Boy, June is coming up fast on us. Where did our spring go? With water lines frozen till late April into early May, and some sewer systems probably still frozen, it will definitely be a winter to remember.

With June come the gnats, mosquitoes and other creeping little critters that remind us the joys of living here in the northland has its price to pay for each season. On the bright side, June brings about our 67th annual meeting of North Itasca Electric Co-op., Inc.’s Members. Started in 1940, your Cooperative has contributed more than anyone can measure to the success, growth and prosperity of our northland area. From agriculture, recreation, and small business to seasonal friends and year around residents, this silent servant of electricity continues to enrich our lives.

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You would think that after 34 years of Annual Meetings I’d quit getting excited about all the details that go into the preparation and the meeting itself. After all, my staff and employees have been through this many times themselves and know exactly how to set up the meeting area, register the Members, keep everything orderly and on track, so why should I get excited? I think it’s because the Annual Meeting is the only chance I get each year to directly address the Members as Owners of their Cooperative business. I want everything to be at its best and impress you with our accomplishments over the past year. My better half (Sandra) says I’m almost impossible to live with the last the two weeks before the meeting.

We do have another great meeting planned with a slightly shortened agenda and an earlier starting time for the breakfast and meeting to give you more time to enjoy the Wilderness Celebration and the Centennial being held immediately following our meeting. As an additional incentive, and because we know your going to be hungry again after the meeting, we’ll be handing out lunch tickets with a value of up to $5.00 for you to buy a hamburger and beverage from one of the local vendors or organizations. Plan to bring the family and friends and make it a full day enjoying the activities listed here in the WATTS NEWS.

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The 2007 annual meeting will be held at the headquarters building on June 9th. Breakfast is being served again this year, but note the earlier than usual start time for both the breakfast and the start of the meeting.

Late this past fall, our capital credit software was upgraded for the first time in many years. Although not quite complete, this will give the Board alternatives to the way capital credits have been handled in the past. Although these changes can be challenging, it is also exciting when we realize how much more information can be stored and retrieved in a more efficient manor. Tina Danielson handles capital credits for the Cooperative. If anyone has questions, please feel free to contact her.

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I hope all you folks had a good and prosperous year! Annual Meeting time here at North Itasca Electric Co-op., Inc. is a busy time of year for all of us. We have just finished having our audits, and the Mothers’ Day Open House is behind us. Letters have gone out to the membership announcing the Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee has met and the names of the Candidates for Districts 7, 8 and 9 have been posted. By the time you read this, ballots will have been printed and mailed to the members voting in districts up for reelection (7, 8 & 9).

Even though there is a lot of work and planning for an Annual Meeting, the reward is having as many of you as possible attend, after all it is “your” Annual Meeting. With that being said we have a great meeting planned out for you and we are all looking forward to seeing you there.

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I would like to thank all of you who stopped in for the Mothers’ Day Open House. It was good to see everyone again. I enjoyed visiting with everyone and I would like you to know that I appreciate the fact that you took time out of your busy schedule to come in and once again make our Open House a successful one. It has been a great year thanks to all of you!

I also would like to thank all of our N.I.C.E. long distance customers. You stuck with us when we first started offering long distance service, while we struggled until we got all the problems worked out, and it has paid off! We now have a very reliable and affordable deal. Unlike gas prices, our rates have not changed since we started offering long distance on Sept 1, 2001. Our rates are still 8.9 cents a minute if you are calling within the state and 7.9 cents a minute if you are calling outside the state. Our calling cards are 13.9 cents a minute. “There is no big deduction of minutes to place the call like some calling cards.”

Changes are taking place in Load Management. As we all have heard in the news there is great concern about global warming. There are new regulations and mandates taking place in 2007 and they will be with us in the future as well.

With more and more electronics becoming available and the population increasing, more energy is being consumed. At the same time, efforts are being made to reduce the amount of energy.

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I received an e-mail that had quotes from Will Rogers, a western humorist who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935: “If you’re riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure the herd is still there.”

This quote made me think how far your electric co-op has progressed in the past years.

From e-mail to automatic meter reading, technology has changed the way we operate your business.

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