• Chairman Tom Crowe called the March 26, 2019, meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., and Jason Barnhorst kept minutes of the meeting.
• All members of the board were present. Also present were DCREMC CEO Brett Abplanalp and DCREMC employees Jennie Meyer and Rachel Sullivan.
• Upon motion by Michael Brelage, seconded by Brian Scheidler, and carried, the agenda of the meeting was approved by unanimous vote.
• DCREMC Community Trust report was presented by Abplanalp and reviewed on Call to Order. Proposed red-line changes to the bylaws, guidelines, and application forms were reviewed and discussed.
• Upon motion by Jeff Lawrence, seconded by Brelage, and carried, the changes to DCREMC Community Trust documents were approved as prepared by unanimous vote.
• Upon motion by Lawrence Young, seconded by Dale Wernke, and carried, the bylaws of the DCREMC Community Trust were amended to include organizations who serve DCREMC members. Passed by unanimous vote.
• Rachel Sullivan provided an update regarding the upcoming annual meeting of DCREMC. The annual meeting will be held June 14 at the Decatur County Fairgrounds with the business meeting to begin at 6:30 p.m. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Powering Our Future.” More details regarding the meeting and voting options will be available in the upcoming edition of Indiana Connection magazine and on the DCREMC website.
• Upon motion by Barnhorst, seconded by Young, and carried, the consent agenda was approved by unanimous vote.
• The financial report was reviewed on CTO. It was noted that both revenues and expenses are under budget so far this year. Overall sales volume has been down by 4% year to date, with both the residential and industrial classes contributing to declining sales. The five-year workplan is nearly completed and will be reviewed by RUS in the near future. The financial report was accepted by the board as prepared and will be filed for audit.
• Steve AmRhein attended the recent NRECA annual meeting held March 10-13 and gave a report to the board. Crowe and Abplanalp also attended the meeting. Some key focus areas of the conference were: rural broadband, smart home technology, electric efficiency, and the REMC’s role in the communities they serve.
• A 2019 project update was given by Abplanalp. 1) Certification audit/safe app 2) Rate implementation and member communication, 3) Strategic combinations/partnering, 4.) Operational excellence. He also noted that there will be two upcoming line extension projects.
Old Business
• The board agreed to schedule a meeting in early April to complete a workshop at DCREMC headquarters on financial management policy. Abplanalp will coordinate the time and date of this training.
• The board accountability strategic initiative committee reported that it plans to have its report submitted to the board by May. This will ensure that the new proposed policy updates can be approved and implemented before the annual meeting and election.
• The EV/Broadband committee reported that it is continuing its work on project feasibility, requirements, and potential partnership arrangements concerning broadband implementation.
• Upon motion by Barnhorst, seconded by Brelage, and carried, the 10-year financial forecast was approved as presented by unanimous vote.
• A three-phase solar tariff was discussed. It was decided to ask DCREMC rate consultant, Prime Group, to use our interval data and compare DCREMC purchase power cost vs. avoided cost for both single- and three-phase solar members.
• There was discussion on balancing our general ledger (GL) capital credit balance to our capital credit register. This has been an ongoing problem for many years prior to 2007. Upon motion by Brelage, seconded by Young, and carried, the capital credit imbalance will be corrected over the next four years by transferring equity between the accounts. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
New Business
• Upon motion by Young, seconded by Wernke, and carried, the Large Coincidental Peak Service (LCP) tariff will no longer be available for new enrollments. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
• Upon motion by Brelage, seconded by Young, and carried, the board approved a proposal to close the DCREMC office on May 31 so all employees can participate in an off-site, team building activity. Motion passed, with one dissenting vote cast by Lawrence.
• Upon motion by Lawrence, seconded by Brian Scheidler, and carried, Article IX of DCREMC bylaws will be changed to convert unclaimed capital credits to permanent equity, passed by unanimous vote.
• Conflict of Interest Policy (1-14) and Anti-Harassment Policy (10-16) were both reviewed by the board. No changes or updates to the policies were made.
• Upon motion by AmRhein, seconded by Young, and carried, the meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
