Summary of August’s board meeting

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Posted on Nov 02 2026 in Decatur County REMC

CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Dale Wernke called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. All directors were present except Jason Barnhorst. Also in attendance were CEO Brett Abplanalp and Accounting and Finance Manager Matt Raver. Steve Nobbe kept the minutes of the meeting. 

APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Suzanne Parmer moved to approve the agenda. Brian Scheidler seconded the motion, and the motion carried unanimously.

IEC PRESENTATION
Ryan Hadley, director of policy and government relations at Indiana Electric Cooperatives, provided a presentation to the board regarding the IEC PAC and electric utility deregulation. 

SAFETY MINUTE AND COOL MOMENT
Abplanalp presented the safety minute and cool moment. The safety minute this month was that before starting outdoor projects, consider utility safety. Before you dig, contact Indiana 811 to have underground utilities marked. Remember to look up for overhead power lines, and when landscaping, keep trees and shrubs away from power lines and utility equipment. The cool moment included capital credits going back to our members and congratulations to Caleb Litmer and Evan Tallent, who represented us at the Indiana Electric Cooperative Lineman Rodeo. A special shoutout to Caleb for bringing home first place in the Hurtman Rescue Challenge. 

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Open and closed action items, AX Charges, check register, and safety reports were reviewed. 

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES
Scheidler moved to approve the minutes of the July 22 board meeting. Nobbe seconded the motion, and the motion carried unanimously.

OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE OVERSIGHT
Abplanalp reviewed company metrics with the board and provided the following updates: 

  • The median temperature for July was 5% warmer than the five-year average. 
  • Wholesale energy purchased was up 7.5%, and demand was up 2.3% compared to the five-year average. 
  • Year-to-date energy sales were 1.1% above budget. 
  • PowerStream Fiber: Phase Two design is progressing. Construction is awaiting required federal environmental approvals. 
  • Construction work plan: Planned 2026 work has been completed, with the cooperative meeting its reliability and capital budget goals. 

FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT
Raver presented the financial update to the board. 

  • The net utility plant increased by $1.1 million compared to the previous month 
  • Year-to-date revenues were $1,019,732 above budget 
  • Power costs are over by $306,369, resulting in a gross margin over budget of $713,363 YTD. 
  • Controllable expenses were under budget by $67,381 
  • The ending cash balance for the month was $644.293. 

BOARD GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
Dale Wernke provided a director training/conference report and a Labor Committee update. 

GOVERNING DOCUMENT AND POLICY APPROVAL
The board reviewed proposed rules and regulations changes related to member services, facility credits, and dormant services. 

Steve AmRhein moved to approve the rules and regulations changes as reviewed, excluding Rules 11 and 27. Nobbe seconded the motion, and the motion carried unanimously.

Policy 6-1: Membership in Other Organizations and Policy 3-1: Organizational Policy were reviewed and scheduled for further review at the next meeting. 

AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS/ BOARD COMMITTEES
Scheidler provided an update regarding Hometown Energy. AmRhein provided an IEC board/committee update. 

ADJOURNMENT
AmRhein moved to adjourn the meeting. Scheidler seconded the motion, and the motion carried. Following adjournment, the board entered executive session.