Electric Cities of Alabama

Transcription

1 Volume XXV, Issue 5 July/August 2016 ECA s 2016 Annual Meeting Highlights Electric Cities of Alabama (ECA) member cities, vendors and elected officials from across the state met in July for ECA s 16th Annual Meeting & Governmental Affairs Conference. This year s meeting returned to the Hilton Sandestin and offered a host of educational programs, networking opportunities, fellowship and entertainment for attendees and their families. The conference began with ECA s Annual Welcome Reception and Dinner where attendees had the chance to network with fellow IN THIS ISSUE ECA s 2016 Annual Meeting Highlights Governor Bentley Announces Special Session to Discuss Statewide Lottery...3 ECA 2016 Membership Directories are in!...3 ECA Trivia...3 Alabama Republicans Pick Mac McCutcheon as House Speaker...4 Calendar of Events...5 ECA s Chairman s Award presented to Tom DeBell, General Manager, Riviera Utilities, by ECA Executive Director Jonathan Hand. ECA s 2016 Public Service Award presented to Brian Chandler, General Manager, Troy Utilities, by ECA Executive Director Jonathan Hand. colleagues and dine on coastal cuisine. ECA s Chairman s Breakfast was held the following morning where ECA honored this year s award recipients. The Chairman s Award went to ECA s Chairman, Tom DeBell, General Manager of Riviera Utilities. The ECA s 2016 Heritage Award presented to David Horton, former Opelika Power Services General Manager, by ECA Executive Director Jonathan Hand. ECA s 2016 W. Wendell Cauley Award presented to Ronnie Boles of Huntsville by ECA Executive Director Jonathan Hand Public Service Award was presented to Brian Chandler, General Manager of Troy Utilities, for making a significant impact on ECA and the City of Troy through his dedication and public service. Other awards included the 2016 Heritage Award presented to David Horton, recently retired General Continued on next page...

2 ECA s 2016 Annual Meeting Highlights (continued) ECA honored Alabama Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan after his presentation. ECA s 2016 Fish Outing in Destin, FL ECA s 2016 Golf Tournament at the Links Golf Club of Sandestin Manager of Opelika Power Services. The Heritage Award is presented to outstanding individuals who contribute to the growth and success of ECA. The the W. Wendell Cauley Award was the final award of the morning presented to Ronnie Boles, member of the Huntsville Utilities Electric Board, for being an outstanding leader and advocate for legislative and legal issues impacting public power. This was the third year for the W. Wendell Cauley Award which was named after ECA s longtime friend and Legal Counsel, Wendell Cauley, who passed away in August Wendell worked countless hours protecting the rights of Public Power in Alabama as ECA s Legal Counsel. This award is presented annually in Wendell s honor. ECA was honored to have Lt. Colonel Kevin Sweeney as the Chairman s Breakfast keynote speaker. Kevin shared his exhilarating story of how he successfully landed a KC-135, the military version of the Boeing 707, after two of the four engines were ripped completely off the airplane while on a night combat mission in Desert Storm. Other speakers included Alabama Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan and TVA Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Sherry Quirk. The 2016 annual meeting concluded on Tuesday morning with presentations from American Public Power Association s Director of Government Relations, Cory Toth, Alabama League of Municipalities Executive Director, Ken Smith and ECA s Legal Counsel with Bradley Arant Boult and Cummings, Stan Gregory. This year s meeting would not have been possible without the generous support from our sponsors. A special thank you to the Alabama League of Municipalities, AMEA, Altec Industries, Bradley Arant Boult & Cummings, Cape Electric Supply, Central Service Association, Chain Electric Company, Emerald Transformer, Inc., Four Star Freightliner, HUBBELL BURNDY HPS, Sensus and TVA. Uniting Alabama s Electric Cities 2016 Directory ECA 2016 Membership Directories are in! ECA is proud to present this year's Membership Directory! We will begin distributing the 2016 Membership Directory with everyone receiving their directory by mid-august. If you would like additional copies of the directory, they can be purchased for $50.00 by contacting the ECA office at (334) or by ing Andrea Salvador at asalvador@electriccities.org. July/August 2016 Electric Cities Connected Page 2

3 Governor Bentley Announces Special Session to Discuss Statewide Lottery Special Session will begin August 15 to discuss a statewide lottery. Photo Source, Mike Cason, al.com Source: al.com Story by: Mike Cason Gov. Robert Bentley has announced a date for the special session of the Legislature to consider a lottery proposal. It will begin on Aug. 15. The governor announced earlier he would call the session to propose a lottery, which he says would generate $225 million a year to help pay for state services. In order for the lottery proposal to be on the ballot in the Nov. 8 general election, the Legislature would have to approve a proposed constitutional amendment no later than Aug. 24. Bentley said the state needs to resolve financial problems that he said have held it back for decades. After we ve exhausted all other options, I believe this is our best chance to solve this problem, the governor said. But this is not just about a lottery. It s about our people. The most pressing immediate need is funding for the Alabama Medicaid Agency, the governor has said. I will not, as your governor, and also as a physician, watch as our most vulnerable and most helpless, go without a doctor s care. I can t bear to think of a half a million children who through no fault of their own are born into poverty and have no way to get basic medical treatment that they need to grow and to be healthy and strong. The Legislature passed a budget over the governor s veto earlier this year and appropriated $700 million to the Medicaid Agency from the General Fund for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. Medicaid needs an additional $85 million to maintain services and continue a planned transition to a managed care system, according to the agency and the governor. ECA Trivia: Win a $25 Gift Card When was the first successful American electric vehicle built? Last month s winner was Jerry Posey with Tuskegee. Jerry answered that the measurement of how much electricity can continuously pass through a conductor without it overheating is ampacity. Be the first to the correct answer to Andrea Salvador at asalvador@electriccities.org and you will win a $25.00 Gift Card! July/August 2016 Electric Cities Connected Page 3

4 Alabama Republicans Pick Mac McCutcheon as New House Speaker Source: al.com Story by: Mike Cason The Republican Caucus in the Alabama House of Representatives decided to support Rep. Mac McCutcheon of Monrovia as the new House speaker. The decision all but assures that McCutcheon will be officially named speaker when the House convenes on Aug. 15 to begin a special session on Gov. Robert Bentley s lottery proposal. Republicans hold 70 seats in the House to 33 for Democrats. McCutcheon would replace Mike Hubbard. A Lee County jury convicted Hubbard of 12 felony ethics violations on June 10, removing him from office. McCutcheon has served in the House since 2006, representing District 25, which includes parts of Madison and Limestone counties. He is retired from the city of Huntsville, where he worked as a police officer, detective, probation officer and zoning coordinator. McCutcheon has been in a leadership position. He chaired the House Rules Committee, which puts together the daily agenda of bills the House will consider. I m humbled by the faith and confidence that my fellow Republicans have placed in me, and, if elected as Speaker, I pledge to preside in a manner that treats all members of both parties in a fair and honorable manner, McCutcheon said in a news release. Our state faces many challenges ranging from education to ethics to ensuring adequate funding for even the most basic government services, and finding needed solutions will require all of us to work together. Other representatives who had said they were seeking the speaker s position were Steve Clouse of Ozark, Lynn Greer of Rogersville, Mike Jones of Andalusia, Barry Moore of Enterprise and Phil Williams of Huntsville. Patricia Todd, a Democrat from Birmingham, has also said she would like to be considered for speaker. A Democratic speaker is unlikely because Democrats hold only 33 House seats. The caucus made its decision at a closed-door meeting at the Alabama Cattleman s Association building in Montgomery. Room Block Now Open for ECA s E&O Conference ECA s 2016 Engineering and Operations Conference is just a few months away and you do not want to miss the fun! This year s conference returns to the beautiful Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort, October 17-19, in. ECA s E&O Conference agenda includes a number of educational speakers and networking opportunities among Alabama s leading utility professionals and a trade show featuring the latest practices, innovations and technology in the electric utility industry. ECA s annual golf and sporting clay outing will be the morning of Monday, October 17. The golf outing will be held at the Ross Bridge Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail with tee times beginning at 11:00 a.m. The sporting clays outing will be held off-site (about an hour away) at Selwood Farm beginning at 9:00 a.m. If you are interested in participating or sponsoring any of these events, please contact ECA for additional information. Reserve your room today and receive ECA s room block rate of $ now until September 16. Log-on to the Electric Cities website for more details. Registration materials will be available in mid-august. Don t miss this excellent opportunity to connect with Alabama s public power community. July/August 2016 Electric Cities Connected Page 4

5 THE INFORMATION SOURCE OF THE ELECTRIC CITIES OF ALABAMA P.O. Box 1550 Montgomery, AL South Perry St., Suite 200 Montgomery, AL Phone: Fax: Calendar of Events October 17-19, 2016 Engineering & Operations Conference Ross Bridge THE ELECTRIC CITIES OF ALABAMA IS A COALITION OF THE STATE S MUNICIPALLY OWNED AND OPERATED ELECTRIC SYSTEMS. ALABAMA S ELECTRIC CITIES SERVE APPROXIMATELY ONE MILLION CONSUMERS IN 36 CITIES THROUGHOUT ALABAMA. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: JONATHAN HAND - JHAND@ELECTRICCITIES.ORG DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING: ANDREA SALVADOR - ASALVADOR@ELECTRICCITIES.ORG October 17, 2016 Board of Directors Meeting Ross Bridge February 21, 2017 Legislative Meet & Greet Reception and Board of Directors Meeting RSA Plaza Terrace Montgomery, AL July 9-11, 2017 Annual Meeting & Governmental Affairs Conference Perdido Beach Resort Orange Beach, AL Save the Date! ECA s Engineering & Operations Conference returns to Renaissance Ross Bridge October 17-19, 2016 July/August 2016 Electric Cities Connected Page 5