BAY MINETTE, Ala. — North Baldwin Utilities has been honored as one of the founding members of the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund, as the statewide fund marks 50 years of protecting the employees of Alabama’s cities, towns and public utilities.
The Municipal Workers Compensation Fund, known as MWCF, recognized North Baldwin Utilities, or NBU, as one of its “Founding Fifty Members” as part of the fund’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2026. To mark the milestone, MWCF presented the utility with a commemorative token of appreciation recognizing its decades-long involvement.
Five decades of partnership
MWCF was established in 1976 and has spent five decades supporting municipalities across Alabama through what it describes as a commitment to safety, stability and service. As a charter member, NBU has been part of the fund from the beginning, and the fund credits that long-standing partnership with contributing to its strength and continued success in protecting Alabama’s public entities.
“NBU is proud to have been part of the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund since its inception,” North Baldwin Utilities said in a statement. “This recognition underscores our commitment to safety, service, and collaboration with partners who support municipalities across Alabama.”
NBU said it is proud to celebrate the historic anniversary and plans to continue its relationship with MWCF for many years to come.
What the Municipal Workers Compensation Fund does
Workers’ compensation provides benefits to employees who are injured on the job or who develop work-related illnesses. Those benefits typically cover medical treatment and a portion of lost wages while an employee recovers, and they protect employers from many lawsuits related to workplace injuries.
For a private company, workers’ compensation coverage usually comes through a commercial insurance policy. Many public employers, however, choose a different route. Rather than each town or utility buying its own policy, groups of public entities can pool their resources into a self-insurance fund. Members contribute to the pool, and the fund pays covered claims for all of them.
That is the model behind MWCF. Sponsored by the Alabama League of Municipalities, the fund allows cities, towns and related public entities, such as utility boards, to share the cost and risk of workers’ compensation claims. Pooling can provide more stable costs over time than buying coverage individually, particularly for smaller entities where a single serious injury could otherwise have an outsized effect on the budget.
Funds of this kind also typically emphasize loss prevention. Safety training, workplace inspections and risk-management guidance help members reduce injuries in the first place, which protects employees and helps keep costs down for every member of the pool.
Why safety matters for utility workers
For a utility like NBU, workplace safety is a daily concern. Utility crews work around water and sewer lines, natural gas infrastructure, heavy equipment, trenches and traffic, often in all kinds of weather and at all hours when service needs to be restored. Those conditions make training, protective equipment and safety procedures essential.
NBU’s statement tied its long membership in the fund directly to that mission, describing the recognition as a reflection of the utility’s commitment to safety and service, and to collaboration with organizations that support local governments.
About North Baldwin Utilities
North Baldwin Utilities is the public utility serving Bay Minette and surrounding areas of north Baldwin County, providing essential services including water, wastewater and natural gas to homes and businesses. As a public utility, NBU is part of the network of local government entities that make MWCF’s pooled approach possible.
North Baldwin has seen renewed growth and investment in recent years, including a new $10 million hotel that recently opened across from Bay Minette City Hall. That growth places new demands on utility infrastructure and the employees who build, maintain and repair it, making the protection that workers’ compensation provides as important as ever.
A milestone for Alabama’s municipalities
The 50th anniversary of MWCF is a milestone not just for the fund, but for the municipalities and public entities that have relied on it. When the fund began in 1976, NBU was among the local entities that chose to join. Half a century later, the “Founding Fifty” recognition honors those early members whose participation helped build the fund into a long-term resource for public employers across the state.
For NBU, the commemorative recognition is a reminder of a partnership that has spanned five decades, and one that the utility says it intends to continue well into the future.