5.5. ERMUSR 09-09-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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over 125,000 meters, has not converted to this same type of technology and still employee meter readers to physically access private property on a monthly basis to read meters. Most utilities still physically access private property to read the meters on a monthly basis. This transition to remote meter reading has greatly reduced the frequency at which ERMU personnel requires access to private property to perform work on ERMU owned equipment. However, this does not change the National Electric Safety Code(NESC)requirements for physical inspection and routine maintenance of electrical equipment. Even with the remote meter reading, ERMU will always be required by code to have access to the equipment that ERMU owns and is liable for it even if it is located on private property. Customers that have lived on the ERMU system for fewer than 5 years may have never experienced the monthly meter reading,which is industry standard, and potentially could be concerned if they see ERMU personnel on their property. Even some that have lived on our system for 10 years may have been in an area that was part of an early implementation of the remote meter reading system. Because of this potential for little exposure of ERMU having to access private property, ERMU has long used door hanging notices and more recently utilized an automated phone dialer to proactively communicate to customers when access to private property is required. Forepersons often go door to door prior to work being conducted to proactively inform customers. ERMU practice has been to provide notification of access to private property in advance when applicable. There are times when advanced notice is not given. For example, during electric outages or emergencies, it is the priority of ERMU to safely restore utility services as quickly as possible which often does not allow for time for door hanger notices or phone calls to be effective. There are also times when notice is not given prior to access because of safety concerns for ERMU employees. For example, during service disconnections due to non-payment, metering failures, or suspected meter tampering, ERMU personnel performs the work prior to notice. In these situations history indicates the potential for hostile or irate customers. It has been ERMU practice to not put field employees in dangerous situations regarding issues that the field employees are not able to directly resolve. These issues typically need to be resolved by office personnel or management. Occasionally these issues escalate over time, in particular when related to disconnection for non-payment. For these known hazardous situations, the Elk River Police Department will send a squad out with the ERMU personnel. In order to meet our mission of providing safe and reliable utility services,there are times when access to private property is required even though the trend is that the frequency will be substantially reduced. The intent of past Council's and past Commission's adoption of those ordinances and rules was to ensure ERMU achieve their mission to provide safe and reliable utility services while also protecting the safety of ERMU's employees. However, with the evolution of the utility industry technologies and the changing demographics and expectation of our customers, periodic evaluation of our policies and procedures is critical for our long term sustainability. It is good governance for policy makers to periodically evaluate existing rules and regulations to ensure the organization and people they represent are protected and that policies move the organization in the direction established by thoughtful strategic planning. One discussion point the Commission may consider is access to ERMU equipment POWERED BY r$ Page 2 of 3NATV RE Reliable Public Power Provider P O W E R E D T o S E R V E 52