Nobody reforms an institution that works well, serves its purpose and stays healthy. While Norwich Public Utilities was humming along, delivering efficient electric service and comparably favorable rates, transparency wasn't demanded and, as we now know, wasn't offered.

In the shade thrown by the notion that they could do their jobs well without public interference, NPU commission members and officials got around to thinking it was OK to reward themselves with luxury trips out of state. The premise was conducting utility business — but without business meetings and, tellingly, without informing or inviting certain other public officials. The current mayor, the one-time acting city manager and others have now faced the city's Ethics Commission, which has required them to repay most of the costs.

Those involved in the trips have taken their medicine, but the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative, whose policies fostered their easygoing ethics, is facing major surgery by the General Assembly. Can this patient be saved?

Of three bills concerning municipal utilities, the one that has gotten the furthest, Raised Bill No. 1035, would postpone either demise or rehabilitation by requiring a study by the state Office of Policy and Management.

More study could perhaps help, but The Day likes the specifics in two other bills, from the General Assembly's Energy and Technology Committee. One would open up the doings of the cooperative and thus those of member utilities, including Groton and Jewett City. The other, co-sponsored by state Sen. Heather Somers, R-Groton, would subject municipal utilities to the state Freedom of Information Act.

Arguments about proprietary business notwithstanding, the utilities have shown they need the FOI sword hanging over their heads.

The bill to reform the way the statewide cooperative works would amend the statute to require a ratepayer from each member utility on the CMEEC board. The ratepayer could not be an employee nor an official of the utility or the town government where the utility operates, nor of any member utility or the overall cooperative.

In addition to the anti-coziness provisions, the bill — co-sponsored by senators Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, and Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, and representatives Emmett Riley, D-Norwich, and Kevin Ryan, D-Montville — would prohibit junkets. Meetings, hearings and retreats of the cooperative board would have to be held in-state, thereby ruling out the Kentucky Derby. Agendas, meeting notices and minutes would all be publicized as required in the law. CMEEC would have to open its books to audit annually, and the results made public.

The reform act leaves little to the discretion of the cooperative. While it's a stern reaction to the perceived lack of judgment by its members, it is also common sense that should have been the law all along.

By now those who have tasted public embarrassment must have asked themselves what the Kentucky Derby has to do with electricity in Norwich or Groton or Jewett City.

On Tuesday the Norwich Board of Public Utilities Commissioners demonstrated it wants to move on, despite continued calls for resignations and removals. Going the opposite way of the Ethics Commission recommendations — which it has not yet officially taken up — a majority voted to re-elect the chairwoman and the vice-chairman, both of whom went on the trip last spring.

It remains to be seen whether they, NPU General Manager John Bilda and NPU Division Manager Steve Sinko can do their jobs effectively after this. The board needs to be scrupulous in overseeing its staff and itself. It should also be looking backwards to make sure no other transgressions have slipped by. Heal thyself, because everyone else is watching.

It's the same old lesson in human nature that has tripped up countless public bodies and will keep on doing so: Do the public's business out in the open, because temptations that sound OK in private often evaporate as soon as the sunlight hits them. Evidently the utilities boards at all levels need laws to remind them of that.