4.2. ERMUSR 08-11-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Foreword — A Century of Service By John Dietz—Elk River Mayor, Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Chair It's hard to believe that Elk River Municipal Utilities is 100 years old. From very humble beginnings to the sophisticated system we have today, we have indeed come a long way. The goal was always the same—to provide reliable power at a reasonable price. ERMU also provides city water to many customers. The dual role makes the company a valuable part of Elk River's way of life. If you take the time to read this story, I think you will enjoy it. It's more a history of how Elk River has made it through some difficult times to become a very vibrant city. I think it's extremely interesting to see how those who came before us got Elk River on the right path. I have been a member of the Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission for more than twenty years. I can't say that it has always been a bed of roses. There were many very tough decisions to be made and I think the Board has always done what had to be done to keep the company running smoothly. We are now in the most exciting time in the company's history. We are about to complete a very large territory expansion agreement that will mean nearly every Elk River resident and business will get their power from ERMU. We recently joined MMPA(Minnesota Municipal Power Agency)and will begin purchasing our power from them in 2018. The most important part of ERMU is the local control that it provides to its customers. Public power is very important to many cities in this country. Profit is not the main factor for public power entities; providing safe,reliable power is. Elk River Municipal Utilities is and will continue to be a very vital cog in the future growth of Elk River. Working as partners,the sky is the limit for the City and for ERMU. 69