 1
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Maintaining utilities like water, gas, and electricity has always been key in a functional city.
When cities maintain these services, they better support the needs of their citizens and support things such
as the economy, sustainability, and efficiency. As a child and even now I've never had an issue with
necessities such as water and electricity, or the inessentials like parks, most noticeably Orono which gave
me a lake to swim in and a jungle gym to do whatever I wanted which helped my creation of memories
that I will cherish forever. Control of utilities has made my life much easier and is a contribution to my
success.
One major benefit of the control of utilities is the promotion of sustainability. For example, my
local government can implement rules and regulations surrounding the management of resources.
Evidence of this in our own town can be seen at YAC, with the wind turbine by the Football field. As
well, energy conservation recycling bins are another way in which sustainability. This is seen whenever I
leave the house, because whenever I toss out my garbage, it makes me consider if it is recyclable.
Another benefit of recycling is its enhancement of efficiency. When utilities are managed locally,
decision -making happens much quicker than it would at a larger scale. This causes changes to occur much
quicker. I noticed this with the reconstruction of Orono, mainly with the new bathroom facilities and the
leaking of the lake. I also observed this when electricity went out at my house, because it only took a little
while for the breaker to be fixed.
Economic development is also stimulated by local municipal utilities. The local control of utilities
does this by creating jobs. For example, I have friends who work for municipal utilities and they've only
had good things to say from their experience. Also, when the utilities are managed locally, they're most
likely kept supplied and contracted by local businesses. This helps money flow in our local economy
rather than be outsourced to bigger firms and suppliers. The income provided by these utilities can also be
used to enhance more jobs, such as the renovating of our schools like Lincoln Elementary.
Finally, a benefit of maintaining municipal utilities in a city is the ability to create community
engagement. If utilities are controlled locally, the citizens of that town will feel more obligated to take
care of it and in return will build a sense of unity. A personal anecdote, I have, is when I played baseball
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and volunteered at YAC during a tournament. I started the morning, dreading the thought of putting in any
work, as it was the weekend. However, as I worked on lining the batter's box and the baselines, I started to
have fun because I was working with teammates and friends. This caused me to feel more connected to
my teammates and also resulted in me feeling pride in my work.
In Conclusion, municipal utilities have assisted not only me but my community as a whole.
Incentives resulting from them include engagement, unity, economic development, efficiency, and
sustainability. Whether it be in my own personal stories or those of others, one thing remains clear.
Necessities such as municipal utilities are required for any functional city.
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