By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

CHATHAM, Ill. — Glenwood High School was the site of the annual Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative annual meeting June 9. As part of the Touchstone Energy Cooperative, the motto of this year’s meeting was “Strength in Unity.”
Registered members who turned out in person for the event numbered at 261, with 58 proxy bids. Only one vote per couple counts, so this number did not include the entire crowd that showed to hear what their rural electric cooperative had to share. Part of the evening included reports from Chair Jimmy Ayers and President/CEO David Stuva. One of the concerns the two included in the brochure offered to members was about U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) greenhouse gas regulations: “This course of action was made possible by a 2007 Supreme Court decision, followed by rulings allowing EPA to use the Clean Air Act to curb carbon emissions. Policies dealing with coal ash, state renewable energy requirements, and even more stringent controls on other power plant emissions will lead to higher electricity costs.”
Their report outlined a number of changes that may increase electric costs. Their bottom line was, “It‘s hard to predict the future, but one thing seems certain, government regulations are threatening to increase the cost of doing business.”

The cooperative outlined a number of ways it is trying to keep electric bills affordable and offer energy efficiency programs to help manage energy usage.
“Whether you’re sealing your air ducts, replacing old appliances or improving your home’s insulation, it’s amazing to watch how the little changes can add up to big savings on your electric bill,” the report stated.

There were a few new technology issues unveiled, such as the state-of-the-art advanced metering system that allows the co-op to pinpoint outages and reroute power when needed. This was much appreciated, in light of weather that’s cut off electricity several times this year. This co-op covers Morgan, Sangamon, Christian, Macoupin and Montgomery counties. In this area there are 1,346 miles of line with 5,769 meters connected. The average member’s monthly bill cost in 2010 was $207.63.

The largest percentage of funds (65.98 percent) goes toward the cost of power, with operation expenses (21.21) coming in second, according to the co-op, followed by depreciation (7.82), interest on debt (4.30) and operating margins (0.69).

Before the meeting, members enjoyed a pork chop dinner and a variety of vendors and activities – such as the High Voltage Safety Demo Touchstone provided. This was a timely display, with all the storms and downed lines that have recently hit central Illinois.

District committee members were also elected at the annual meeting. Only District 4 had two competing candidates, Erv Shores and Thomas Hart, with Hart winning the vote. John Beatty ran for District 5 and Mel Repscher for District 6, each unopposed.