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Notice of Board Nominations
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Friday | February 14, 2020
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The following persons have been nominated by petition to run for Director of United Power, Inc.

UNITED POWER, INC.

OFFICIAL POSTING OF NOMINATIONS
FOR DIRECTOR BY PETITION

The following persons have been nominated by petition to run for Director of United Power, Inc., in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of Members scheduled April 15, 2020. Districts E (East), Districts M (Mountain), S (South) and W (West) are up for three-year terms.

 

District E (East)

James Vigesaa

District M (Mountains)

Tamra K. Waltemath

District S (South)

Greg Campbell
Stan Martin
Phil Noble
David E. Rose

District W (West)

Ginny Buczek
James P. Menghi

 

This notice is posted pursuant to Section 4.06 of the Bylaws of United Power, Inc.

Posted: 2-14-2020
Cooperative Website
Brighton Headquarters
Carbon Valley Service Center
Coal Creek Office
Ft. Lupton Office

 


 

Learn more about the 2020 Annual Meeting & Director Election here:

Annual Meeting

United Power's offices will be closed on Monday, February 17th in honor of President's Day.

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Democracy at the Cooperative
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Tuesday | February 11, 2020
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Each year our members’ votes in the director election determine who will represent them on the co-op’s board.

Prior to this year’s national elections in November, United Power members have the opportunity to have a say in the future of their electric cooperative. Each year our members’ votes in the director election determine who will represent them on the co-op’s board.

United Power invites participation from its members. Members have a finger on the pulse of their communities and understand what’s important to them. As an electric utility, your knowledge is critical to helping the co-op better serve its members.

Every Vote Matters Equally

United Power is a not-for-profit cooperative owned and controlled by the members it serves. When you become a member, you automatically receive the benefits all other members share, including the right to vote for board representation. Your vote always matters. As a member, your vote carries equal weight as any other member’s vote, regardless of what kind of account they have or how large it is. This is a cooperative principle known as “one member, one vote.” Director candidates must also live within United Power’s service territory, so you know you’ll be voting for someone who understands your community’s needs. They could even be your friends or neighbors.

Running for a Board Position

The primary difference between an investor-owned utility (IOU) and cooperative is democratic control. IOUs make decisions to appease stakeholders and shareholders who might not live in the same state, let alone the same community. Any United Power member in good standing is eligible to run for a position on the cooperative’s eleven-member board of directors. Directors serve three-year terms in one of four geographical districts. Although directors must live in one of these districts, members vote on an “at-large” basis, explained in more detail next.

Voting in the Election

The cooperative mails director ballots in March and encourages all members to cast votes in the election. Although directors live in a specific geographic district, they represent all members and are therefore elected on an “at-large” basis. This means members may cast a vote for a director in each district and not just their own. Directors serve in geographic districts to ensure adequate accessibility for members and to provide a representative cross-section of United Power’s member base in their leadership role. Learn more about voting policy here. Your vote always matters. To learn more about a director candidate, consider attending one of our Meet the Candidate events. Director statements are published online after February 14.

2020 Director Election

This year, four positions on United Power’s board are up for election at the 2020 Annual Meeting & Director Election, scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Members may submit their ballot via mail, at drop boxes located at any United Power office location or in-person at the Annual Meeting. More information about how to submit your ballot may be found on the Annual Meeting page.

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2019: A Year in Review
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Thursday | February 6, 2020
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This past year was a banner one for the co-op, which also celebrated its 80th anniversary at the annual meeting this past April.

United Power works around the clock year after year to ensure its members continue to receive the safe and reliable power they’ve come to expect from the cooperative. There have been some big changes over the past year. Some of these exciting changes have helped the cooperative better serve members living in different parts of the service territory and many have been for member use and convenience. This past year was a banner one for the co-op, which also celebrated its 80th anniversary at the annual meeting this past April.

A Cooperative Milestone

Celebrating 80 years was a special cooperative milestone for United Power. Not only was the cooperative one of the earliest co-ops formed, but it also took overcoming tremendous odds to achieve the milestone. Originally established by a group of rural farmers in 1938, United Power, formerly Union REA, overcame an aggressive takeover attempt from Public Service Company of Colorado (now Xcel Energy) with the help of its members and has become one of the most progressive cooperatives across the country. Today, United Power proudly serves more than 93,000 members.

Officially Welcomed Frederick

This past January, United Power officially acquired Frederick Power & Light and became the sole power provider to the Town of Frederick. Along with the addition, the cooperative also welcomed approximately 2,400 new members, which pushed its total services above 90,000 meters. The acquisition closed a crucial hole in the middle of the service territory, helping United Power better integrate its electric delivery system and reduce operations costs for all.

Carbon Valley Office Staffed

United Power purchased a large facility near Carbon Valley in 2017 to operate as a base of services in the western part of its service territory. After significant renovations and remodeling, crews began operating out of the facility toward the end of 2018. The western office quickly began providing value for members in the area. Crews stationed in Carbon Valley have quicker and more convenient access to the highways and communities in United Power’s western service territory, eliminating a 45-minute commute from the cooperative’s Brighton-based facility. The shorter commute allows crews to respond more rapidly in the event of an outage and restore power more quickly. Although some operations staff were already stationed at the Carbon Valley Service Center, the facility wasn’t officially staffed until 2019. As the cooperative continues to grow, more departments will be staffed within the new office. The office, located along East I-25 Frontage Road just south of Highway 119, offers construction services and, as of December, a payment kiosk in the office lobby. A community room is also available for local community groups to use free of charge.

New Website Launched

United Power overhauled its website in 2019, launching the new version toward the end of June. The new site was designed with a more member-focused approach. Not only was the new site designed with more user-friendly navigation, it was also tailored to be responsive on mobile devices, making it more intuitive for member use. In addition, the visually focused layout was intended to make the site more engaging while providing assurance members can find the appropriate content to meet their needs more quickly. United Power continues to update the site with the latest cooperative news and information, so it’s important to check back regularly.

Landmark Achievements

From energizing the first community solar farm and becoming one of the first utilities in the country to utilize a single-axis tracking system on its large-scale solar farms, United Power has become synonymous with innovation over the past 10 years. The cooperative celebrated achievements for two innovative projects in 2019. In May, the Sol Partners Community Solar Farm turned 10. An immediate hit at inception, the solar farm sold out quickly and has been adopted by cooperatives across the country. In the fall, United Power’s battery storage project was ranked in the top 10 for interconnected storage capacity by the Smart Electric Power Alliance. The cooperative was the only Colorado utility to appear on the list.

Payment Options that Work for Members

To round out a busy and successful year, United Power also adopted two new payment methods for members. Pay Now allows members to make quick, one-time payments online via check or credit card with just an account number or invoice number, a quick way to pay when you don’t have your password on hand. The cooperative also placed two payment kiosks at office locations in Coal Creek Canyon and Carbon Valley. Like the Pay Now feature, members can make payments using the kiosk with just an account number and form of payment. Payments made by cash or credit are applied immediately and restores accounts subject to disconnection immediately upon payment.

Throughout 2019, United Power had many opportunities to celebrate continual growth and innovation with members and leaders in the communities we serve. As we look to the future, we’ll continue to set the bar for others to follow. We look forward to all 2020 has to offer, and continuing to provide our members safe and reliable energy.

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Is Your Contact Info Up to Date?
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Thursday | January 16, 2020
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Check your information to make sure you're getting important updates from your co-op.

United Power has been using recorded phone messages to let members know when a preplanned outage has been scheduled in their area for maintenance work. As new software becomes available, the cooperative may have more options to send important communications to members electronically.

Electronic communications are tied to individual member accounts and use the phone numbers and/or email addresses the cooperative has on record. If the contact information on record isn’t up-to-date or is entered incorrectly, you may be missing out on important notifications from United Power.

You can check your contact information and make necessary updates using the free online payment portal, SmartHub. To set up an online account, go to www.unitedpower.com and click on Online Account Services under My Account. Contact information can also be updated by calling the Member Services Team at 303-637-1300.

Old Home Wiring May Need TLC

Friday | January 10, 2020
Here are a few clues to find out if your home’s electric network needs a professional switch. 

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Colorado Electric Cooperatives Ask State for Greater Local Control
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Friday | January 3, 2020
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United Power and La Plata Electric push for lower rates and cleaner energy for customers

Colorado electric cooperatives United Power and La Plata Electric Association are weighing all options to change their existing energy procurement contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (“Tri-State”). In dual November filings with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (“CPUC”), both cooperatives asked the state’s regulating body to exercise its authority to provide a just exit charge from its existing contract with Tri-State. Currently, both entities are required to purchase a minimum of 95% of their power from Tri-State under existing contracts that run through 2050. In addition, a recent S&P report downgraded Tri-State’s credit rating, with one of the reasons being that its Members’ retail energy rates were at least 20% higher than the statewide average.

“As the largest member in the Tri-State cooperative, we have a responsibility to our 92,000 residential and commercial customers to provide them with the cleanest and most affordable energy possible,” said John Parker, Chief Executive Officer of United Power. “Our current contract with Tri-State forces us to purchase some of the dirtiest energy in Colorado, while our customers pay 20% more than what is the state average. We’ve spent 18 months trying to change this contract, and all that we have gotten from Tri-State is delays, evasions and excuses. On behalf of our customers, we will no longer accept this.”

Tri-State relies heavily upon fossil fuels to provide power to its 43 cooperative members across four states, with 56% of its energy generation coming from coal, which is a significantly higher reliance on coal than other energy providers in Colorado. With the passage of HB19-1261, energy companies in Colorado must start work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and Tri-State is not well-positioned to meet these new standards.  As renewable energy production continues to drive down the price of energy, Tri-State’s continued reliance on fossil fuels is also hitting its members in the pocketbooks as well as putting the cooperatives at risk of not meeting the new clean energy standards.

 “Our community should have a choice,” said Jessica Matlock, Chief Executive Officer of La Plata Electric Association. “We want to be a part of the clean energy future and can achieve this through working in our backyard, with our community. We can bring jobs and economic growth to Colorado, while also supplying carbon-free energy to the region. We are disappointed that Tri-State is not partnering with us to achieve this clean energy future together. We want input into the process and choice when it comes to a cost-effective and clean energy future, not a one size fits all approach developed without input of the affected member cooperatives.” 

In response to United Power’s and La Plata Energy’s filings with the CPUC, Tri-State recently filed a motion to dismiss their complaints because they do not believe that the CPUC has jurisdiction over these matters. Instead, Tri-State claims that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has jurisdiction over their rates, even though their initial application was rejected in October for being deficient and incomplete.

“Tri-State is going up against a much larger tide that they spent years refusing to confront,” said Parker. “Tri-State’s lack of urgency in addressing these matters is aimed solely at self-preservation rather than what is best for our customers.”

The CPUC has set a date of January 10th to receive testimony on the matter and is expected to make a decision by early April.



About United Power
United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative delivering electricity to more than 92,000 meters at homes, businesses and farms in Colorado's north-central front range. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media at facebook.com/unitedpower or twitter.com/unitedpowercoop.

 

About La Plata Electric Association
La Plata Electric Association, Inc. (LPEA) is a member-owned, not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative serving La Plata and Archuleta, with segments of Hinsdale, Mineral and San Juan counties. There are 22 cooperatives in Colorado, LPEA is the fifth largest cooperative in the state, providing safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost to approximately 34,000 members.