Summary of October’s board meeting

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Posted on Dec 02 2025 in Decatur County REMC

Call to order
The regular meeting of the Decatur County REMC Board of Directors was called to order at 5:35 p.m. by Chairman Steve AmRhein. Steve Nobbe recorded the minutes. All board members were present. Also present were CEO Brett Abplanalp and employee Matt Raver.

Approval of agenda
Suzanne Parmer moved to approve the agenda as presented. Dale Wernke seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.

Indiana and Federal PAC presentation
Ryan Hadley, representing Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC), provided the board with an update on government relations activities.

Safety moment and cool moment
Abplanalp opened the meeting with a safety moment, emphasizing the importance of staying aware of overhead power lines during harvest season, especially when operating tall equipment. For the ‘cool moment,’ he congratulated all the organizations that received Operation Round Up grants. A total of $16,288.47 was awarded.

Approval of previous meeting minutes
Jason Barnhorst moved to approve the minutes of the Aug. 27, 2025, regular board meeting. Wernke seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Operational and strategic oversight
Abplanalp provided updates on several ongoing projects, including meter pole replacements, the meter replacement project, and the fiber project.

Abplanalp then presented company performance metrics, highlighting the following:

  • The median temperature in August was 1.1% warmer than the five-year average
  • Wholesale energy purchases were down by 3%, with demand being 1.8% compared to the five-year average
  • Year-to-date energy sales were 3.08% above budget

Financial oversight
Raver presented the financial update for August, noting the following:

  • The net utility plant increased by $570,162 compared to the previous month
  • Year-to-date revenues were $806,499 above budget
  • Power costs are over by $444,719, resulting in a gross margin over budget of $361,781 YTD
  • Controllable expenses were under budget by $114,375
  • The ending cash balance for the month was $939,861. 

Abplanalp presented a recommendation for the board to authorize the purchase of fiber in anticipation of the upcoming BEAD grant application. Brian Scheidler moved to authorize management to proceed with the purchase of $1,912,548 of ADSS fiber for the BEAD Grant Phase 2 project. Wernke seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Abplanalp and Raver presented metric data for 2024. 

AmRhein made recommendations to the board to move the November and December board meetings to Nov. 25 and Dec. 22, with the budget review meeting on Dec. 17 at 9 a.m. Scheidler moved to approve as presented. Wernke seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Cost of Service Study
Abplanalp presented recommendations based on the most recent Cost of Service Study, advising that current rates remain unchanged. As part of the recommendation, he proposed rescinding the unused flat rate commercial tariffs and capping the IPT tariff at 50 MW. The flat rate commercial tariffs have never been utilized by members and have not been updated. Parmer moved to rescind the flat rate commercial tariffs as presented; Scheidler seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously. Additionally, since the wholesale transmission tariff was recently capped at 50 MW, a corresponding cap was recommended for the retail IPT tariff. Barnhorst moved to update the IPT tariff as presented; Parmer seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.

Budget approval – building maintenance
At the August meeting, Abplanalp informed the board of several building maintenance issues that were not identified prior to the preparation of the 2025 budget. Parmer moved to approve a spending cap of $30,000 to complete the necessary building maintenance items. Scheidler seconded the motion which was approved unanimously.

Policy approval
Abplanalp provided training to the board to support understanding of current policies related to member facility work processes. Opportunities for improvement were discussed, and by consensus, the board directed management to prepare redlined policy revisions for review at the next board meeting. The following policies were reviewed with no recommended changes:

  • Policy 10-03: Sick Leave
  • Policy 2-04: Membership Corporation Regulations for Service to Electric Motors
  • Policy 11-10: Temporary Service to Members or Contractors
  • Policy 11-08: Standby Power for Member-Owners
  • Policy 11-11: Theft of Electricity and Meter Tampering included recommended changes to authorize a $500 penalty when a meter is removed by unauthorized individuals. Carl Riedeman moved to approve the recommended changes to Policy 11-11. Scheidler seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Governance
Abplanalp presented the current mission statement, the current and future vision statements, and the strategic plan schedule. The mission statement remains unchanged. The current vision statement is: “Develop new services that enhance the quality of life for our members and the community.” The proposed future vision statement is: “To lead the future of energy cooperatives, defined by operational excellence and a workplace where people love to work and are proud to serve.” Wernke moved to approve the new vision statement and the accompanying strategic plan to support it. Nobbe seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously. 

Scheidler moved to approve AmRein as the IEC Director and Wernke as the IEC voting delegate. Nobbe seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously.

Affiliated organizations and board committees
Barnhorst updated the board on Hoosier Energy business. 

AmRein updated the board at the last IEC board meeting. 

Adjournment
Riedeman moved to adjourn the meeting. Scheidler seconded the motion, which was approved unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:47 p.m.