|
Be
sure to check our monthly safety articles too!
Help
Us Keep Costs Down by Reporting Inactive Services
At FEC, we are continuing to explore different ways to keep our costs down to our
membership. One program that FEC is aggressively pursuing involves inactive
services. An inactive service is one that has not had an active electrical service or a meter for at least
10years. “If we can remove these inactive services from our distribution system, we can reduce the
cost of maintaining our system,” said Mike Sanders, FEC CEO.
Sanders said by removing the inactive
service, materials that have already been paid for can be used on other parts of the distribution system.
By retiring inactive services, it reduces the number of poles, wires and right-of-way that has to
be maintained each year. “One other benefit to cooperative members is that we wouldn’t have to pay property taxes
on these inactive services each year,” Sanders added.
If you have an inactive service on your
property or you are aware of an inactive service on FEC’s distribution system, please contact the
cooperative office at 646-4281 or 1-800-279-0496. Removing the inactive services will not have
an impact on active services. “Our goal has always been to provide our members with a high level of service and
reliability,” said Sanders. “This will help us maintain our service while lowering our cost of operation, too.”
Legislation
Will Save Manufacturing Companies Taxes on Electric Bill
Senate Bill 30 was recently signed into law granting new exemptions from state taxes and local use
taxes, however this new law doesn't impact local sales taxes. In order to qualify for the
exemption the electricity must be used in the manufacturing, processing,
compounding, mining or producing any product, or in the processing of recovered materials. Some
examples stated on the Missouri
Department of Revenue website that do not qualify for exemption are;
preparing a meal in a restaurant, constructing a road or making floral
arrangements. Some examples listed on the website that do qualify are; making
cabinets for sale, preparing framed photographs for sale, commercial printing, processing recycled
paper and bakeries. If you qualify, you must complete a Form 149 (Rev. 8-2007)
obtained from the Department of Revenue (or through this link) and deliver it to Farmers'
Electric Cooperative to begin exempting your electricity from state sales tax.
On Form 149 a selection from Section 5b must be checked, the percentage of your bill that
qualifies must be indicated, your method of calculation must be identified and
your exempted accounts numbers must be listed. This exemption is currently available and the
form must be on file with Farmers' Electric to take advantage of it. For more information to
determine if you qualify for this exemption please visit the
Missouri Department of Revenue. You may also contact them by phone at (573)
751-2836, email, or by U.S. mail at PO
Box 840, Jefferson City, MO 65105.
When Baking,
Use These Tips to Save Ca$h
Buying products that bear the Energy Star label is a great way to save electricity around the
house. But the government doesn’t require energy efficiency labels for ovens.
So it’s up to you to save energy as you prepare your meals. Here’s how you can save money when
you use your oven in the future:
- Use a microwave oven rather
than a conventional oven. Microwaves use half as much energy as the oven and cook food faster.
- Preparing a small meal? Cook it
in a portable appliance like an electric frying pan, grill or toaster oven.
These small appliances use two-thirds less energy than a broiler.
- Cook as much of an
oven-baked meal at once as possible.
- Skip the preheating,
especially when broiling or roasting.
- If you need to rearrange
your oven shelves, do it before you turn the oven on. That helps you waste
less heat by opening the door of a heated oven.
- Avoid opening the door
while your food is cooking.
- Wipe up minor oven spills with
a damp cloth and use the oven’s self cleaning cycle only for major messes. And when you need the self-cleaner, run it right after you
prepare a meal when the oven is already hot.
If you lose power at your home or
business, please call our 24-hour answering service. Unfortunately, there
may be a time in which you lose power at your home or business. Whenever the
outage occurs, please remember to call our 24-hour answering service. Especially if the
outage occurs during the day. For example, if a raccoon makes the mistake of
climbing into one of our substations and comes into contact with one of the phases
the result could be blown fuses, equipment failure and the loss of power to hundreds
of homes. If the incident were to happen during our regular working hours, we still
need you to call 1-800-927-5334. If several hundred people were to call FEC with
an outage, all within a few minutes of each other, it would overwhelm our employees. By calling the toll
free number, your call will be handled by an operator that is trained to deal with
your specific situation. Plus, our answering service has direct contact with every FEC
crew in the field. By calling 1-800-927-5334 our crews can respond quicker and
get power returned to you in amore timely manner.
Return
to Top
FEC History
Books May be Purchased
The recently published
history of Farmers’ Electric Cooperative may be purchased at the office for
$20. Shipping and handling costs are an additional $5. The 111-page hardcover
book, written by Rural Missouri Editor
Jim McCarty, covers the formation of the cooperative in 1938 up through early 2007.
Return
to Top
The Cooperative Principles
by Mike Sanders,
FEC CEO, October, 2007
In this column two months ago
(see below) I wrote about Touchstone Energy, and the Seven Cooperative
Principles that are shared by electric cooperatives. This month I would like to go into
more detail on the principles, and what they mean to you as a member-owner of Farmers'
Electric.
The first principle is Voluntary and
Open Membership. Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their
services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial,
political or religious discrimination. The second principle is Democratic Member
Control. Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who
actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. Farmers' Electric's board consists of
seven directors that are members of the cooperative. They serve three-year terms and are elected
at the Annual Meeting. Members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote).
The third principle is Members' Economic Participation. This principle clearly shows
the difference between being a member-owner of an electric cooperative, and being a customer of
an investor owned utility (IOU) or a municipal system. Members contribute equitably to,
and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. The margins (profits) that the
cooperative makes are allocated back to the members based on their usage. These margins are
retained for a period of time to provide financial stability and to help finance capital improvement to
the system. Each year a portion of the prior years' margins are returned to our member-owners
by issuing capital credit checks. Farmers' Electric is currently retiring these capital
credits on a first-in, first-out method. The fourth principle is Autonomy and Independence. Farmers' Electric is a non-profit, membership corporation that is
chartered under Missouri statutes. Your member-elected Board provides leadership, sets business
policies, and approves the operating budgets and rates. As CEO, I am hired by and report to the
Board, and I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business. Farmers' Electric belongs
to several national organizations made up of electric cooperatives, but we are our own
business and are not controlled by these outside organizations. Next month I will cover the remaining
threec ooperative principles.
What is Touchstone Energy?
Rural
Missouri Magazine Back Page, August, 2007, Mike Sanders, FEC CEO In a recent survey of our membership, it
was noted that 35% of our members had heard of Touchstone
Energy, and 26% knew that Farmers' Electric is a Touchstone Energy cooperative.
I was hoping that these numbers would be higher, so I would like to take this time to give a
brief explanation of Touchstone Energy, and what it means to Farmers' Electric.
So what is Touchstone Energy? It is an alliance of more than 600 cooperatives in 45 states
that collectively deliver power and energy solutions to more than 22 million customers. These
cooperatives have joined together to create a national "brand". Electric cooperatives operate
differently than other utilities, and Touchstone Energy helps us to communicate that message to
you. The Touchstone Energy logo allows us to be easily identified by consumers as a utility that
has the same set of core beliefs and principles as other Touchstone Energy
members. Electric cooperatives are driven by their commitment to the Seven Cooperative
Principles. These principles are:1) Voluntary and Open Membership 2) Democratic Member
Control 3) Members' Economic Participation 4) Autonomy and Independence 5) Education, Training, and
Information 6) Cooperation Among Cooperatives 7) Concern for Community. The next time you see a Touchstone Energy
ad on TV or hear a Touchstone Energy ad on the radio, remember that Farmers' Electric is part
of that group. You can also visit their website at www.touch-stoneenergy.cooperative.com for more
information on Touchstone Energy and electric cooperatives across the nation. There is also
information on Energy Efficiency programs that will assist you in finding ways to reduce your electrical usage in your house or business.
Return
to Top
1,100 Attend 69th Annual Meeting in Chillicothe
Billy Campbell, wins big screen TV; 573 members register
Tuesday, June 5,
2007 at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center
Gary
Dickinson Performing Arts Center
Approximately 1,100 people of
all ages attended the 69th Annual Meeting of Farmers' Electric Cooperative June 5 at the
Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center in Chillicothe. A total of 573 members were
registered at the meeting. It was the largest number of registered members since the 2001 annual
meeting, when 588 registered for the meeting. Member-owners of the cooperative
re-elected one member to the Farmers' Electric board of directors and heard
reports on the cooperative's activities in the previous year, as well as
information pertaining to electric rates in the future. FEC attorney Lloyd Cleaveland was
also recognized by the board of directors for his years of service to the
cooperative. Re-elected to FEC's board by acclimation was Ray Shields,
Meadville. Shields is the board's District 6 representative in Linn County.
Billy Campbell, Braymer, won
the 52-inch big screen television.
"The days of cheap energy
are probably gone forever," noted Ron Cornett, FEC's Board President, in his message to the members. "It
will be wise to economize in the future. "Cornett cited the increased
expenses to the cooperative's power supplier in generating electricity,
including increased costs in purchasing coal, transporting the coal from Wyoming
to the cooperative power plants at Thomas Hill and New Madrid, and materials in
providing and maintaining the cooperative electrical grid across Missouri, as
just a few reasons regarding rate increases that are occurring for FEC.
"These are costs that are beyond the control of the board," Cornett said.
Cornett also discussed the increased environmental costs, due to changes in
environmental regulations, that have cost the cooperatives in Missouri over $1
billion since the early1990's."Think about the energy you waste," Cornett stressed.
"The unnecessary trips you take in your automobile. Or, driving a truck
instead of a car, or driving when you could have walked somewhere. "Cornett urged the members
in attendance to "winterize your homes, turn down your thermostats in the winter and turn them up in the
summer. Again, be wise…economize."
 FEC's Chief Executive
Officer, Mike Sanders focused his remarks on electric rates and the need to
become more energy efficient in the homes and businesses served by Farmers'
Electric. "Rates are going up, as we've been telling you for the last three
years, "Sanders said. "We will not have stable rates like we had for most of
the last 15 years.” "Nobody likes rate increases," continued Sanders. "You don't
like them, the board doesn't like them and the employees don't like them. Yet, we are not alone in
dealing with this issue. This is a nationwide problem." Sanders emphasized the
cooperative was doing everything it could to minimize the rate increases to its
members. "However, we do need to meet certain financial requirements to
satisfy our lenders and we do need to maintain our strong maintenance program, such as trimming trees,
to provide you with reliable power, "Sanders said. Sanders' remaining
remarks focused on the need of the membership to become more energy efficient.
"You can help us reduce the demand for electricity and to stabilize your electric bills by using
it wisely," Sanders said. Sanders cited the use of compact fluorescent
lighting, buying Energy Star appliances, adding insulation in the attics of
homes, caulking around windows and doors, and adjusting thermostats in the winter
and summer. He urged members to join up for the cooperative's Switch Team, which allows the
cooperative to control electric water heaters and air conditioners during peak
usage times. "This will help to reduce our cost of power, which, in turn, will
help to keep your electric bills lower," explained Sanders. "Reduce your
energy usage between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the hottest and coldest days of the year. This will make a
difference. "Sanders announced that the cooperative would be providing home
energy audits for its members later in the year. Details on the home energy audits would be
announced in future issues of the Rural Missouri magazine, Sanders
said.
Guest speaker Don McQuitty,
CEO of N.W. Electric Power Cooperative, Cameron, focused his presentation on current generating assets
in Missouri that are owned by the rural electric cooperatives and the need for more generation in
the near future. McQuitty specifically discussed the cost differences in
the wide variety of generation facilities owned and operated by Associated
Electric Cooperative, the power provider for FEC. "It is much cheaper to
generate electricity with coal than with gas," said McQuitty. The number cited by
McQuitty showed coal to be two to three times cheaper in generating power than natural
gas. "This is why we need that new power plant down at Norborne,"
McQuitty concluded.
 Following the
presentations by Cornett, Sanders and McQuitty, the cooperative's attorney
conducted the election of the Committee on Nominations for 2008. Elected to the
committee were Kenneth Lee, Dennis Farmers, James A. Waters, Vernon Williams, Charlotte Miller,
Judy Holcer and Dennis Widhalm. At the conclusion of the committee elections, Cornett
surprised Cleaveland with a unique plaque, citing Cleaveland's 50 years of
service to the cooperative. Cleaveland received a standing ovation from the large crowd in
attendance.
Over 70 prizes
were given away at the conclusion of the business meeting. Ron Surber, Wheeling, won a
37-inch plasma television, donated by North Missouri Construction, Chillicothe.
The 2008 Annual Meeting will
be held Tuesday, June 3.
Return
to Top
Electric
Statement Has a New Look
April,
2007
Your April 1 electric statement will have a new look. Your statement will now be delivered on a normal size sheet of paper and will include a convenient return envelope. Standard size paper and envelopes help reduce the cost of customized materials and improve delivery through the postal system.
The sample statement to the right shows the new features on your statement. In addition to having all the standard pertinent information such as name, address, account number, meter reading, service period, and so on, your new statement will also feature monthly comparisons of Electricity Usage, Average KWH/Day and Cost per Day.
The bottom third of the statement will be perforated for your convenience to tear off and send back with your payment. Please include your stub along with any necessary changes to your phone number or billing address.
At any time, you may elect to have your utility payment automatically withdrawn from your checking account or applied to a credit card.
You may indicate that selection on the back of the stub along with the necessary information or you may make a one-time electronic payment by completing the back of the stub.
Additionally, please review the back of the statement for important phone numbers or instructions in case of a power outage on contacting Farmers' Electric.
We trust you will find your new statement convenient and the new information useful. As always, if you have any questions about your statement or any other matters regarding Farmers' Electric please call the office in Chillicothe at 1-800-279-0496.
Return
to Top
Nominations
Committee Meeting
April
10, 2007
The 2007 Committee on Nominations will meet Tuesday, April 10, at the Farmers’ Electric Cooperative office in Chillicothe to propose three candidates for three director positions. The election for the three director positions will be held at the June 5 Annual Meeting of the cooperative.
A director will be elected from District 6, which consists of all or parts of the cooperative’s service territory lying within the county of Linn.
The 2007 Committee on Nominations includes: Kenneth Lee, 12030 Ridge Avenue, Winston; Dennis Farmer, 5208 SE Wildlife Road, Cowgill; James A. Waters, 17252 Highway JJ, Norborne; Vernon L. Williams, 11076 LIV 2313, Chillicothe; Charlotte F. Miller, 14255 CR 291, Hale; Judy Holcer, 31619 Highway W, Meadville; and Dennis Widhalm, Route 1, Box 144, Brunswick.
In accordance with the rules and regulations set forth for your cooperative, it is necessary to publish the list of the Committee on Nominations so that the members of Farmers’ Electric Cooperative may contact them prior to the April 10 meeting. A board member may also be nominated by petition if 15 or more members nominate an individual , not less than 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting, to be held June 5, 2007, in Chillicothe. Additional nominations may also be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director of the cooperative who:
a) is not a member and bona fide resident consumer in the area served by the cooperative (i.e. such member must actually live in a residence being served by the cooperative), which the office of director exists; or
b) is an employee, outside or independent contractor of the cooperative, or has within five (5) years preceding the date of election been an employee, outside or independent contractor of the cooperative; or
c) is not at least eighteen (18) years of age or is in any way interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the cooperative.
The official Annual Meeting announcement will be published in the May 2007 edition of the
Rural Missouri magazine.
Return
to Top
Capital
Credit Statements in the Mail
April, 2007
Capital credit statements should arrive in the mail soon for member/owners of Farmers’ Electric Cooperative. At the end of each calendar year, our profits, or margins, are assigned to each member-owner. the capital credit amount is based on the individual member’s usage for the year.
The money is set up in a separate capital credit account for each member. The money does not earn interest or dividends, but is instead used as a means for the cooperative to continue to operate. Each year FEC’s board of directors reviews the financial condition of the cooperative to determine what amount, if any, of the outstanding capital credits can be returned to its members.
Last year, FEC issued $422,305 in capital credits. Overall, a total of $13,330,653 has been returned to the member-owners of FEC. The board of directors will make the decision as to whether or not to issue capital credits in the fall.
Please note that the amount listed on the notice SHOULD NOT be deducted from your electric bill. Also, this is not an additional bill for you to pay. This is a simple means of communication with you, our member-owner, to inform you of the capital credits that have been set aside in your name. The money will be refunded to you upon approval of the cooperative’s board of directors.
Capital credits are a great example of one of the many benefits of being part of a rural electric cooperative.
Return
to Top
FEC Crews
Help Cooperatives Recover From Worst Ice Storm Ever
The most devastating ice storm in south Missouri history caused major outages
for all of the rural electric cooperatives in that part of the state. Early
estimates by the cooperatives sustaining damage has approximately $137 million
dollars in damages, not including lost revenues, as a result of the storm.
Farmers' Electric responded with the largest number of linemen ever sent by FEC
to assist fellow cooperatives. A total of 12 linemen traveled to the Neosho area
to assist New Mac Electric Cooperative and Ozark Electric Cooperative.
Read more about
it and see a photo in our March
Rural Missouri Back Page.
Return
to Top
|
