October 1, 2020
In observance of Public Power Week Oct. 4-10, Starkville Utilities will join more than 2,000 other not-for-profit electric utilities across the nation to promote the benefits of living in public-power communities, including low rates, high reliability, customer responsiveness, economic development and local control.
“We consider it a privilege to serve customers and provide services that contribute to our community’s quality of life,” said Terry Kemp, general manager of Starkville Utilities. “As a public utility, not for profit, we focus on the core operations of providing safe, reliable electricity to our customers. Customers are our primary focus, and we are committed to serving their needs both now and into the future.”
To strengthen relationships with customers, Starkville Utilities recently launched the Renew Principle, an initiative that focuses on several key performance areas — from creating meaningful customer experiences to pursuing operational excellence — all aimed at delivering exceptional service in every customer interaction.
“We’re excited about the positive response we’ve received from customers since launching the Renew Principle,” Kemp said. “We’re creating more ways for customers to give us feedback about how we’re doing, and we appreciate their input in our efforts to improve performance.”
Starkville Utilities’ track record demonstrates that an important part of using public resources wisely means investing in the people, technology and equipment needed to keep reliability high and rates as low as possible.
For the last five years, Starkville Utilities’ annual reliability performance has remained in the top tier of electric utilities, thanks in large part to daily tree-trimming operations that keep electricity flowing to homes and businesses. As a result of efficient operations and cost control, electric rates have remained stable.
Starkville Utilities recently broke ground on a construction project that will add room for water division employees in the current electric division office on Highway 182 East. Bringing both divisions together in a consolidated operations center will improve efficiency, communication, training and teamwork — all of which will result in better customer service and responsiveness.
“The utilities we provide have been powering Starkville for over 80 years, and together we make decisions that put our community first,” Kemp said. “Public power means we are focused on customers and delivering safe, affordable, reliable services today, tomorrow and for years to come.”
Starkville Utilities is a municipally owned and operated electric and water utility, serving more than 14,000 residences, businesses and industries in Starkville as well as the state’s largest institution of higher learning, Mississippi State University.
Public Power Week is an annual national observance coordinated by the American Public Power Association. The American Public Power Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. The Association represents public power before the federal government to protect the interests of the more than 49 million people that public power utilities serve, and the 93,000 people they employ. It advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations. Its members strengthen their communities by providing superior service, engaging citizens, and instilling pride in community-owned power. More at PublicPower.org.