Ulysses, KS – Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Pioneer Electric) announced its intent to acquire electrical distribution service territory owned by the City of Hugoton. Pioneer expects the transition to take effect late summer 2026.

“We are humbled by the trust expressed by the city in this decision,” said Lindsay Campbell, Pioneer Electric CEO. “Our hope is that this opportunity acts as a benefit for both the community of Hugoton and Pioneer Electric. We appreciate the opportunity to grow the cooperative and, in return, serve as a community partner by providing safe, reliable, and affordable electrical service.”

Pioneer Electric currently serves members in 10 counties in southwest Kansas, including portions of rural Stevens County and the town of Moscow. The cooperative has been assisting the city with the maintenance of its electrical infrastructure over the past year and previously helped coordinate its advanced metering infrastructure for utilities.

“In serving Stevens County, we’ve always felt a connection to the community of Hugoton,” said Campbell. “Students at the school have been winners of our scholarships and youth trips, we’ve given grants for civic opportunities, and have participated in community events such as parades and livestock auctions. Now we get the opportunity to offer that same commitment at a service level.”

Pioneer Electric will work with the city to share information regarding the transition of service; those serviced by the city, who are not already members of Pioneer Electric, will have to register as members. Campbell explains that notices will be provided to impacted customers along with information for registration and a timeline for completion.

“We want to ensure that this is a smooth process for Hugoton citizens,” said Campbell. “Our customer service team is planning to coordinate membership signup days in Hugoton to assist in the transfer. This will serve as an opportunity to ask questions and meet our staff. In the interim, customers will continue to pay the city for their electrical service.”

Pioneer Electric is developing a work plan for improvements to Hugoton’s distribution system and plans to carry out items like tree trimming and system inventory soon. Pioneer also plans to engineer and construct a second electric transmission line in to Hugoton, delivering reliable redundancy in the case of inclement weather or equipment failure.

Pioneer Electric’s Ag Day, originally scheduled for Dec. 8, 2025, will be postponed to a later date. Currently, we are working with our partners and employees to ensure that the event serves as a resource for our ag partners. We truly thank the work done during this initial planning period and will share more information as it becomes available.

We thank our members for their interest and support of our 2025 Ag Day and look forward to meeting with you all soon.

The holiday season is upon us and with it we reflect on all that we are thankful for. As a cooperative, Pioneer Electric believes in giving back to the ones who power us – our members. Because Pioneer Electric operates at cost, we return funds to our members rather than distributing them to outside investors or shareholders. This year, Pioneer Electric is proud to announce the retirement of $5.7 million in capital credits. Members will receive capital credits from Pioneer Electric for service in 2000 and 2024 and Sunflower Electric Power Corporation for service from 2012 and 2024.b v

How capital credits work:

Each month, our members are billed for the electricity they use, and the costs associated with getting that power to their home, farm or business.  We keep record of each member’s patronage and as Pioneer Electric pays all operating expenses for the year any leftover operating revenue is allocated as capital credits. When financial conditions permit, the co-op’s board of directors votes to return a portion of these capital credits back to contributing members. Pioneer Electric utilizes a hybrid method that splits retirement between the current year (25% of the total amount) and the oldest year (75% of the total amount) on record.

Not only do members receive capital credits from us but they may also receive capital credits from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, our generation and transmission provider. Sunflower is also a cooperative, of which Pioneer Electric is a member, and retires its capital back to its members.

In the past, members were able to collect their capital credit checks at Pioneer Electric’s Member Appreciation Event in December. To expedite the delivery of capital credit checks to members, Pioneer Electric will mail the checks in November. As a reminder, Pioneer Electric will not issue capital credit checks for amounts lower than $5. Those amounts will be held in the members’ account until they exceed $5.

Members Matter

Capital credits are just one of the many benefits of co-op membership. Giving back to our local members, rather than relying on outside parties, is one of the many aspects that set cooperatives apart from other types of businesses. Our members guide every decision we make and are the reason our co-op exists. To us, you’re more than a customer. This holiday season, we hope you’re proud to be part of a community-focused co-op that puts people before profits.