They also believed that a community-owned electric system would be a mainstay of community prosperity. They believed local ownership and control would ensure lower rates, and that consumers would receive better services. The citizens of public power communities empowered themselves economically by choosing, based on citizen election, to establish a public power system. You may not think of a utility office as a common symbol of democracy, but indeed it is in a public power community. In public power communities, there is another image of democracy: the publicly owned electric utility. Whatever the image, democracy, representative government by the people, is a basic right each one of us holds sacred. When you think of democracy, what images come to mind? Maybe it's the American flag blowing gently in the wind or the bald eagle soaring high in the clouds, or perhaps it's a scene from an old Norman Rockwell painting. Unlike the big utility companies that pay dividends to stockholders, municipal power systems put those profits back to work in your community. You have a voice in your rates, quality of service and in how profits from your utility are used within your community. When you call for service or have a question concerning your last power bill, you call City Hall, not some 1-800 number that is answered "who knows where." You elect the CEO and Board members of your utility when you step into the voting booth to vote for your Mayor and Council. The people that operate, maintain and make decisions that affect your electricity are your friends and neighbors. A municipal system is a hometown service. A Municipal Power Utility is in business to give its consumer/owners the best possible service at a good price. An Investor Owned Utility is in business to make money for stockholders and investors. There are a lot of differences between an Investor Owned Utility (IOU) and a Public/Municipal Power Utility. Visit their web site for additional information on public power. The American Public Power Association represents public power utilities at the national level.
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