735 had fun and connected at 2024 Member Appreciation Day, Annual Meeting
by General Manager Steve Stroshane
Thank you to all who attended our 86th Annual Meeting and Member Appreciation Day June 14. Employees and directors welcomed 735 members and guests! We enjoyed meeting you and talking about co-op performance.
Member Appreciation Day
To show appreciation for your membership, employees served pulled pork sandwiches and root beer floats. Lineworkers helped youngsters into safety gear and elevated them high above the event for bucket truck rides. Guests of all ages took pictures with our Solar Sam mascot, met board directors and saw the co-op’s Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck. All members in attendance received an ice cream spade, and children received $5 DQ cards, mini hard hats and co-op coloring books.
86th Annual Meeting
The annual meeting included updates from co-op leaders on grid reliability and investments, co-op financials, technology and innovation, member service, community involvement and 2024 board election results.
State of the Cooperative
I started my report by sharing that Polk-Burnett employs the best local people to provide members with reliable electricity and extraordinary service every day.
Fifty electric employees deliver power to just over 22,000 electric services across 3,500 miles of power line, about 1,900 miles are underground and 1,600 are overhead.
The co-op installed 359 new services and invested $6.3 million to maintain and upgrade the electric system in 2023. An additional $5.9 million is budgeted this year.
In 2023, co-op members experienced an average of 40 minutes without power, when you factor out major event days. When storms are included, members experienced an average of two hours without power.
When the lights go out, we work to keep members informed through an outage map on the website, outage text alerts and Facebook.
We know your number one expectation is reliable power. We’re always working to reduce outages, restore power faster and communicate better.
We’re proud of the level of service and satisfaction we provide. Polk-Burnett members gave the co-op a score of 86 out of 100 on the 2023 American Customer Satisfaction Index.
At the conclusion of my report, I announced that the new Georgetown Solar array outside Balsam Lake was energized in December 2023. The 2MW array generates power for about 430 homes, and provides operational and financial benefits for members by generating power locally and helping relieve high summer demand.
Polk-Burnett will purchase solar energy from the array at a fixed rate for 25 years. The co-op also purchases power from SunTuria Solar in Centuria and is planning two more solar developments, one in Polk County and one in Burnett County.
Financial report
Heather Gerber, our finance and accounting manager, reported that the co-op has $108 million in electric assets, with electric operating revenue of $36 million and electric operating margins of $2.5 million.
"57% of our revenue, more than $20 million, goes to purchase wholesale power from Dairyland Power, a La Crosse-based generation and transmission cooperative. The remaining 43% is what we have to work with to keep your lights on," she said.
Gerber reported that material prices have been challenging; they are now 40% higher than 2020.
She also explained the co-op’s rate history and the difference between the daily availability charge and the kWh energy charge on member bills.
“One of the facts of rural living is a higher fixed charge because costs are shared by fewer members,” she said.
Last year, members saw a rate increase of 5%. There was no increase for 2024.
Gerber reminded members about co-op programs to help with electric bills, including SmartHub, EnergySense rebates, prepay and budget billing.
Capital Credits
Board President Ed Gullickson said that one of the greatest advantages of co-op membership is Capital Credits. In fall 2023, Polk-Burnett returned $1.58 million in Capital Credits to members.
“As a co-op, any money we collect above and beyond expenses is returned to members,” he said.
Co-op Commitment to Community
Gullickson also provided the co-op’s commitment to community report.
In 2023, Polk-Burnett’s Operation Round Up donated $83,425 to 73 local nonprofits, thanks to the generosity of members who round up their electric bill.
Polk-Burnett’s scholarship program also made a significant impact with $144,000 in scholarships awarded to 96 children of co-op members in the Class of 2024. Gullickson assured those in attendance that scholarships do not affect electricity rates; rather, they are funded with unclaimed Capital Credits that if not used for education would be forfeited to the state.
Gullickson also noted the co-op’s EV safety training for 170 local firefighters and first responders in 2023 and ‘24.
"We work to improve our local quality of life not only with reliable power, but also with support for our local community," he said.
Director election returns three incumbents to board
John Behling of Weld Riley law firm and system counsel for Polk-Burnett, reported that members re-elected three incumbent directors in the 2024 board election: Jerry Okonek, Spooner, District 7; Chuck Brookshaw, Webster, District 8; and Tom Swenson, Webster, District 8.
All three ran unopposed. Voter participation was 14%, with 748 paper ballots and 199 online ballots received.
The election was conducted by an independent election contractor, with all members in districts 7, 8 and 9 receiving a ballot earlier this spring. Directors are elected for three-year terms beginning in June.
The meeting concluded with a member Q&A forum. Stroshane, Gullickson and Gerber responded to questions from members about solar, wind and nuclear energy, solar panel disposal, line-of-sight solar pollution, building in the right of way, cost of residential EV chargers, ownership of SunTuria and Georgetown solar arrays, who is responsible when a pole is damaged in an auto accident, co-op rebates, home generators and eligibility for co-op scholarships and Operation Round Up.
Congratulations and thank you to all who attended! See you next year!
Member Appreciation Drawing, $50 Electric Bill Credit
- Patricia Rupp, Milltown
- Mike Owen, Cushing
- Paul Schneider, Luck
- Lorri Simon, Balsam Lake
- Walter Marz, Luck
- Paul Dreelan, St. Paul
- Ron Carlson, Webster
- Douglas Panek, Frederic
- Russel Brown, Balsam Lake
- Kenneth Kreb, Siren
First-Timer Drawing, $50 Electric Bill Credit
David & Stephanie Lindholm, Osceola
Electric, Battery-Powered Yard Tools
Blower, Connie Krech, St. Croix Falls
Trimmer, Mark Willey, Osceola
Chainsaw, Trudi Morse, Osceola
Annual Meeting Drawing, $50 Electric Bill Credit
- JoAnn Sellent, Cumberland
- Lorraine Cernohous, River Falls
- Gregory & Kris Eaton, Frederic
- Mark Skjerven, Osceola
- Donald Jones, St. Croix Falls
- Jeffrey Wettig, Star Prairie
- Jane Green, Balsam Lake
- Gary Erickson, Cumberland
- Wayne Fleming, Austin, TX
- Rolf & Penny Hansen, New Richmond
Annual meeting materials, links and prize winners are posted on our website and are available upon request at co-op offices, 800-421-0283.
2023 Audit Report
2023 Financial Report
2023 Operation Round Up Grants
2024 Polk-Burnett Scholarships
2024 Polk-Burnett At-A-Glance
2024 Annual Meeting & Member Appreciation Day Prize Winners
