In District I, Kenneth M. Crowder of Sullivan received 592 votes to defeat incumbent Victor Froelker of Gerald, who had 462 votes. Froelker had been a co-op director since 1971. The other two incumbents were successful in retaining their positions. Jim D. Schmidt of Sullivan, on the board since 1989, will serve three more years as a director in District II after defeating Jeanne M. Kennedy of Owensville, 622 votes to 441. In District III, Wayne W. Blunt of Steelville received 752 votes to defeat challenger Michael R. Reed of Davisville who garnered 297 votes. Blunt has served on the co-op board since 1982.

Besides the 663 members registered to vote at the meeting on Wednesday, the election totals reflect ballots cast by 450 members voting by mail.

The co-op’s annual meeting, usually an upbeat county-fair like atmosphere, started on a somber note to commemorate the devastating events of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The Show Choir from Sullivan High School performed a medley of patriotic songs, including "I’m Proud to Be an American," "American Trilogy," and "God Bless America." They also led the audience in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.

Co-op members offered their prayers for our nation, our leaders and the heroic rescue workers and volunteers during an invocation led by the Rev. Tom Wehrman, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sullivan.

During the business meeting, Board President Jim Cottrell and Crawford Electric General Manager Larry Austin reported on the activities and financial status of the cooperative. Guest speaker John Davis, manager of Sho-Me Power Cooperative, discussed power supply issues, including possible plans to deregulate the electric utility industry.

The Crawford County Cattlemen’s Association cooked a ribeye steak sandwich for lunch. The Meramec Jets Bluegrass Band provided uplifting entertainment in the afternoon.

In line with the cooperative’s recent efforts to end unfair rate subsidies, the new fee and deposit schedules will shift the burden of collection costs to the individuals who incur them.

Security deposit
Crawford Electric has long required a security deposit of $100 to be paid before connection of an electric meter where the individual requesting the service either has no established utility credit or has an unacceptable payment history. Starting Nov. 1, the security deposit will be variable according to the usage history of the account to be connected. It will be figured at two times the average monthly bill. In no case will the deposit be less than $100. If a customer can produce a letter of credit from their last electric utility reflecting a payment history with no more than three late payments in the past 12 months, no security deposit will be required.

If a payment on a delinquent account is made after 3 p.m. and the member wants the service reconnected the same day, the new reconnect fee shall be $75. Requests for delinquent reconnection made after 8 p.m. will not be connected until the following day. This is called the "after-hours" reconnect fee, and it previously was $50.

Each month, the cooperative also receives 20-25 checks returned to us by the bank because the customer’s account has insufficient funds to cover the check. The co-op had been charging members $10 for writing bad checks. The new fee will be $30.

Meter tampering
Although this collection policy has not changed, it is important for members to understand how the cooperative handles incidents of theft of electricity resulting from meter tampering.

In the event the cooperative finds a meter in service that shows evidence of tampering, the cooperative shall disconnect the service and, if possible, advise the member why the service is being disconnected.

For service to be reconnected, the member must pay a bill for estimated unpaid energy consumption due to the tampering, a security deposit equal to the member’s three highest month’s use, any damage to the cooperative’s equipment, and all labor, labor overhead and transportation expenses incurred. The security deposit shall be non-interest bearing and retained by the cooperative until the service is disconnected and all amounts due the cooperative have been paid.

Members should keep in mind that meter tampering is a crime. The co-op’s general manager has the discretion and authority to institute legal action in the name of the cooperative to eliminate incidents of tampering with the cooperative’s metering equipment and to recover lost revenues due the cooperative resulting from the theft of electricity through the meter tampering.