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Guernsey-Muskingum’s Hill appointed to Ohio Senate Brian Hill, R-Zanesville, was sworn in as state senator for the 20th district, representing Fairfield, Guernsey, Hocking, Morgan, and Muskingum counties and portions of Athens and Pickaway counties. Hill, who has served in the Ohio House of Representatives since 2011, was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, who was recently elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Sen. Hill serves as a trustee on the Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative board.
Washington Electric awards lighting rebate to Noble Local Schools Washington Electric Cooperative awarded the Noble Local School District a $1,485 rebate through the Commercial and Industrial Lighting program. The district’s project focused on interior lighting at Shenandoah High School and the Shenandoah Middle School gymnasium in Sarahsville. Earlier this year, the cooperative awarded the school district a $1,825 rebate for upgrades performed on the campus’s exterior lighting. Trenda Rice, Noble Locals Schools’ treasurer/CFO, says, “While improving the educational experience of our students, the cost savings further validate that we take our fiscal and environmental responsibilities very seriously.”
Buckeye Power appeals valuation Buckeye Power Inc. is appealing the tax rate at Cardinal Power Plant, the primary generation resource for the 25 electric cooperatives serving the state of Ohio. The move could lessen Buckeye Power’s tax burden at Cardinal by as much as $3.5 million annually. The measure was taken in order to properly align Cardinal’s tax responsibility with its actual value and with similar power plants remaining in Ohio, as well as to fortify its foundation and future as a viable, competitive power generation resource for its member cooperatives.
USDA aims to improve internet connectivity in rural America Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering up to $600 million in loans and grants to help build broadband infrastructure in rural America. Telecommunications companies, rural electric cooperatives and utilities, internet service providers, and municipalities may apply for funding through USDA’s new ReConnect Program to connect rural areas that currently have insufficient broadband service. USDA will make available $200 million for grants, as well as $200 million for loan and grant combinations, and $200 million for low-interest loans. Projects funded through this initiative must serve communities with fewer than 2,0 people and with no or slow broadband service.
FEBRUARY 2019 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 23