Every New Year’s Day, after the fireworks have gone off and we recover from trying to stay up much later than we’re used to, people sit down to write up their resolutions for the next 12 months. Those might be things they want to improve about themselves or their lives, new challenges they want to undertake or good habits they want to maintain.

At Murfreesboro Electric Department we’re busily planning ahead to make sure we continue to bring you the best, most reliable electric service. We will also make sure we stick with our core values, first and foremost our dedication to the Murfreesboro community.

For MED, being a hometown utility has always been about more than just where we’re located. Since 1939, we as an organization have grown with the City of Murfreesboro and given back to the area whenever we could.

In this newsletter, you can read about a couple of our employees who spearheaded a food drive for local families as part of the Salvation Army’s Adopt-A-Family program. They have already grown the initiative from a collection within a single department to a company-wide tradition, and it’s sure to only continue expanding.

You can also learn more about how to shape our community yourself by voting early this year. On the back of this newsletter you can find more information about where and when you can get your vote in ahead of time and beat the crowd at the polls.

And finally, we at MED would like to wish all of our customers a happy and healthy new year! We’re looking forward to seeing what 2016 holds and continuing to serve you every day.

New year, same values

Steve Sax, General Manager

At Murfreesboro Electric Department, being your hometown power provider is more than just a slogan; it’s essential to how we view our role in the community. We’re always looking for ways to give back to our area, and this Thanksgiving our employees were excited to do that by participating in the Salvation Army’s Adopt-A-Family program.

This is the second year that MED has adopted a family. In 2014, Chalisa Perkins, of the customer service department, and Sandra Rattler, a billing analyst, spearheaded the effort to adopt a family for the customer service and accounting departments. The response was so positive that they expanded it to the whole organization in 2015.

“It went really well with the program last year, and there were even people in other departments who wanted to get involved,” says Rattler. “So this year, since we really wanted to involve the whole company, the Salvation Army gave us two families to adopt.”

And once again, the MED family has rallied around the cause, contributing more than 200 pounds of food that went toward making it a happy and filling Thanksgiving for the families. In addition, both families received more than $100 in gift cards.

Rattler says everyone at the electric department was motivated to make sure their donations weren’t just about feeding their families for one day, but also about helping throughout the holidays and the rest of the year.

“We know how it can be for families in need, especially when they have children and then they’re out of school, and that requires extra food and other things,” she says. “So we not only look out to feed them for the holidays, but we also tell people to bring extra food even for the kids to eat after the holidays.”

For Perkins, that dedication to going the extra mile to help her friends and neighbors is born out of her early experiences as a customer service representative, and the recognition that she could just as easily be in need of a helping hand in the future.

“For a while I worked out front, so my interaction with the public was face-to-face,” she says. “I told people all the time I feel like it’s important to give back, whether it’s on a personal level or you do it as an organization, because you never know when the shoe might be on the other foot and I could be sitting on the other side of my desk not being able to pay my utility bill.”

Perkins and Rattler are looking forward to continuing to grow the Adopt-A-Family program at MED in the years to come. Next year, they hope to add collections for two more families, doubling what MED was able to do this year. It’s all part of being a true hometown utility.

“I think it’s great that as a whole we can give back to the community in which we serve,” says Perkins. “That speaks volumes about Murfreesboro Electric and what we’re actually here to do for the community other than just provide electricity.”

MED’s Adopt-A-Family program keeps growing

Sandra Rattler (left) and Chalisa Perkins expanded the Adopt-A-Family food drive to all of MED last year, making it possible to collect food for two families.

JANUARY 2016

TO REPORT APOWER OUTAGE:615-893-5515

PHONE: 615-893-5514

EMAIL: customerservice@murfreesboroelectric.com

MAIL: PO Box 9 • Murfreesboro, TN 37133-0009

WALK-IN/DRIVE-THRU: 205 North Walnut Street, Murfreesboro, TN

ONLINE: www.MurfreesboroElectric.com

FACEBOOK: Search “Murfreesboro Electric Department”

TWITTER: @mboroelectric

INSTAGRAM: @murfreesboroelectric

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How much money could efficient lighting save you in 2016?Switching to more efficient lighting in your home can

go a long way to lowering your electric bill. LED, CFL and halogen incandescent bulbs all use less energy than standard incandescents, and last up to 25 times longer.

MED’s Lighting Calculator, found under the “For Your Home” section of murfreesboroelectric.com, uses our

current rates and your input about lighting in your home to estimate how much you could save with more efficient lighting.

Efficient lighting could save you hundreds of dollars each year, so check out the Lighting Calculator today!

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voteRutherford County officials urge you to avoid Election Day lines by voting earlyELECTION EARLY VOTING DATES

Presidential Preference & County Primary February 10-23, 2016 County General & State/Federal Primary July 15-30, 2016State & Presidential General Election October 19 - November 3, 2016

ELECTION COMMISSION OFFICE VOTING HOURS: Monday - Friday 7 a.m. - 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. - Noon HOURS OF VOTING AT ALL OTHER OFFICES: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. - Noon

EARLY VOTING SITES:

Middle Tennessee Assoc. of Realtors 311 Butler Dr. • Murfreesboro Located off South Church Street across from Pillsbury

Lane Agri-Park Livestock Pavilion 315 John Rice Blvd. • Murfreesboro Located off Old Fort Parkway, home of the Farmers Market

Smyrna City Hall 315 South Lowry St. • Smyrna Parking located in back off Enon Springs Road

Rutherford Co. Election Comm. Office1 Public Square South, Ste. 103 Murfreesboro

Election Annex Building426 E. Vine St. Murfreesboro

Lavergne Civic Auditorium 283 Old Nashville Hwy. Lavergne

Sports Com2310 Memorial Blvd.Murfreesboro

For more information contact the Rutherford County Election Commission at 615-898-7743 or visit www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/election

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