Manager’s Message — January 2019
Dear Co-op Community Members:
The Lane Electric Cooperative Board of Directors, on behalf of the cooperative membership, is committed to keeping your co-op financially sound while making careful decisions about how members share that responsibility through rates. Effective for bills generated this month, the board decided to decrease the kilowatt-hour rate for residential rate class members and increase the monthly basic charge for all rate classes.
Lane Electric’s 2019 budget anticipates more construction, including several undergrounding projects, to improve reliability for decades to come. We borrow to finance these long-term improvements so each generation of members pays a fair share of the cost and benefit. The change to the basic charge across all rate classes reflects all current members’ share of the improvements.
Predictability is why the residential kilowatt-hour rate is decreasing. A lower kWh rate for the first tier of use helps stabilize your bill during cold spells when you use more electricity to stay warm. Also, a lower rate helps Lane Electric collect only the revenue it needs to meet operational goals. The cost to deliver that energy to you across the miles is more appropriately collected in the basic charge that stays the same each month regardless of how much energy you use. You can read more about rate structures and this rate change on pages 28-29 of this month’s issue.
Meeting operational needs with affordable rate structures continues to be a focus of the board of directors. The board, and all Lane Electric employees, understand the economic challenges that members face. We continue to offer energy-efficiency programs and have several ways to help you manage paying your monthly bill. If you would like to learn more about our payment options, including Pre-Pay, please visit our website or call us at 541-484-1151.
Matt Michel, General Manager
