MOORESVILLE – MI-Connection announced Dec. 1 that it will be working toward becoming a more locally owned system.

MI-Connection partnered with Bristol Virginia Utilities, the company that has managed the MI-Connection system since its inception in December 2007. The two signed a memorandum of understanding that states MI-Connection’s intention to bring local employees and most services in-house, which will move the utility from operator to service vendor.

MI-Connection Chairman John Kasberger said, “While we have benefitted greatly from BVU’s guidance and expertise over the past three years, we feel the need to move toward becoming self-sufficient in our operations.”

According to the memorandum, all employees in the Mooresville office – currently employed by BVU – will become MI-Connection employees, and several departments and responsibilities, including human resources and finance, will transition from BVU to MI-Connection. BVU will continue to provide customer service, billing and technical support for MI-Connection.

The transition will reduce MI-Connection’s payment to the Utility from $1.5 million to $300,000 a year. MI-Connection will apply much of the $1.2 million realized from that reduced fee to paying the new employees and supporting the departments that the system will be acquiring.