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MEL COLEMAN CEO

Power Play Simple safety lessons for a safer summer

Children don’t always know the dangers of electricity and electrical equipment. With May recognized as Electrical Safety Month, it’s an ideal time to reinforce simple lessons that can help kids stay safe all summer long.

Young imaginations often turn the unfamiliar into something fun or inviting, which can make electrical equipment especially dangerous. Take time to point out overhead power lines, utility poles and other electrical equipment, and explain what they are and why they should be avoided.

Teach children these important rules:

• Never climb trees near power lines. Even if lines aren’t touching the branches, they can shift and make contact when weight is added.

• Fly kites, drones and model airplanes in good weather and only in wide-open spaces, such as parks or large fields. Keep them far from overhead power lines and substations. If a kite or toy becomes tangled near power lines, never try to retrieve it. Electricity can travel through strings or wires.

• Never climb a utility pole or tower. These structures carry high voltage electricity that can be deadly.

• Stay away from pad-mounted electrical equipment. These green metal boxes, often found on concrete pads, contain transformers and should never be played on or around.

• Never enter an electric substation. High voltage equipment inside can cause severe shock, even without direct contact.

• Seek shelter immediately if thunder is heard or lightning is seen while playing outdoors.

• Never touch electrical appliances while in a pool or hot tub and keep all electrical devices at least 10 feet away from water. Swimming during a storm is never safe.

Protect your family by installing ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) on outdoor

outlets and in rooms where water is present. GFCIs shut off power instantly if a problem is detected and are affordable and widely available.

Use caution with outdoor electrical appliances, even when plugged into GFCI outlets. Never use damaged extension cords and always keep the ground prong intact.

Flooded areas are especially dangerous and may hide energized equipment or downed power lines.

Always assume a downed power line is energized. Stay far away and teach children to report fallen or hanging wires to an adult immediately. If you encounter a downed line, call 911 and keep others clear.

At North Arkansas Electric, safety is our top priority, and we’re committed to helping your family stay safe year-round.

Teach children to stay away from big green metal boxes known as pad-mounted transformers that carry high-voltage electrical equipment.

Board selects Cunningham for open seat

Scholarship applications due April 1

The North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Board of Directors selected Jerry Don Cunningham to fill the remaining term of Beth Carter, who resigned from the board in November after serving since 2005. Cunningham’s term will run through mid-2030.

Ballots to be sent in May

The North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) member-funded Operation Round Up® program awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to local graduating high school seniors each year. In 2024, 15 students were awarded $1,000 scholarships, and three students were awarded $4,000 scholarships to be disbursed in $1,000 installments for up to four years.

To fill the position, the board accepted résumés from interested Baxter County members. After reviewing the three submissions, the board voted Dec. 8.

NAEC is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship program. The application is available at naeci.com or through high school counselors’ offices.

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) will conduct the election for one board of director position in Izard County and one in Sharp County.

“The NAEC family thanks Beth for her years of service,” CEO Mel Coleman said. “She became a trailblazer as the first woman on the NAEC Board of Directors and spent the past two decades leading with a members-first perspective.”

Applicants must mail or deliver the typed application to NAEC by April 1. They must include a transcript and two letters of recommendation — with at least one from a nonschool employee who is not a relative.

Keep up-to-date, check info on file

LIHEAP helps qualified with electric bills

Members will receive an envelope with the NAEC logo from Survey & Ballot Systems around the third week of May. The Minnesota company is handling the election and tabulation of votes on behalf of NAEC.

To be eligible for the scholarship, high school seniors must graduate at the end of the 2025 school year, and their parents or legal guardians must be NAEC members. Applicants also must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale through the first semester of senior year. The scholarship must be used to attend an accredited institute of higher learning on a full-time basis. For more information, please contact Tori Moss, NAEC marketing and communications director, at (870) 895-6210 or tmoss@naeci.com.

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) encourages members to verify they have up-to-date contact information on file. This includes mailing address, phone number(s) and email address(es).

In the coming months, NAEC will share information via mail, email and other channels regarding the co-op’s transition to a new billing software in August as well as actions members will need to take regarding their account. (Please see page 26 for more information.) Current contact information on file will ensure members receive this important communication.

Members can help fund future scholarships by enrolling their accounts in Operation Round Up. Volunteers allow their electric bills to be "rounded up" to the next dollar each month. Call (870) 895-3221 to join today!

LIHEAP is administered by community action agencies, not North Arkansas Electric Cooperative. In NAEC’s service area, those are Northcentral Arkansas Development Council and Ozark Opportunities. Northcentral Arkansas Development Council serves residents in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties. Ozark Opportunities serves residents in Baxter and Marion counties. NAEC encourages members needing assistance to reach out to the agency serving their county for more information. (See sidebar below.)

Along with the ballot, the envelope will include the 2025 Annual Report, candidate biographies and a prepaid postage return envelope to mail the ballot to Survey & Ballot Systems. Ballots cannot be given to NAEC. They must be mailed to Survey & Ballot Systems and received by June 21 to be considered valid.

The federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides help for qualifying members with their energy costs during the summer and winter months.

Auto bank draft: Members' easiest payment option

To update or check the contact information on file, please call NAEC at (870) 895-3221 or visit an NAEC office during regular business hours. Members also may visit naeci.com/contact-naec and submit an inquiry.

Automatic bank draft is the most convenient payment method NAEC offers. Enrolling in this free service ensures the bill is paid on time each month. It also eliminates the cost of a stamp or time spent in the drivethrough lane.

Winter assistance should be available in January. Applications are accepted by community action agencies on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds are available.

Members on the nominating committee (TC Carter, Baxter County; Joe Dillard, system-at-large; James Elbert, Izard County; Randy Jones, Sharp County; Jeremy Stone, Fulton County; Carl Pitts, alternate; and Richard Hanson, alternate) met April 8. After consideration, they nominated Dennis Wiles of Izard County and Larry Goodwin of Sharp County. No petitions were received as of the magazine’s publication deadline.

The amount of LIHEAP help available varies based on a person’s income, number of people living in the home, type of energy source and other factors. Businesses are excluded from receiving LIHEAP.

Northcentral Arkansas Development Council

nadcinc.org

Automatic bank draft is an electronic transfer from your checking or savings account to NAEC’s each month. On or about the 14th of every month, the amount of the bill is deducted from your account.

Fulton County — (870) 895-3628

Izard County — (870) 368-4329

Sharp County — (870) 994-7353

Up-to-date contact info important

Election results will be published in The Messenger included in members’ statements and at naeci.com.

Ozark Opportunities

ozarkopp.org

Baxter County — (870) 425-5118

Marion County — (870) 425-5118

824 Hwy 56, Ash Flat

1520 Hwy 62/412 E., Mountain Home

CONTACT NAEC (870) 895-3221

info@naeci.com

PAY/VIEW BILL naeci.com ▶ Account Login

REPORT OUTAGE (870) 895-3221 (844) 335-4461

895-3221 (844) 335-4461

NAEC App naeci.com ▶ Outage Viewer

FOLLOW NAEC Twitter.com/NorthARElectric Facebook.com/NorthARElectric

Stone County — (870) 269-5427

STAY CONNECTED — NAEC regularly shares information with members on the co-op’s Facebook page. This includes restoration updates during widespread outages, tips to improve energy efficiency and stay safe around electricity as well as the co-op’s involvement in our schools and communities. To stay upto-date on co-op happenings, follow NAEC’s account at facebook.com/NorthARElectric .

To enroll your account(s) in auto bank draft, call (870) 895-3221 or visit an NAEC office during regular business hours.

Sending an automated call when your home is going to be part of a planned outage or mailing a capital credits check are only two of the many reasons why NAEC might need to contact you. It's important to keep a current mailing address and at least one phone number and email on file. To update or check your contact information, call (870) 895-3221, visit an NAEC office or submit a form available at naeci.com/contact-naec.

The 2026 Annual Meeting will entail only a business session at 10 a.m. June 23 at the co-op’s Salem headquarters. Members can watch the meeting live at naeci.com; a recording of the Annual Meeting also will be posted to the co-op’s website afterward.

FOLLOW NAEC Twitter.com/NorthARElectric Facebook.com/NorthARElectric NAEC’s offices will be closed May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. We honor those who died serving our country. A dispatcher will be on duty, and personnel will be on call in the event of an outage.

Enroll in automatic bank draft by calling NAEC at (870) 895-3221. The free service ensures the electric bill is paid on time each month and eliminates the cost of a stamp or time spent visiting an NAEC office.

FOLLOW NAEC Twitter.com/NorthARElectric Facebook.com/NorthARElectric High school juniors have until March 5 to submit an application for Youth Tour, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia June 14-20. Download the application at naeci.com.

Billing changes coming to NAEC members in August

Beginning in August, North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) members will experience a new bill design, a new online portal and app as well as a new due date as the co-op transitions billing software providers.

NAEC will share more information about these changes, as well as actions members will need to take, in the coming months through multiple channels, including Arkansas Living, The Messenger bill insert, direct mail pieces, lobby signage, naeci.com, NAEC’s Facebook page, email blasts and more.

In August, members will notice a more streamlined bill design that will include a new account number. In addition, the new bill will feature a graph with the past year’s monthly usage as well as the high and low temperatures for each month. This will help members understand their electricity consumption at a glance.

Members will access their account information through a new website and app called SmartHub. NAEC will provide members step-by-step instructions to access SmartHub for the first time using their new account number. Once logged in, members will be able to pay their bill, set up account alerts and remind ers, sign up for an automated payment method, view detailed usage data and more.

Finally, the payment due date will change from the 14th of the month. (Details to come.) NAEC will extend the due date because the electric bills will be mailed later than in the past. This also will change when notices will be mailed to accounts that are subject to disconnection for nonpayment.

NAEC created a webpage — naeci.com/smarthub — where the latest information on the transition will be shared. Co-op employees also will be available to answer any questions and address any concerns. Please visit an NAEC office or call (870) 895-3221 during business hours or email info@naeci.com

Bank drafts moving to new software

Automatic bank draft is the most convenient payment method NAEC offers and is the only recurring payment method that will transition to NAEC’s new billing software in August.

Credit and debit card numbers will not move to the new billing software, so recurring payments tied to existing credit and debit cards will not either.

Co-op members who enroll in bank draft now will experience a seamless transition in August.

Automatic bank draft is an electronic transfer from a member’s checking or savings account to NAEC’s each month. On or about the 14th of every month, the amount of the bill is deducted from the account. (Please note that day of the month will change come August.)

Enrolling in this free service ensures the bill is paid on time each month. It also eliminates the cost of a stamp or time spent in the drive-thru lane. Members also don’t have to worry about updating credit or debit card information when it expires or is compromised.

To enroll an account(s) in bank draft, call (870) 8953221 or visit an NAEC office during regular business hours.