Mountain View Electric Association held its 74th annual meeting of members June 4 at Palmer Ridge High School in Monument, Colorado. Festivities before the meeting included rides in a bucket truck’s bucket and a delicious dinner served by the Key Clubs of the District 38 high schools ó Lewis Palmer and Palmer Ridge. Raffle drawings were held throughout the evening.Three districts within MVEA had open board seats for election ó all were unopposed. The following members were retained for another three-year term: Joseph Martin, District 1; Milton Mathis, District 4; and Barry Springer, District 6.Martin, president of the MVEA board of directors, announced the winners of the essay contest, as well as scholarship winners for the year. A total of $14,000 was awarded to all scholarship winners. Sandra Luksic of Palmer Ridge High School was the Washington, DC, youth tour winner for 2015.The president’s report followed. ìWe have the proverbial good news/bad news scenario,î Martin said. ìAs of yet, there are no rate increases. However, there are some on the horizon.î Power Systems Engineering performed the class cost of service study this year, he said. ìWe want to minimize rate subsidies between classes,î Martin said. The classes include residential, irrigation, small power, municipal water, large power and outdoor lighting. The classes that will be adjusted are irrigation, municipal water, large power and outdoor lighting. New rates will be effective after July 1. ìThe goal is a 6 percent rate of return,î Martin said. MVEA uses cyclical billing, so residents can expect the adjustment on the first bill they receive after July 1, whether they receive their bills in the first, second, third or fourth week of each month.The meeting moved on to capital credits. ìMountain View believes credits are one of the more important things we do,î Martin said. MVEA provides credits on a 15-year rotation; 2015 is the second year in which they utilized a hybrid combination on a first-in-first-out (those who joined the co-op 15 years ago) and last-in-first-out (those who joined the co-op in 2012) basis. Eighty percent in credits will be given to the first-in-first-out category, and 20 percent to last-in-first-out; distributed to those who joined in 1998 and 1999 (first-in-first-out) and 2012 (last-in-first-out).ìWe basically did the same thing we did last year,î Martin said. ìWe’re trying to get new members to understand what it means to be in a co-op.î He said the hybrid system allows MVEA to distribute more money back than a strictly first-in-first-out system.Members were encouraged by the financial overview. Clifton, Larson, & Allen LLP performed the audit. Martin reported that MVEA had a clean audit. ìWe met or exceeded benchmarks put forth by lenders,î he said. ìYour co-op is financially strong.îDiscussions turned to Operation Round Up, started in 1999. The program involves rounding up to the nearest dollar when paying MVEA bills. Each month, the maximum each member can donate is 99 cents, and MVEA member participation for Operation Round Up is currently at 59 percent. As of April 30, Operation Round Up has collected a total of $2,427,337. Of that, $2,064,318 has been disbursed, with $1,468,373 to organizations and $595,945 to individuals. ìIt’s neighbors helping neighbors,î Martin said.Jim Herron, chief executive officer, polled members on various issues. Members had clickers for instant answers. Questions were asked, such as this one, ìWould you like to participate in MVEA grassroots effort with email alerts regarding pertinent issues that give you the opportunity to communicate with your legislators?î Members responded to that question: 59 percent said yes, 23 percent no, and 19 percent undecided. Members were also asked whether they had visited MVEA’s Facebook page. Most members had not. Several other questions were asked, and the board will consider those answers in planning for the future of MVEA.Additional lamplighter meetings will be held Oct. 4, during National Co-op Month. Black Forest, Calhan and Limon will host the meetings. MVEA is requesting that members ask for invitations so they can accommodate attendees.The meeting wrapped up with a final raffle drawing and the announcement of staff retirements. Claud Hugley, operations manager, is retiring after 42 years of service. Darryl Edwards, member services manager, retires with 20 years of service.
