Menard Electric Cooperative

The annual meeting agenda includes the election of three Directors for districts 3, 7, and 8, a vote on proposed bylaw amendments, and the presentation of reports from the Board Treasurer, President, and General Manager. The meeting will also include the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the membership.

The board discussed revisions to Rate Code 30 and Rate Code 31 following the breakdown of a substation purchase transaction. An annual presentation regarding the Conflict of Interest Policy was delivered, and financial reports for the previous month were reviewed, including operations, balance sheets, budgets, and reliability metrics. Additionally, the board voted on CoBank bylaw amendments, approved Sharing Success Program grants for local community organizations, and received updates on regional power association activities, strategic planning, and the 2026 scholarship program.

The Board received a legislative update regarding energy storage and efficiency initiatives and an overview of the political action committee. Procurement decisions included awarding the 2026 Electric System Construction Contract and the 2026 Power Line Right of Way Clearance and Vegetation Management Contract. The Manager's Report covered financial statements, outage statistics, safety reports, and member services. Additionally, the Board discussed the Illinois Finance Authority's Grid Resilience Grant, mutual aid responses to winter storms, and planning for the upcoming annual meeting, including by-law amendments and event themes.

The Board meeting agenda was amended to remove the Legislative Update from AIEC. Key actions included the approval of the amended agenda and the Consensus Agenda. The Board approved a proposed Resolution for 2026 Special Retirement of Capital Credits, with a maximum retirement of up to $250,000 for member estates. Discussions also covered adjustments to Equity to retain unclaimed Capital Credits retired in 2018, and the approval of a Service Area Agreement with Ameren, and a Consent and Crossing Agreement with Rockdale Solar LLC. Furthermore, a Resolution of Corporate Authorization was approved to modify the list of agents authorized to act on the Cooperative's account at Petefish Skiles & Co Bank. The Manager's Report for December 2025 was presented, detailing updates on the Construction Work Plan, financial statements (Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Budget), LT Debt Maturity Schedule, 2025 inventory adjustment, net metered banked usage credits, and operational metrics showing 73 incidents and a longest outage duration of 318 minutes. Delegates were designated for the NRECA Annual Meeting. The Board also reviewed and adopted proposed changes to various Policies based on the Bylaw/Policy Committee's recommendation.

This document outlines strategic goals set by the Board of Directors for Menard Electric Cooperative, intended to be achieved over the next two to three years. Key areas of focus include improving rate structures to better serve future needs and accommodate new trends, implementing an electric vehicle program, developing cooperative-owned renewable resources with member education, evaluating participation in USDA Rural Economic Development Loan & Grant programs, creating a comprehensive technology roadmap, and continuing efforts to reduce system line loss. The plan aims to proactively prepare the cooperative for future scenarios and enhance operational direction.