JOE
KOCH

Fulton County REMC welcomes John Haschel to the board of directors. Haschel was one of three candidates for the District 7 director position, which was vacated when former director Bud Krohn Jr. resigned from the board. The board appointed Haschel to the position at the July 27 board meeting. Haschel’s first board meeting was the strategic planning session held on Aug. 14.

Phase two of the rate increase announced last year in the May 2016 issue of Electric Consumer will go into effect with September use and October billing. This will be a 2.4 percent increase overall. Residential members will see about a 2.2 percent increase. This increase is part of a four-phase plan developed by our rate consultants, Utility Financial Solutions (UFS), and approved by the board to achieve proactive goals set for the cooperative. These goals include:

• Build cash reserves that would represent one month’s power bill and 45 to 60 days of operating expenses ($1 million to $1.2 million).
• Reduce the need for borrowing funds on completed line improvements.
• Establish a capital credit retirement cycle of 30 to 35 years while paying a portion to the current membership. The cycle is currently at 54 years.
• Continue to support and be involved in the local communities we serve.

The board of directors and staff of Fulton County REMC work together to bring you a reliable and valuable commodity at a reasonable price. We take great pride in being an integral part of the communities we serve and helping those communities to improve the quality of life — a cooperative core value since 1936.

JOE KOCH is CEO of Fulton County REMC.