Support Services

MMUA offers a variety of services to assist members in addressing the challenges of running a municipal utility. Here are a few examples. If you don’t see what you need, contact us at info@mmua.org and we will do our best to help you.

Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium

In the early 1990s, the US Department of Transportation established drug and alcohol testing rules and regulations for employees who drive vehicles such as trucks and buses, which require a commercial driver's license. MMUA recognized the need to assist members in meeting these federal requirements and established its Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium.

Since then, MMUA's Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium, in collaboration with our medical review officer, has expanded to cover the testing requirements listed with other Department of Transportation agencies. These include the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, often referred to as PHMSA, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, also known as FMCSA, among others.

All local government and agencies must comply with the relevant regulations requiring pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return-to-duty, and follow-up tests.

Members enrolled in the consortium take advantage of group pricing for a laboratory medical review officer and drug testing services, enjoy the benefits of central billing services, and pool employees for random testing. At last count, more than 1,200 Minnesota municipal employees were enrolled.

Join the MMUA Drug and Alcohol Testing Consortium to ensure the safety and compliance of your hometown utility. MMUA staff is always available to answer questions and resolve concerns. For more information, contact Joe Schmidt.

Strategic and Operational Planning

Most utilities are adept at financial planning year to year, and even at planning for capital expenditures over many years. Are you as successful at holistically planning for the future of the utility? Have you engaged your stakeholders and built a comprehensive plan that takes things like community relations, education, workforce development, increased sustainability, and related topics into account?

MMUA can help with this. With a project tailored to your needs, we can assist you with research, data analysis, facilitation of planning sessions, and creation of your customized strategic plan. We can also help you translate that plan into operational objectives with measurable outcomes and a reporting process that provides transparency for everyone. Please contact Karleen Kos to discuss your needs.

Human Resources and Organizational Development 

MMUA’s Human Resources team is here to help. Here are a few of the services we provide to MMUA members. For more information, contact Shelly Dau. 

  • Annual salary and benefits survey—results are free to members who participate
  • Quarterly webinars on topics of interest to municipal utilities—free to members
  • Roundtable discussions on hot HR topics at MMUA conferences
  • Ad hoc consultation on policies, procedures, and implementation issues
  • Development of customized team-building programs for your utility or city