I am really looking forward to seeing you all at our annual member event on Friday, June 11, from 3-6 p.m. here at our Decatur County REMC office! We have so much to celebrate! Due to ongoing COVID concerns, it is a drive-thru event this year.

While DCREMC has been powering our community for 82 years, we are excited about our future direction and the strategic planning process which will guide us.

I think it is important to highlight some of our recent accomplishments and progress over the last five years, which would not have been possible without the dedication of our highly skilled, trained and experienced team of employees and board of directors — and our engaged membership.

We have subject matter experts in all areas of our organization and directors who are focused on our commitment to the cooperative’s mission to provide affordable, reliable, friendly service to our members and communities.

Over the last five years we have delivered on our mission while achieving the following:

• Execution of the 2018 strategic plan
• Reliability: 13% improvement in reliability with tree related outages dropping by 24%
• Affordability: Expenses up only 2.2% in last five years excluding right of way while the average residential rate dropped by 1.5%
• Community : Operation Round Up program has contributed over $500,000 in total, additional support of community events and partnerships
• Friendly service: Member engagement
• Increased engagement opportunities for members and the community – 11 unique events during 2020 specifically, even through the year of the pandemic with COVID restrictions
• Additional payment options and programs (PayNow feature on website and PrePay program)
• Online membership application
• 168,826 member contacts in 2020 (COVID year)
• Increased media coverage
• “Breakfast with Brett” meetings with direct access to the CEO
• Virtual townhall events covering educational topics (rates, tree trimming, etc.)
• Member Connect meetings
• Establishment of member advisory committee
• Increase in social media engagement
• Recording/sharing of board meetings and additional option to attend board meeting virtually
• Member surveys
• Email communication
• New website format with contact form
• Monthly “Brett’s Buzz” column in Indiana Connection magazine

We are also very proud of the increased participation in our annual elections over the last three years since implementing a new, highly secure, multi-platform election process. We understand your time is valuable – the convenience of being able to vote by mail-in paper ballot, online, or through SmartHub is a benefit we hope all members value.

I encourage all members to engage and participate in your REMC — your voice matters! The election is open through  June 9. Vote in the annual election using the method that’s most convenient for you.

Our team is committed to serving you – focused on our mission – and passionate about our cooperative! We’re looking forward to celebrating you at our drive-thru event on June 11!