Each October, electric cooperatives across the country celebrate National Co-op Month. For us at Decatur County REMC, it’s an opportunity to reflect on what has made our cooperative special for nearly 90 years — and to recognize the people at the center of it all.

Those people are you, our members.

You are more than a customer who receives an electric bill each month. You are a member-owner of Decatur County REMC. Your needs guide our decisions, shape our priorities, and keep us focused on providing safe, reliable, and affordable electric service with the friendly, local service our members expect.

Simply put, members are the key to everything we do.

Member-owned and locally led
Decatur County REMC was created in 1938 because local people came together to bring electricity to rural homes, farms, and communities that other utilities were not serving. While much has changed since then, the heart of our cooperative remains the same: neighbors working together to meet a shared need.

Today, we remain locally owned and led. We do not answer to distant shareholders or outside investors. We answer to the members we serve.

Our employees live and work in the same communities as you. We shop at the same businesses, attend the same schools and community events, travel the same roads, and experience the same storms. When you call our office, you are speaking with someone who understands this area and is committed to helping.

That local connection influences every decision we make. Whether we are replacing poles, trimming rights-of-way, upgrading equipment, expanding PowerStream Fiber, or supporting a community organization, our goal is to provide lasting value to the people and places we serve.

Your voice matters
Member ownership also means having a voice in the cooperative.

Decatur County REMC is governed by a seven-member board of directors elected by the membership. These directors are not outside investors or corporate representatives. They are fellow DCREMC members who live within our service area and understand the needs of our communities.

Through director elections
and participation in our Annual Meeting, members help select the local leaders who guide the cooperative’s direction and oversee its financial health. Each member has a voice and a vote.

Local accountability is important. Our directors understand that every decision must balance today’s needs with our responsibility to keep the cooperative strong for the next generation of members.

Your ownership has value
Because Decatur County REMC is a not-for-profit electric cooperative, revenue collected beyond the cost of providing service is allocated to members as capital credits.

Capital credits represent each member’s share of the cooperative’s margins based on the amount of electricity purchased during a given year. When the cooperative’s financial condition allows, the board of directors approves the retirement of those credits.

Since 1968, Decatur County REMC has returned more than $19 million in capital credits to members. Some members see that return as a credit on their electric bill, while former members may receive a check.

Capital credits are one of the clearest examples of the cooperative difference. Money remaining after expenses does not go to outside investors. It’s allocated and eventually returned to the members who helped build and support the cooperative.

‘Concern for Community’
Our connection to members goes beyond the electric meter. Because this is our home, too, we have a responsibility to help our communities grow stronger.

Through Operation Round Up, participating members combine their spare change to support local nonprofit organizations, schools, emergency services, and community projects. Individually, the monthly contribution is small. Together, those contributions make a meaningful difference for our neighbors.

We also invest in local youth through Camp Kilowatt, Indiana Youth Tour, and scholarships; provide electrical safety education to students and first responders; and support organizations and events throughout our service area.

This October, our employees will join employees of electric cooperatives across Indiana for Community Day. Our team will spend the day serving Southeastern Baptist Youth Camp by helping with cleaning, cutting wood, and electrical projects. It is one more way we can put the cooperative principle of “Concern for Community” into action here at home.

These efforts are possible because of the support and participation of our members. When our communities grow stronger, so does Decatur County REMC.

Thank you for holding the key.

National Co-op Month may last only a few weeks, but our commitment to you continues throughout the year.

Thank you for trusting us to power your homes, farms, and businesses. Thank you for participating in cooperative elections, attending our Annual Meeting, supporting programs such as Operation Round Up, and sharing your feedback with us. Your voice, ownership, and involvement help guide Decatur County REMC forward.

This cooperative was built by local people to serve local people. Nearly 90 years later, that remains our purpose.

Decatur County REMC exists to serve you.

Because here, members are the key.