I never would have imagined when we were planning our first-ever virtual meeting last year, that we would be planning our second for this year. But here we are, doing just that.

An in-person meeting takes months to plan to ensure we have a location that can hold the 500-700 people who usually attend, secure catering and book entertainment. So, we start planning at the first of the year. Unfortunately, in January and February, there were still many questions about where we would be regarding the virus and whether, with such a large attendance, we could provide enough social distancing and be in compliance with any orders from Gov. Holcomb’s office. Therefore, we thought it best to err on the side of caution and plan 2021’s annual meeting as a virtual meeting.

This year’s meeting with be held on June 17 at 5:30 p.m. Like last year, we will send you a postcard with step-by-step instructions on how to join the meeting and direct you to our June issue of Indiana Connection. 

In that issue, we will have several pages which will include last year’s annual meeting minutes and financials. At that time, we will ask you to vote to approve the 2020 annual meeting minutes. You will also be voting for directors who are up for election, if any are running opposed.

Board members who are up for election in 2021 are:

• Jim Savage — District 1
• Scott Marschand — District 3
• Don Willson — District 4

The voting card will also be saved and used to draw for prizes, which will include bill credits and gift cards. 

The meeting will last approximately an hour, and each member is encouraged to attend. It will provide you an opportunity to hear about the state of the co-op, and I plan to give an update on our broadband project. After receiving instructions on how to attend the meeting, if you still have questions, please contact our office prior to the meeting, and we will assist you.

If possible, we anticipate going back to an in-person meeting format in 2022, and we are looking forward to seeing our members.

Please join us on June 17 for your annual meeting.