Notice Of Annual Meeting

To the members of Nodak Electric Cooperative, Inc.:

You are hereby notified that the 84^th annual meeting of Nodak Electric Cooperative will be held Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Alerus Center, 1200 42^nd Street South in Grand Forks, beginning at 6 p.m., for the following purposes:

1. To pass upon reports covering the previous fiscal year, including acting upon reports of directors.
2. To elect three directors:
   Listed below are candidates either nominated by petition or selected by the Committee on Nominations. The members of the Committee on Nominations are appointed by the board of directors.
3. To transact business that may come before the meeting.

Voting by mail. For the election of directors, the board of directors has authorized the mailing of an absentee ballot to each member. Since the election this year is uncontested, we will not be mailing ballots and return envelopes for the election. However, if you still wish to vote, you are entitled to vote, and we will honor that right by sending you an absentee ballot. Please feel free to call our office at 1-800-732-4373 and request an absentee ballot, and one will be mailed to your address. If the completed ballot is received by 4:30 p.m. on April 9, 2024, it shall be counted as a vote of the absent member.

David Brag, Secretary/Treasurer
March 4, 2024

HOW TO VOTE

Members may vote in person at the Alerus Center on Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m., or by mail. Ballots will be mailed upon request prior to the meeting. Voting instructions will be included.

As we reflect on the past year, we are pleased to share with you that despite encountering a few challenges, Nodak Electric Cooperative had another great year. Our unwavering commitment to providing reliable and affordable electric service remains at the forefront, and we are proud to serve you, our valued member-owners.

Financial stability and investments

In 2023, Nodak Electric continued to maintain robust financial stability. Despite the hurdles posed by rising costs and supply chain complexities, we diligently managed our resources. We concluded the year with a healthy $6.3 million margin, added 242 new metered services, installed 206 miles of new underground cable, and maintained our stable cash position. Our strategic investments in modernizing the distribution system, enhancing reliability, and fortifying cybersecurity have positioned us well for the future.

Community engagement

Our cooperative thrives because of our engaged and supportive members. Our commitment to community extends beyond providing electricity; it’s about building relationships and supporting local initiatives. Some of the highlights of our community involvement include providing scholarships for lineworker training in North Dakota, donating almost $50,000 to community members and organizations through our Operation Round Up® program, providing grants to community projects, sponsoring a Youth Tour to Washington D.C., and much more.

Reliability and resilience

Our lineworkers and staff worked tirelessly to maintain reliable service, especially during extreme weather events. We invested in distribution system improvements, rigorous tree trimming, and efficient storm response protocols. Our goal is to minimize disruptions and keep the lights on for our members.

Rate outlook

Once again, we are pleased to report that our retail electric rates remained unchanged throughout 2023. Despite significant increases in wholesale material costs, we’ve successfully held our rates steady since 2017. Looking ahead, I’m thrilled to share that no general rate increase is planned for 2024. This achievement is truly remarkable when you consider the dynamic landscape of our industry. We are not immune to the inflationary pressures of raw materials, fuel and equipment, but our steady growth has provided the revenue necessary to hold our rates flat for seven years. We’re hard pressed to think of something else we buy today that costs the same as it did seven years ago.

Member participation

Thank you for participating in our annual meeting and exercising your cooperative voice. Your input shapes our decisions, and we appreciate your active involvement. Together, we ensure that Nodak Electric Cooperative remains member-driven.

Looking ahead

As we move forward, we remain committed to innovation, reliability, and serving our members. We will continue to explore new technologies, enhance our services, and adapt to the changing energy landscape.

Thank you for your trust and support. It is an honor to serve you and we look forward to another year of being part of the Nodak Electric Cooperative family.

Being a member of Nodak Electric Cooperative, Inc., means different things to different people. For some, it means receiving reasonably priced electric energy to maintain a balanced family budget. For others, it’s experiencing reliable electric service to keep their operation running, or even having a voice in how the business is run. Whatever the reason, Nodak’s primary goal is to add value to your life in a consistent, cost-effective and safe way. Our business model puts you, the member, first and foremost in all we do. From the power generators in Center, N.D., to the electric meter in your yard, it’s all owned by the members we serve. 

Here are a few words from our members on the importance the cooperative has in their lives.

“As a member-owner of Nodak Electric Cooperative, I have a voice in the direction of our organization. I attend the annual meetings and have an opportunity to engage directly with the people who make decisions on the future of our electric service. As a long-time member, I’m even seeing my cooperative return capital credits to me on my bill. It’s a great feeling knowing that we have a people-first organization providing an essential service to our region like electricity.”  

“When harvest season begins, we are very busy at Nokota, and we rely on consistent power for our growers to be able to bring their potatoes into our bins. Nodak has been a very reliable service for us through the years. And as the cost of things keep rising all of the time, they’ve been able to maintain their rates, and we’ve appreciated that very much.”

“As a fellow cooperative, we know the value of working together toward a common goal. From the field to our production factories, Nodak is there to power every step of the way. They’ve helped us use energy more wisely and have programs in place to help us save money. We know we can pick up the phone and they’ll be here to help when we need them. That’s the value of being served by an electric cooperative.”

Support. Security. Savings. Safety. Service. It’s all yours when you’re a member-owner of Nodak Electric Cooperative. We would like to thank all our members – from residential to commercial – for your participation and support in 2023, and we look forward to serving you in 2024. 

Ryan Benson lives on his family farm near Arvilla, N.D. As a sixth-generation farmer, he currently farms near the Grand Forks AFB, growing crops of wheat, corn, soybeans, sunflowers and canola. He has served on his township board for 15 years and has served a nine-year term on the Honeyford Elevator board – four of those years as president. Ryan also serves on the Gilby volunteer fire department board. Ryan has enjoyed everything that he has learned from his first term as a Nodak Electric director and would like the privilege of serving another term and continuing his learning and growth as a board member. Along with his wife Kristi and two children, the family has a couple dogs, cats, some chickens, and a few pigs on their farm.

David Hagert has been a member of the board of directors for Nodak Electric Cooperative since 1991 and has held numerous offices, including chairman. He has completed the required courses to receive the Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate. David owns and operates AgriData, Inc., a web-based mapping software company that serves farmers, ranchers, and agri-businesses on a national basis. He has served on the North Dakota Atmospheric Resource board, Emerado school board, the Emerado Arvilla Lions Club, the Northwood Jaycees, the Grand Forks County Crop Improvement Association, the Grand Forks County Farm Bureau, the Grand Forks County Planning and Zoning Commission and was past treasurer of Pleasant View Township. David and wife, Karen, have four grown daughters and two grandchildren.

David Brag is a lifelong resident of Finley, N.D. He has served in his community over the years as a church council board member and park board member and is currently farming part-time. He is a Class B electrician and a retired crew foreman of Nodak Electric in Finley. He is a graduate of Finley Public High School and obtained his degree from North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D. Recently, David was elected to serve on the board of directors of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. His experience offers understanding of rural community needs, using a common-sense approach. David and wife, Kathy, have three daughters. He loves spending time with their seven grandchildren.

Operation Round Up is a program that rounds up members’ monthly electric bills to the next whole dollar amount. The resulting funds are put into a special account to assist others in need. The funds collected through Operation Round Up are used for a variety of projects, programs and items throughout the Nodak service area.

The Operation Round board meets quarterly and considers each application that has been received since the previous meeting. It awards funds to the applicants based on how well the application fits the original funding guidelines: 1) Individuals or families in crisis; 2) Services – ambulance and fire; 3) Community youth needs with emphasis on permanent benefit; 4) Scholarships with emphasis on reeducation of displaced agricultural people; 5) Senior needs with emphasis on permanent benefit; and 6) No requests for funding of utility and space heating energy will be accepted.

Operation Round Up is a voluntary program with roughly 51% of the15,189 members participating. Since the program started, a total of $1,120,941 has been distributed to individuals  and organizations throughout the Nodak Electric service area.

2023 Recipients

A new transmission substation south of Grand Forks is set to fortify power reliability for Nodak Electric members this year. Walle substation is one of the largest transmission substations Minnkota Power Cooperative (Nodak’s wholesale power supplier) has built to date. When fully energized in the spring of 2024, it will receive 230-kilovolt (kV) power from Minnkota’s transmission lines, step it down through a transformer and send it on its way as 69-kV electricity for Nodak’s distribution substations.

The new infrastructure is a product of a multiyear Minnkota system study. The study determined that a transmission substation near southern Grand Forks would be critical to keep electric reliability high for a quickly developing region.

“This substation will allow for additional load growth. And reliability is a big factor. The investment is worth it because this will help out in the future,” said Ryan Brorby, Minnkota substation engineering manager. “This will prevent transmission congestion, and we won’t find ourselves in a power bind.”

Many external partners came together to help support Walle substation. Nodak Electric Cooperative was heavily involved in the project, which was happening in the community it serves. The Nodak team set up a new service at the substation site to support the work of Minnkota and its contractors, and it was no simple task – they needed to bury underground line under a road to reach the site. “They were really great to work with, and they did it really quickly,” said Minnkota electrical engineer Kara Laframboise.

The City of Grand Forks also became a strong partner for Walle substation, knowing that a new transmission substation would support goals for economic development. City inspectors visiting the site commented on the remarkable quality of the site work. With so many developments happening around the city in 2023, they were pleased to have an “easy” item to check off the list.

“Everyone says, ‘A substation is getting built,’ and they get a little jumpy about that, thinking it’s going to be this ugly-looking thing,” Brorby said. “What I’ve heard around the community is that everyone was impressed and happy with how the process went.”

Nodak Electric Cooperative’s line crews battled the effects of a significant ice/sleet storm that froze the region Dec. 25-27, 2023. The storm started late on Christmas, producing accumulations of ice on roads, power lines, and nearby trees – causing large-scale power outages to the Nodak system in the ensuing days.

Crews were first dispatched when calls started trickling in for members in the Blanchard, Cummings and Hope areas. The next day, outage numbers continued to climb due to wires slapping together, resulting in breakers opening. Wednesday, Dec. 27, was a challenging day for Nodak’s southern system with many broken power lines and poles reported. At the peak of the outages, a total of 2,244 members lost power, with 200 broken poles that needed to be replaced. It was at this time that Nodak requested mutual aid to help tackle the crippling effects of the ice storm.

The rain finally subsided on Thursday, Dec. 28, giving the line crews slightly improved working conditions. With the help of some very talented lineworkers from North Star Electric Cooperative, PKM Electric Cooperative and Roseau Electric Cooperative, crews got to work on both broken poles and smaller outages that Friday and significant progress was made. By 3:47 p.m. on Dec. 30, power was restored to all residential members.

Thank you to all the lineworkers who worked in less-than-ideal conditions and the employees working tirelessly to restore power to our members. And thank you, North Star Electric Cooperative, PKM Electric Cooperative, and Roseau Electric Cooperative for sharing your talented lineworkers and equipment

Nodak Electric Cooperative is a member of the Rural Development Finance Corporation (RDFC). As a result, communities in our service area are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $3,000 for community-based projects. RDFC is making these funds available so that more people become aware of its larger loan program that funds community-based projects and nonprofit entities with low-interest loans.

RDFC has recently granted $1,500 to McVille Park District-City of McVille to renovate the McVille softball field. Funds will be used to purchase a new backstop and install a permanent fence. New dugouts will be built and the baseball diamond will be transitioned to a softball diamond. 

A $500 grant went to the Lake Region Sportsmen’s Club located in Devils Lake. The club hosted a Youth Ringneck Pheasant Extravaganza during which they released 450 adult pheasants in areas open to public hunting, the evening prior to the state’s youth two-day pheasant season. A banquet was held for all youth hunters and a catered meal and prizes were given to every hunter.

Another $500 grant went to Lakota Elementary School District #66 to support a three-phase accessible playground project located at the elementary school. The mission of this project is to ensure that a safe and accessible playground for everyone is available in the community. Once complete, it will be the only accessible playground within the county.

The final $500 grant went to Park River WCTU Fountain Restoration, Park River. Grant funds will be used to preserve, repair and restore the Park River Women’s Christian Temperance Union Fountain, located at the city park. After the restoration and preservation is complete, the goal is to be able to have the WCTU Fountain listed on the National Register of Historic Places.