Midstate Electric's 58th Annual Meeting

Midstate Electric’s 58th Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 15 at the La Pine Middle School was well attended. 410 registered members and their guests enjoyed the barbecue lunch, health fair, displays, demonstrations and door prizes.

A brief summary of the business portion of the meeting follows:

●Lee Smith, Board President, explained that the co-op has found itself in a political environment where extreme measures are being proposed such as breaching the Snake River Dams and Cap and Trade Systems that would allow Wall Street Traders to set our energy prices. He said the co-op would work with elected officials at both state and federal levels to mitigate energy regulation and keep electric rates affordable. He asked the members to get involved. “We need our members to show your support for keeping electricity affordable. 18,000 voters will make a far greater impact than nine directors can make.”

●The auditor’s report confirmed that Midstate Electric is efficient and well-run. According to Brent Mickelsen of Blodgett, Mickelsen and Naef, with assets of over $50 million, margins of over $1.85 million and equity of 44.86% the cooperative is in excellent financial condition.

●Bill Kopacz, General Manager, gave an update of the co-op’s member services, community services and operation projects for 2009. He reported that as a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, the Co-op Connections® Card has saved members $121, 610 in pharmacy discounts; over $375,000 has been paid to members for conservation and weatherization projects; over $270,000 in government funded and other low income program assistance was provided to members; and over $55,000 was provided to various community agencies and projects. Bill presented a list of completed and planned construction projects to improve overall system reliability.

●The Director Election results were as follows: Gordon DeArmond, District #3, Ron Sommerfeldt, District #4 and Bud Kendall, District #6 were unopposed, so were re-elected to serve the members for another three year term.