As a member of Pioneer Electric, you’ve heard us talk about the “value” of membership. Access to safe and reliable energy at an affordable cost, scholarships and youth programs, grant opportunities and community investment are all part of the value of membership. There is also monetary value in membership.

Pioneer Electric is owned and led by its members and operates at the cost to provide service. This means that any revenue the cooperative generates in excess of its operating expenses goes back to members in the form of capital credit allocations. Through the process of allocating (setting aside) year-end margins and retiring capital credits (returning money to members in the form of a check), members experience the value of membership.

Retiring capital credits can be complex and difficult to understand. Pioneer Electric breaks the process down into four parts: Membership, Allocation, Evaluatation and Retirement.

Membership

What does it mean to be a member of Pioneer Electric? It means you are more than just a customer – you’re an owner. This means that each member has a financial stake in the equity (margins) of the cooperative, based on their patronage (usage) over time.

Whether you currently have service with Pioneer Electric, or lived on our lines for years – Your patronage may be eligible for retirement.

Members who no longer live within Pioneer Electric’s service territory are still eligible to receive capital credits for the years they were members.

Allocation

Each year, Pioneer Electric allocates (sets aside) any year-end margins that are in excess of the cooperative’s operating expenses to our members. This allocation is based on each member’s patronage contribution (or how much electricity the member used) for the year.

Evaluation

Evaluating the financial strength of the cooperative is an essential step in the capital credit process. Pioneer Electric’s member-elected Board of Trustees examines the cooperative’s financial standing, determines the total dollar amount to retire (if allowed), and votes whether or not to approve the retirement of capital credits.

Retirment

Historically and again in 2023, the Board has employed a “hybrid” method when retiring capital credits. The hybrid method divides the total approved retirement amount, paying 25% towards the most current year on record (2022) and 75% towards the oldest year on record (1999 & 2000). Members with patronage allocations in either of these two years will receive a retirement check.

Member-owners may also receive additional capital credits on behalf of Sunflower Electric Cooperative, Pioneer Electric’s generation and transmission (G&T) provider. If Sunflower retires capital credits to Pioneer Electric, the Pioneer Electric Board of Trustees votes whether or not to approve the retirement of G&T capital credits. The hybrid method is also used for G&T retirements, dividing the approved retirement amount by paying 75% towards the oldest year on record (2011 & 2012) and 25% towards the most current year (2022).

Check, Please!

This year, Pioneer Electric’s Board of Trustees has approved the retirement of $4.5 million in capital credits back to members. Capital credits will be distributed in the form of a check and available for pick up at Pioneer Electric’s annual Member Appreciation Event.
Member Appreciation will be held Dec. 5 the Grant County Civic Center in Ulysses from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Members will have the opportunity to pick up their check, enjoy a complimentary meal and enjoy live entertainment.

For more information regarding the retirement of capital credits, receiving your check or Member Appreciation visit www.pioneerelectric.coop or call 620-356-1211.

As a cooperative, Pioneer Electric believes in providing its members with safe, reliable and affordable energy. Each decision the cooperative’s Board of Trustees makes bears this mission in mind. Newly elected trustee Lori Deyoe looks forward to bringing a unique and dynamic perspective to the board as it continues to grow and strengthen the cooperative for its members.

 

“A safe and reliable power supply is crucial in ensuring the future of rural America,” said Deyoe. “It’s the lifeblood of our community.”

 

Deyoe has an extensive background in community service. She has participated in various community boards and committees including the Grant County Community Foundation, Grant County Extension Council, Grant County Home Products Committee and others. She is a member of the Dexter D. Harbour Post 79 Legion Auxiliary and a 4-H club leader.

 

Deyoe’s agriculture roots extend beyond community service. She and her husband, Matt, run a SimAngus cow herd and follow their children, Baylor and Teagan, around the country showing cattle. Deyoe is also an employee of Skyland Grain and farms with her parents.

 

Deyoe plans to be an open ear to the membership in her new role as a cooperative trustee, stating, “I always plan to be available to listen to the members while striving to understand their changing needs.”

 

More information about the roles and responsibilities of a cooperative trustee and a list of current trustees can be found on Pioneer Electric’s website (www.pioneerelectric.coop).

Pioneer Electric has accepted the resignation of Marieta Hauser from the cooperative’s Board of Trustees, effective October 25, 2023.

Upon her resignation, Hauser stated her appreciation for the opportunity to serve the Cooperative’s members.

 “I was truly shocked and unprepared to be elected to the Board of Trustees,” said Hauser. “After I was elected, I planned to be the best trustee I could be. Upon realizing the normal meeting dates of the Pioneer Electric Board conflicted with another board that I have served on for a number of years, I tried diligently to find a way to make it work to continue to serve the members of Pioneer Electric, who elected me to the position. As it turns out, I was unable to find a resolution.”

Hauser went on to express her appreciation for the Pioneer Electric board.

“We are in the midst of massive change in the energy industry,” stated Hauser. “The Pioneer Electric Board of Trustees has a heavy load figuring out how to best meet that change. I wish them the very best as they take on that task.”

“We thank Marieta for her service to the Pioneer Electric Board of Trustees and wish her the best in her future endeavors,” said Mike Brewer, Board of Trustees President. “The board will work diligently to ensure we find a suitable replacement.”

Pioneer Electric will begin the process of appointing a replacement. The cooperative is committed to maintaining its mission of providing members with world-class service and maintaining the high standards that it represents throughout the appointment process.

For more information regarding the upcoming board appointment process and the role of a cooperative trustee, visit the Cooperative Trustees section of our website.