The City of Monroe has earned the highest Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)® designation from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for the first time in the City’s history.
The RP3 Diamond designation is awarded to utilities that provide reliable and safe electric service. Utilities must demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. The City of Monroe joins 271 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation, which lasts three years.
“It’s a very significant achievement for us. It shows over the past three years, though there have been some challenging times, we’re maintaining our reliability and making sure our employees are working safely and growing in all aspects of the job,” said Eric Howell, City of Monroe’s Electric System Manager.
The application process started back in May 2022 and submissions were due in September 2022. The application was a very extensive process which required lots of documentation to show the APPA how the City was achieving the highest standards of operation.
“Receiving an RP3 designation is a great honor signifying a utility has demonstrated commitment to industry best practices,” says Troy Adams, Chair of APPA’s RP3 Review Panel and General Manager at Manitowoc Public Utilities, Wisconsin. "And ultimately, the culture developed from this pursuit of excellence and continued improvement through the RP3 program results in measurable value delivered to the local community.”
“We couldn’t be prouder to be honored with this designation,” said Rob Miller, City of Monroe’s Energy Services Director. “This shows our commitment to providing reliable service to our customers and our commitment to our employees for their safety and development. Diamond designation would not have been possible without the high level of excellence exhibited by our current workforce and those who came before us.”
Howell was presented with the award during the APPA’s Engineering & Operations Conference held in Pasadena, California from April 30 – May 3.
National Award for Outstanding Safety Practices
The City of Monroe also earned the American Public Power Association’s Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2022. The City of Monroe earned First Place in Group B in the category for utilities with 29,258 worker-hours of annual worker exposure.
“The City of Monroe cares deeply about sending our employees home to their families safely every single day,” said Rob Miller, City of Monroe’s Energy Services Director. “We are proud to be honored for all the work that goes into standing behind this commitment.”
283 utilities from across the country entered the annual Safety Awards. Entrants were placed in categories according to their number of worker-hours and ranked based on incident-free records and overall state of their safety programs and culture during 2022. The incidence rate is based on the number of work-related reportable injuries or illnesses and the number of worker-hours during 2022, as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“Safety needs to be the first thing on every utility employee’s mind as they go about their work," said Jim Boyd, Chair of APPA’s Safety Committee and Electric Operations Safety Manager at Tacoma Power, Tacoma Washington. “The utilities honored by APPA for excellence in this area should be proud of the culture they have instilled in serving their communities.”
“We’re like a family here, and we want to make sure we’re taking care of everyone,” said Eric Howell, Electric System Manager. “This award shows our community and our employees that we’re taking the proper steps to keep everybody safe.”
Howell was presented with the award during the APPA’s Engineering & Operations Conference held in Pasadena, California from April 30 – May 3.
The Safety Awards have been held annually for more than 65 years. APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.
Recognition for Reliable Electric Service
Earlier this month, The City of Monroe received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2022 from the APPA.
APPA helps electric utilities track power outage and restoration data through its subscription-based eReliability Tracker service. Once per year, APPA’s Reliability Team compares this data to national statistics tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all types of electric utilities.
Read more about this award: City of Monroe Recognized for Reliable Electric Service
City of Monroe's Energy Services
The City of Monroe serves 11,825 customers with an average response time of 22.2 minutes. The City’s electric system consists of 25 field employees, eight substations, and 304 miles of power lines. For more information on the City of Monroe’s electric system and its commitment to reliability, visit monroenc.org.
American public power association
The American Public Power Association has offered the RP3 designation for 18 years now. APPA is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 49 million people in 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. APPA advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. For more information on the APPA, visit publicpower.org/reliability.