Valerie Schneider

The combined board meeting included a regular board session and a subsequent Public Rate Meeting. Key actions during the regular session involved reviewing and approving the consent agenda, approving the proposed 2026 Budget, and awarding a total of $5,000.00 in Youth Scholarships and W.O.R.K. Scholarships. The Board also approved the Payable-On-Death Capital Credits Contract and the timeline for the 2026 Annual Meeting, alongside amendments to Policy 507. During the Public Rate Meeting, the Board reviewed the proposed Rate Study and Design and approved the Cost of Service Recommendation Tariffs and the Distributed Generation Tariffs. Multiple monthly reports were presented, including financial, operations, line loss, and member services reports. The Board also held several executive sessions to discuss attorney-client matters and non-elected personnel, and tabled the discussion on electronic voting until the following month.

The annual meeting included a guest speaker, Sunflower Electric President and CEO Todd Hillman, and addresses from Kansas Legislators. The meeting featured videos detailing the 2022 financial report and the manager's report. The board election results were presented, and newly elected trustees were announced. After the meeting, the Western Board of Trustees appointed officers.

The meeting included an invocation and pledge of allegiance, recognition of EJ Dinus for his years of service, and a video presentation created from a firsthand account letter written by a Western member. The meeting also involved recognizing several guests in attendance, including trustees and spouses, Western employees, retired employees, past trustees, past legal counsel, local elected officials, and representatives from Kansas Electric Cooperative Staff.

The annual meeting included a video summarizing each department's successes and challenges, focusing on the theme 'wired for success'. Discussions covered the reliability of electrical infrastructure, safety achievements, human resources updates, technology implementations, community engagement, youth programs, and financial matters such as capital credits and rate structures. The meeting also addressed challenges like severe storms, supply chain issues, cyber security threats, and volatile gas markets.

The meeting addressed the cooperative's commitment to its members, focusing on delivering power and serving the community. It covered the cooperative's financial performance, including megawatt hours sold, cost of power, and expenses, and highlighted investments in construction projects and the distribution system. The discussion included community support through donations, scholarships, and safety training, as well as technological advancements like Smart Hub and the Outage Management System. The meeting also touched on challenges such as supply chain issues and regulatory matters, and explored new technologies like battery storage and electric vehicles.