Whetstone Valley Elec Co-Op

Description

Formed in 1940 to provide rural people in Grant and Roberts Counties with electricity, Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative emerged from a strong desire of rural people to have the same energy opportunities as residents of urban areas. Private power companies were not willing to make the investment to serve the rural population with electricity. So with the help of loans authorized by the U.S. Congress and efforts from the rural community banding resources together in a cooperative effort, Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative was formed. Soon employees were hired, materials were purchased, and with the help of local farmers and contracted labor, the networks of high voltage wires were built to deliver electricity to all the farms and rural people that wanted it.Whetstone Valley Electric was designed as a nonprofit organization, whose profits are returned to the member/owners. Each customer is required to be a cooperative member and shares in the ownership of the business. Along with prompt payments for their electric services, cooperative members are encouraged to keep informed of issues pertaining to cooperative. Members should attend the cooperative's Annual Business meeting. Financial reports are presented, business decisions and by-law changes are made, and a board of directors is elected. A nine-member board of directors has the responsibility to set Cooperative business policies and to ensure the proper operation of the business. They also have the responsibility to hire and oversee management.The General Manager has the responsibility to see that day to day operations are effectively carried out. He develops budgets and performs short and long range financial and operational plans. He informs the board of directors through a monthly business meeting of the Cooperative business operations. He supervises the operation of three main departments. The Office Department provides the Cooperative with the accounting, billing, collection and administrative functions. The Operations Department is in charge of maintenance and construction of our primary distribution electrical lines. The Member services department provides public relation activities and operates several services beyond the meter such as electrician services, heating and air conditioning services, security and monitoring services, power quality and energy use repair services, and off-peak load control services.

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