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currents


Manager’s Report Includes Low Rates


At the recent East Central Electric Annual Meeting, ECE General Manager Tim Smith offered members a glimpse at co-op income and expenses. For fiscal year 2014, Smith reported the following:


• Residential sales provided 78.4 percent of revenue; commercial sales provided 21.63 percent.


• ECE members pay an average 10 cents per kwh, which is the fourth lowest electric rate in the state in a recent rate study comparing municipally-owned, investor owned and co-op owned electric utilities. ECE’s rate is the second lowest rate among Oklahoma electric co-ops.


• Of every dollar paid to ECE, 62.5 cents goes to wholesale power suppliers. The remaining 37.5 cents goes to ECE.


• The cost for purchased power represents 62.5 percent of co- op expenses. Other expenses include operations and maintenance (13.9 percent); depreciation (8.9 percent); administrative and general (6.4 percent); interest on long term debt (4.6 percent); consumer accounts (3.8 percent); and other expenses, .3 percent.


Smith also told members to watch for ECE’s new Facebook page, coming online in July, and to look for the ECE community solar survey this autumn. The survey intends to gauge member’s interest in a co-op owned community solar project, with panels located near ECE headquarters in Okmulgee.


2 | SEPTEMBER 2015 | country living


co-opleaders


New Trustee Apppointed By Board Michael Vernnon offers experience and the strong desire to serve


serve is being put to good use locally by serving on the board of trustees of East Central Electric Cooperative.


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Vernnon, who lives near Muskogee, was appointed by the co-op board to represent members in District 4 after incumbent trustee Jimmy Eller retired from the position in July.


Co-op bylaws allow the board to fill a vacant position when an incumbent trustee retires or dies. Following Eller’s announcement, the board notified members in District 4 that the position was open and interested candidates should apply. Of nine applications received, one did not meet eligibility requirements. The board interviewed the remaining candidates and selected Vernnon based on his wide range of experience.


Vernnon, who was raised on co-op lines near Checotah, graduated from Southeastern State University in 1994 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Occupational Safety and Health.


Following graduation he worked as a loss control representative for Certified Systems Inc. in Texas. He also worked as director of environmental health and safety for Exide Technologies, Dixie Cup, and Georgia Pacific.


Recently retired from the Oklahoma Army National Guard, Vernnon became detachment commander of Eufaula in 2001, leading Oklahoma soldiers from Eufaula, Okemah, and Okmulgee in Iraq and Afghanistan. Serving in 120th Combat Engineers, Vernnon attained and retired at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3.


ichael Vernnon served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now his inclination to


Michael Vernnon


Vernnon attended basic training in Ft. Hood, TX, and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Further training includes attending primary leadership development


school, advanced non-commissioned officer course, warrant officer candidate school, warrant officer basic course, air assault school, and warrant officer advanced course.


“ I get the opportunity to learn from a group of board members that have seen a lot of change. Wow, what an honor!”


—MICHAEL VERNNON


Vernnon’s broad range of service experience includes route clearance, maintenance, emergency response and power generation for small communities.


After multiple deployments overseas, Vernnon returned to Oklahoma in 2006 and purchased rural property near Muskogee that he and his wife, Erin, lovingly refer to as “the farm.”


Vernnon said he is looking forward to serving on the board and views it as an opportunity to learn from more experienced trustees. “Those guys have such a broad range of experience, and together, I am guessing well over 100 years collective experience,” he said. “Think about that, I get the opportunity to learn from a group of board members that have seen a lot of change. Wow, what an honor.”


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