The Improvement Authority of the City of Fort Payne, Alabama is a municipal public corporation created in 1940 by public vote of the citizens of Fort Payne. The original three-member Board of Directors was appointed by the City Council of Fort Payne and followed the Improvement Authority laws of the State of Alabama to establish and organize the Authority. The original electric plant was purchased from the City of Fort Payne for the sum of one hundred forty thousand dollars and was the foundation of the electric power system. This purchase included the transfer of the existing power contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide power. For over 75 years the Improvement Authority has seen many changes and has grown and evolved to serve the residents and business in and around Fort Payne. Since the early 1940’s the Improvement Authority has expanded its service limits to the foot of Sand Mountain on the west, up to near Hammondville city limits to the North, to Desoto State Park on Lookout Mountain, and extending south along Little River Canyon and over to Dogtown on the southeast portion of Lookout Mountain, and Collbran Gap Road on Highway 11 South (see Service Area Map). Within this service area, the Improvement Authority serves approximately 8,500 customers.
The Improvement Authority is one of 154 local power companies that purchase and distribute electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). As the nation’s largest public power system, TVA provides some of the lowest-cost electricity in the United States. The Improvement Authority’s retail power rates are approved by the TVA and these rates are reviewed on an annual basis. Employees of the Authority monitor power quality and strive to provide the highest levels of service and reliability to each customer. Power system improvements are scheduled on a routine basis to ensure dependable electricity for our customers and growth for the community.