2014 December Southern Indiana Power Newsletter

NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.sinpwr.com CONTACT US OFFICE 812-547-2316 TOLL FREE 800-323-2316 FAX 812-547-6853 EMAIL SINPOWER@SINPWR.COM OFFICE HOURS

7 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday-Friday MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 219, Tell City, IN 47586 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jeff Vogel

Phone: 660-0333 CHAIRMAN DISTRICT 1: LUCE AND OHIO TOWNSHIPS (SPENCER COUNTY)

Michelle Lynch

Phone: 843-5214 VICE-CHAIR DISTRICT 7: CLARK AND OIL TOWNSHIPS (PERRY COUNTY) AND COOPERATIVE TERRITORY IN DUBOIS COUNTY

Kevin Waninger

Phone: 836-4646 SECRETARY/TREASURER DISTRICT 6: LEOPOLD, TOBIN AND UNION TOWNSHIPS (PERRY COUNTY)

Philip Meyer

Phone: 454-2874 DISTRICT 2: GRASS, CLAY AND JACKSON TOWNSHIPS (SPENCER COUNTY) AND COOPERATIVE TERRITORY IN WARRICK COUNTY

Gary Waninger

Phone: 357-2264 DISTRICT 3: CARTER AND HARRISON TOWNSHIPS (SPENCER COUNTY)

Dirk Stein

Phone: 529-8166 DISTRICT 4: HAMMOND AND HUFF TOWNSHIPS (SPENCER COUNTY)

Randy Kleaving

Phone: 836-2536 DISTRICT 5: ANDERSON AND TROY TOWNSHIPS (PERRY COUNTY) KEY STAFF

Steve Seibert PRESIDENT/CEO

Karen Mangum

OFFICE/IT MANAGER

Jeff Hilgenhold

Preserving our service territory Indiana’s electric cooperatives are engaged in a campaign to preserve our electric service territory.

Our campaign, aptly named service territory preservation (STP), is designed STEVE SEIBERT to preserve electric service territory boundaries which cooperatives have worked hard to develop since the passage of the Rural Electrification Act in the 1930s. This campaign will bring us in front of the Indiana General Assembly in 2015 and allow us to make a case as to why it is essential for the electric cooperative community to preserve our defined electric service territory.

Indiana state law currently defines electric service territories and these territories are protected with one glaring exception. Following an annexation, if the city or town that completes an annexation has a municipal electric unit, they can take electric service territory from both electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities with very little compensation and almost no warning. Conversely, electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities must come to a two-party agreement and petition the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission in order to change the defined electric service territory boundaries. The current state law seems a little unfair, doesn’t it?

It has always been the mission of Indiana’s electric cooperatives to serve the member and make the appropriate investments in order to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electric service to areas of

MANAGER OF MEMBER AND CORPORATE SERVICES

Todd Hammond

SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Steve Fortwendel

LINE SUPERINTENDENT

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • DECEMBER 2014 • ElectricConsumer.org

the state. Many of these areas were initially unserved or under served because other utilities did not want to serve them due to the inability to generate profits.

Indiana’s electric cooperatives serve 89 of Indiana’s 92 counties, most of which are sparsely populated. This means there are fewer members to cover fixed infrastructure costs when an electric cooperative’s service territory reduces in size.

Imagine the negative impact on electric cooperatives that lose large commercial and industrial users to municipals and, in turn, lose all of the revenue that comes with those members. This current process of losing electric service territory and revenues to municipal utilities is slowly eroding the cooperative communities that Indiana’s electric cooperatives have worked so hard to build.

As previously stated, Indiana’s electric cooperatives will attempt to address this issue during the 2015 Indiana legislative session. It is our goal to eliminate the continued “taking” of our electric service territories and prevent the overwhelming negative financial burden being placed on Indiana’s electric cooperative members.

As we continue to push for new legislation, we might be encouraging you — the member-owner — to contact your local legislator to inform him/her of the negative impacts that the current state law has on your family, your community, and your electric cooperative.

STEVE SEIBERT is the president/CEO of Southern Indiana Power.

IVE Rate Schedule How to compute your monthly electric bill Shown below is the rate schedule information needed to figure your bill for electric use in November.

Wholesale power cost tracker Indiana sales tax General Service Rate Facility charge All kWh

$0.00766 $0.07 $24.50 per month $0.0975

Off-Peak Heating Systems Facility charge $28.50 per month All kWh $0.0975 Energy used for off-peak heating systems between 11 p.m.-7 a.m. (EST) All kWh $0.053 Monthly Security Light Billing LED Security Light 175-watt mercury vapor 100-watt H.P. sodium 400-watt mercury vapor

$7.50 per month $7.50 per month $7.50 per month $11.50 per month

Electric bills due by the 27th of each month.

Visa, Mastercard and Discover accepted.

Online payment also avilable at www.sinpwr.com.

$50 monthly drawing

Would you like to win a $50 credit on your electric bill? You could if you follow these simple rules: 1. Clip out the coupon below.

2. Fill out and return to our office along with your monthly payment before the 20th of the month. (Delinquent payments are not eligible.)

3. Coupons are dated monthly and are not available at the office.

You are automatically entered in the drawing if you have your bill withdrawn from your bank’s checking or savings account (ACH) or if you pay your bill online by the 20th.

The winner will be notified and the name published in the following monthly publication of Electric Consumer.

OCTOBER’S WINNER: William Mahaney

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

The Southern Indiana Power office will be closed on Dec. 24, 25 and Jan. 1, as our employees spend the holidays with their families.

$50 monthly drawing FOR BILLS DATED DEC. 10 PAID BY DEC. 20 NAME: ________________________________________________ ADDRESS:_____________________________________________ PHONE: _______________________________________________ ACCOUNT #:___________________________________________

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KEEPING CURRENT • SOUTHERN INDIANA POWER

Highlights of Oct. 29 board meeting In an effort to keep you informed of your cooperative’s operations and activities, the following are highlights of the Oct. 29 board meeting.

1. All directors were present along with CEO Steve Seibert and Administrative Assistant Lisa Hinton.

2. The Sept. 24 board meeting minutes were reviewed and approved.

3. The membership certificates and vouchers were reviewed and approved.

4. The Director’s Report was reviewed and approved.

5. Seibert gave an update on capital credit processing. Details are being finalized for 1979-1983 capital credit retirement checks to be mailed mid-November.

6. The CEO report was presented with Seibert reporting the following items: a. Seibert provided an update on the proposed annexation by the city of Tell City. b. Seibert reported on Action.coop results.

To date 2,424 members (33 percent) have submitted comments regarding the EPA greenhouse gas rule. c. Two directors and three employees

attended a tour of Hoosier Energy facilities Oct. 8. d. Seibert and Director Kleaving toured Sunrise Coal Mine and Merom Generating Station with Congressman Bucshon Oct. 17. e. Seibert informed directors of the following dates: Annual Meeting Committee Meeting, Nov. 7; IEC Legislative Dinner, Nov. 17; IEC Annual Meeting, Dec. 8-9; 2014 Employee Christmas party, Dec. 12.

7. Chuck Tiemann, senior risk management/ regulatory consultant with Indiana Electric Cooperatives, conducted a makeup session for pole top and bucket truck rescue Sept.

29, and personal tool, truck tool and winch line inspections Oct. 7. Seibert also reviewed the NRECA Safety Accreditation Summary.

Seibert advised there were no lost-time accidents and no public liability claims to report.

8. The board approved proposed changes to Policy # 504.R2: Collection of Delinquent Accounts Due, Policy # 328: Dress Code for Office Personnel, and Policy # 316.R3: Employee Apparel Policy.

9. Seibert updated directors on 2014-2015 Strategic Plan progress.

Janice Kellems’ name was drawn from all new members completing a survey.

James Stevens’ name was drawn from all members who completed a service order survey.

Each of these members won a $50 bill credit.

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • DECEMBER 2014 • ElectricConsumer.org

10. Director G. Waninger reported on an Operation Round Up trustees meeting held Oct. 8. Eight grant applications totaling $8,010 were funded.

11. Director G. Waninger reported on a Hoosier Energy board meeting held Oct. 13.

12. Director Kleaving reported on an Indiana Electric Cooperatives board meeting held Oct. 15.

13. Director G. Waninger reported on a Cooperatives ONE board meeting held Oct. 10.

14. A marketing committee meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25.

15. A budget committee meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11.

16. 2015 NRECA annual meeting information was distributed. Director Stein was selected delegate and Director G. Waninger alternate to the NRECA annual meeting to be held Feb. 23-25.

17. Director G. Waninger was selected delegate and Chairman Vogel alternate to the CFC annual meeting to be held in conjunction with the NRECA annual meeting.

18. The next two regularly scheduled board of directors meetings will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19, and Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Operation Round Up® grant applications accepted Jan. 2 – Feb. 16

Southern Indiana Power Summary of Regional Member Meetings:

Up to date

Members in District 1, represented by Jeff Vogel, met Oct. 21, at the American Legion. The meal was provided by Catering

by Meyer. Mark Horn, Marion Dixon and Mary Kramer won the $15 bill credits.

MEMBERS GATHER FOR REGIONAL MEETINGS

Members in District 2, represented by Philip Meyer, met Oct. 2, at the Spencer County Youth and Community Center. The meal was catered by The Mill House Restaurant. Thelma Hunter, Hubert Ramsey and James Fisher won the $15 bill credits.

S

outhern Indiana Power recently held the last of seven member information meetings. These meetings are held in the territory of each of the seven directors that represent Southern Indiana Power members.

The meetings give the co-op a chance to update members on upcoming projects and programs. Members have a chance to interact with the directors that represent them and to bring up any questions they might have. A computer chooses members at random to receive an invitation to the meetings. At the conclusion of the meetings, any member who completed a survey received an LED light, and three members from each meeting were chosen at random to receive a $15 bill credit. …

Members in District 3, represented by Gary Waninger, met Oct. 28, at The Chateau. Joe Mullis, Michael Gogel and Charles Reutman won the $15 bill credits.

Members in District 4, represented by Dirk Stein, met Oct. 9, at the Spencer County Youth and Community Center. The meal was catered by The Mill House Restaurant. Patrick Heeke, Robert Zoglman and James Bashman won the $15 bill credits.

Members in District 5, represented by Randy Kleaving, met at the Tell City Depot Oct. 23. The meal was catered by The Patio Steakhouse. Wayne Lasher, Lois Scott and Charles Etienne won the $15 bill credits.

Members in District 6, represented by Kevin Waninger, met at Marcy’s Oct. 13. Charles Faust, Ronald James and Randall Rennie won the $15 bill credits.

Members in District 7, represented by Michelle Lynch, met Oct. 27, at Marcy’s. Patricia Doogs, Donald Hubert and William Rogier won the $15 bill credits.

District 1

District 2

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District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

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