Dear Members,
Are you looking forward to our annual meeting as much as we are? It will be wonderful to gather in person for the first time since 2019 and have Parkdale Grange members serve the pie we all have been missing since our last in-person gathering. We’re excited to enjoy delicious desserts with you and conduct important co-op business together.
Each year, we elect 3 directors to our 9-member board to serve 3-year terms. We have four candidates running this year. Read their profiles on pages 28 through 29.
If you cannot join us for the meeting, you may still vote in our director elections. Stop by our office between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Monday, March 13; Tuesday, March 14; or Wednesday, March 15; to pick up your annual meeting gift and a ballot to fill out.
One person you won’t see at the annual meeting is lineman Clinton Curtis. He will be in Guatemala, working with a team of lineworkers from co-ops across Oregon to bring electricity to the remote village of Ventura. This KOIN 6 news article describes this transformational project, of which we are thrilled to be a part: Oregon electric co-op workers volunteer to help power Guatemalan village.
In my last manager’s message, I explained we have been working with a consultant to review our electric rates. In January, we presented the findings of the rate study to the board. It approved a $4 increase in the service availability charge for residential and small commercial accounts, starting with April bills.
This change helps cover the increasing costs of providing electric service and helps the co-op maintain a solid financial position. It will increase our revenues by about 1% in 2023. This is our first electric rate change in 6 years. We do not expect to make any other rate changes this year.
On behalf of all of us at HR Co-op, thank you for the opportunity to serve you.
Libby Calnon
General Manager