Greensburg, IN—This year’s Decatur County REMC Board of Directors election has taken a shockingly dramatic turn.
DCREMC is a cooperative business, and therefore, it is owned and controlled by its members who use its services. The Board of Directors is elected by the members to help be stewards of the business. Recently letters to the editor in the local newspaper, mail pieces to all members in the co-op, and even a press release from DCREMC have come out all centered around an electrifying 4-3 vote that took place in July of 2019 to borrow money while carrying a debt of $16.6 million, down $200k from the previous year. The controversy has county leaders amped up and split between the candidates. Click here for the bios of all candidates.
In a press release from DCREMC, it states, “Decatur County REMC would like to respond to the concern regarding the REMC’s debt. In order to maintain a reliable system, we must continue to invest in the replacement of poles, transformers, wire, etc. (infrastructure lifecycle management). As a cooperative we operate as a not-for-profit and have two sources through which we can collect money- through rates to members or through low-interest loans by federally backed lenders.
To access federal loans a detailed construction plan must be submitted, approved, and built prior to accessing. The July 2019 loan funds were from improvements previously completed and already applied to our balance sheet. Decatur County REMC believes in maintaining a responsible blend of low-interest debt along with member contribution to avoid raising rates.
We continue to be open, accessible, and transparent with members and as always, we welcome conversations and discussions with members or others in the community.”
Due to COVID-19 the annual meeting of the members of Decatur County Rural Electric Membership Corporation will take place virtually on June 12 at 6:30 p.m. Voting this year can be done by mail or online through SmartHub. This meeting will be held for the express purpose of:
- Presenting reports of officers, managers and committees
- Election of three directors
- Election of three nominating committee members
- Any other business which may properly come before the meeting
