BIA Advocacy Update

Update on new service procedure from Cass County Electric Cooperative

Cass County Electric Cooperative began a new service procedure for residential construction services in July. They recently provided a few more updates. 

The key change: CCEC will only bring the secondary wire to the service location after the foundation has been poured. Their underground contractor will handle trenching to the home, allowing a temporary meter to be set at that time. Temporary services can still be set at transformers and pedestals and will be energized regardless of trenching status. 

Winter concerns: After freeze-up when CCEC subcontractors are no longer working for the winter season, please contact CCEC with remaining houses needing temporary feeds for the winter season. CCEC will push wire and connect temporary for winter season then return in the spring to trench.

To read the full update, click here.

BIA-RRV encourages members to maintain open communication with trade partners and with CCEC to ensure a smoother process. If you have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to Troy Knutson at (701) 356-4542 or tknutson@kwh.com. 

Cass County Commission Candidate Forum, Sept. 26

Click here to register for the event!

This is your opportunity to discuss building and housing-related issues with the districts 1, 3, and 5 candidates. 

All candidates have been invited:

District 1: Tim Flakoll

District 3: Commissioner Jim Kapitan

District 5: Keith Gohdes and Joel Vettel

Registration is free and includes lunch for in-person attendees.

ND Measure 4: Property Taxes

As absentee voting begins soon, we want to encourage you again to look further into ND Measure 4, which seeks to eliminate property taxes. While this may seem good at first, we encourage you to vote NO. 

Property taxes fund essential services like schools, roads, public safety, parks, libraries, snow removal and more.

You, in the industry, know all too well that costs increase as time goes on. This means there will be a gap in funding that will need to be filled through other means. Additionally, funding requests will be implemented through the state legislature, decreasing local control.

For more information, view our previous advocacy updates and head to: https://www.keepitlocalnd.org/.

News from the Minnesota Dept. of Labor and Industry: Sept. 2024

Click here to read the news from Sept., 2024. It includes information on:

• Minnesota’s minimum-wage rate adjustment for inflation on Jan. 1, 2025, to $11.13 an hour for all employers in the state.
• MNOSHA's next free Construction Seminar is Sept. 17, focuses on worker exposure to silica.
• and more. 

NAHB Advocacy Resource: Housing Developments Podcast

Hosted by CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez, this podcast delves into topics relating to housing in Washington, D.C. and NAHB. 

Click here for more information on how to listen to the podcast. All episodes can also be found on NAHB's YouTube Channel.