Public Power Week is Oct. 4-10. It is a time when communities across the country celebrate the benefits of locally owned, not-for-profit electric utilities. This year’s theme — “Your Community. Your Utility. Your Power.” — highlights what makes public power unique: the people served by the utility are also the people it belongs to.
Here in Crawfordsville, Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power is proud to be part of that tradition.
Across the United States, approximately 2,000 public power utilities provide electricity to more than 55 million people. Like CEL&P, these utilities are community-owned and focused on providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity while supporting the long-term needs of the communities they serve.
Public power is more than simply keeping the lights on. It means decisions are made locally, employees are part of the community, and resources are focused on serving customers rather than generating profits for shareholders.
Local Decisions and Accountability
One of the greatest strengths of public power is local control. Because CEL&P is community-owned, decisions affecting the utility and its customers are made right here in Crawfordsville.
Public power utilities operate with transparency and accountability to the communities they serve. This local connection helps ensure that decisions about rates, infrastructure, reliability and future investments are made with the needs of customers and the community in mind.
Investing in Our Community
Public power dollars stay close to home. Revenue supports the operation and maintenance of the electric system, infrastructure improvements and the continued delivery of reliable electric service.
Public power utilities also contribute to the communities they serve in ways that extend beyond electricity. Nationally, public power utilities contribute more to state and local governments, as a percentage of electric operating revenue, than investor-owned utilities.
At CEL&P, being community powered also means being an active community partner. Our employees live, work and volunteer here, and CEL&P supports local organizations, events and initiatives that help make Crawfordsville a stronger place to live and work.
Focused on Affordability
Public power utilities operate on a not-for-profit basis. Rather than generating profits for shareholders, revenue is used to operate the electric system, maintain infrastructure and invest in reliable service.
Reliable Service From Local People
Reliability is another important part of public power. CEL&P employees know the community because they are part of it. When outages or emergencies occur, local crews and staff are here to respond.
That local presence also allows CEL&P to plan for Crawfordsville’s future, maintain and improve the electric system, and provide the dependable service residents and businesses rely on every day.
Your Community. Your Utility. Your Power.
Public Power Week is an opportunity to recognize something Crawfordsville benefits from throughout the entire year: a locally owned electric utility dedicated to the community it serves.
For CEL&P, public power is about more than delivering electricity. It is about providing reliable service, investing in our community, supporting our customers and preparing Crawfordsville for the future.
We are proud to be Crawfordsville’s public power utility and proud to be community powered.
Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power contributes a monthly column to the Journal Review.
