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What's your work like?
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this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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I'm an electrical engineer at a public utility company. I mostly do distribution planning and project management. Really like what I do and I really love the company. I recently changed jobs to this one because I wanted to be a part of this.
The board of directors are elected by the customers, most the employees are in a union, and our rates are cheaper than private utilities. I don't think many Americans understand this structure exist in our country.
That's really interesting, was your company originally structured like that or did it take some maneuvering? I certainly didn't think there were companies where the users get to vote who runs it into power, how does that work? Is it like a vote every few years or so? Like senators or something like that?
The company is actually an Irrigation District. Most of them are over 100 years old at this point. There are a handful throughout the US.
The votes are every 4 years. Its on your ballot, like senators. We'll have campaign ads on TV with "Vote for ____! They care about the ratepayers!". Some people run on keeping rates low, some run on sustainability for the farmer's water. Its all very interesting to me.
That's fascinating! Wish I had that kind of control over my utilities. Thanks for the insight!