During the city council meeting on Tuesday, May 26, 2020, Roy Jones, chief executive officer of ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., presented two awards to the city of Rocky Mount for its achievements in providing electric service. The awards were presented via phone conference due to the COVID-19 related guidelines that require social distancing.
The city of Rocky Mount Energy Resources department received the 2019 North Carolina Public Power Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement in the following categories: Continuous Improvement, Workforce Development, Wholesale Power Cost, and the Value of Public Power.
The Continuous Improvement award recognizes cities and towns that constantly review and enhance all aspects of public power while focusing on cost reduction and increased efficiencies in current and future operations. The Workforce Development award honors communities that promote a workforce plan to attract, develop and retain the necessary human talent to provide safe, reliable power and lead public power forward. The Wholesale Power Cost award recognizes communities that provide competitive and stable wholesale electric rates that meet the power supply need of Power Agency Members. The Value of Public Power award highlights communities that communicate the value of electric system ownership to key stakeholders.
Jones also presented the city with the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)® award from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service.
The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that 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 Rocky Mount joins more than 275 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation and is one of only two utilities that have received the Diamond level—the highest designation—six times.
Said Chris Beschler, director of Energy Resources: “It’s is an honor for our city and the Energy Resources department to receive these prestigious awards. Our employees work very hard to maintain our electric system and to provide reliable electric service for our customers. As a Public Power utility, our employees are local, which means they live in the community they serve. We take great pride in our community, the work we do and our commitment to public safety. We’re truly grateful to be recognized with these awards.”
The city of Rocky Mount’s mission is to advance community well-being, safety and quality of life by delivering excellent public services and actively collaborating with the community toward a fulfilling and inspired future for its citizens. As a publicly owned utility, the city of Rocky Mount is committed to safe, reliable service for its customers and operates in Nash and Edgecombe counties, providing customers with electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater (sewer), refuse, recycling and/or stormwater services. Visit www.rockymountnc.gov.
Source: Amy Blanton, Energy Resources Communications Coordinator
