6.01d EMRUSR 11-12-2024Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Tony Mauren — Governance & Communications Manager
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
November 12, 2024
6.01d
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
• In November there are two bill inserts being sent. The first going to all accounts is the
attached Customer Privacy Notice which is required to be sent out annually and explains
how we protect customers' personal information. Residential electric customers will
also receive the attached Energy -Efficient Lighting Rebate flyer.
• In addition to bill insert topics, social media posts this month feature a variety of topics
including the commission meeting notice, the availability of the Lead Service Line
Inventory Tracking Tool for ERMU's water distribution system, ERMU's involvement in
the American Public Power Association's (APPA) Customer Connections Conference, the
Veterans Day closure, and more.
• The APPA Customer Connections Conference was held in Louisville, KY October 28-30
and there were two notable events related to ERMU at this year's conference. First,
Jenny Foss presented as part of a three -person panel with Mary Malone from Questline
Digital and Lisa Stowe from Westfield Gas + Electric/Whip City Fiber about the
significant impact small teams can make through communications and community
engagement. Second, ERMU's communications team was recognized with the APPA
Excellence in Communications Award of Merit for its Public Power Week video.
Accepting the award on behalf of the utility were Jenny Foss and Sara Youngs. Key
highlights from the conference included:
o Insights on Al and where the technology is headed (especially in the field of
communications).
o Networking opportunities with other utilities to share best practices.
o A powerful closing keynote from Liz Murray, author of Homeless to Harvard.
Utility Dive has published its article Seasonal Strategies: How Utilities Are Engaging
Customers Year -Round which features an interview with our own Communications
Coordinator Jenny Foss.
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• KJ Branding completed wall art installation at the field services building on October 16.
Thank you to the ERMU Wall Art Committee (Jenny F., Curt A., Angela, Tom, and Sara)
for their time and great input. A big thank you also to KJ Branding who showed great
care in the design work and conducted a very efficient installation process over about a
day and a half. We look forward to the next phase for the downstairs area in 2025.
October 25 brought another successful Downtown Elk River Trick -or -Treat! Pre -event
estimates were for 5-7,000 people to attend and that certainly seems plausible given
the strong promotion and fantastic weather. Staff really looks forward to connecting
with residents, supporting city events, and showing why it is great to be a public power
community!
ATTACHMENTS:
• Bill Insert —Customer Privacy Notice
• Bill Insert — Energy -Efficient Lighting Rebate Flyer
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