The beginning of the year is a natural time for families and businesses to reassess their budgets and goals. Many households have weathered lean years, learning to stretch dollars a little further, make meals last a little longer, and squeeze more productivity out of each day. In much the same way, we understand that every dollar and every decision matters. As I shared last month, a 2.9% rate adjustment will take effect with February bills, but please know we’ve been working hard to make the most of every dollar we collect.

One example is our headquarters in Sellersburg, which is now too small for a cooperative of our size. Vehicles and equipment must be stored outdoors, shortening their usable life. Employees share tight workspaces, and in departments where additional staff would improve service, we simply have no room for another person. The long-term solutions to these challenges will require significant investment, but we will not rush that decision. We are taking the time necessary to ensure we choose the option that serves our members best. In the meantime, we must continue to be creative and resourceful.

To extend the life of our current building, we’ve reorganized storage, added shelving, and found ways to use every square foot more efficiently. To delay hiring, we’ve adjusted job responsibilities, streamlined processes, and adopted technology that helps our employees do more with their time and resources. We are even exploring new strategies to maintain fast outage response times despite the growing traffic around our Sellersburg office.

We know the day is coming when we must expand both our workforce and our facility, and I will share updates with you throughout the year. Until then, we will continue to plan thoughtfully and spend wisely, keeping your cooperative strong.