About
the REMC
Jackson County REMC is a member-owned rural electric cooperative. There are
approximately 20,000 members served by 24,200 active meters in place on 2,836 miles of line, an average
of 8.5 consumers per mile.
Annual growth of new service connections is
about 300 per year. We are one of the three largest of 38 REMC's in Indiana, both in area and number of members.
Our system encompasses both good farming areas and hilly sections which provide as beautiful
and scenic attractions as you will find in southern Indiana.
Our headquarters is located in Brownstown about 1/2 mile east of U.S. 50 at 274 East Base Road.
We are a nonprofit cooperative. This means that no stock is owned, there are no dividends declared, and any excess of revenue over
expenses (margins) is treated as capital contributed by each member in proportion to the amount of electricity purchased.
We are a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) which has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. NRECA
is a national service association for the nearly 1000 rural electric systems in the country.
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Our Purpose
The purpose of Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation shall be to serve the
electric energy needs of its members fully, equitably, and reliably at a high level of service consistent with
sound economy and good management.
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REMC History
Two important events started the Rural Electrification program early in 1935. The Indiana legislature in its 1935 General
Assembly passed the State REMC act, and on May 11, 1935, the United States Congress passed the bill establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), which became part of the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) in 1994.
The first public meeting to organize an REMC in Jackson County was held on November 5, 1936. Two hundred people attended.
The first REA loan to Jackson County Rural Electric was approved September 22, 1937, for $100,000.
The first pole was set on February 12, 1938. That pole, which was made from a native chestnut tree, remained in service until October 1, 1997. It had an extraordinary life of nearly 60 years!
Actual connection of electricity to homes began on Tuesday, June 28, 1938. The home to receive the account number "1" was that of Mr. and Mrs. William VonDielingen of the Tampico area.
During 1939 and 1940 it was agreed to enlarge the service area to include parts of adjacent counties.
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Our Service Area
Our service area extends into portions of ten counties, including most of Jackson and Washington
Counties; 2-1/2 townships in Jennings County; 3-1/2
townships in Scott County; 3 townships in Lawrence County; 1 township in Brown
County; and small portions of Clark, Jefferson, Monroe and Bartholomew Counties.
Excluded are some areas near the larger towns which had electric service at the time the Rural Electric was started in 1937.
Our service area is about 50 miles long (north and south) and 46 miles wide at the greatest extremities, covering approximately 1400 square miles.
Our construction and service crews operate from the headquarters at Brownstown.
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Board of Directors
The operations of your Rural Electric are carried out under policies set by a board of directors. There are nine directors, each representing one district. Three directors are elected by the members attending the
annual membership meeting held each year in July.
Each director is a member of the cooperative and receives electric service from the cooperative. As members, the directors are subject to the same by-laws, policies, rates and operating practices of the cooperative as other members.
Cooperative members elect directors at the annual meeting. Each member has one vote, even though he
or she may have more than one metered service on the lines. Each of our
nine directors is elected to a three-year term and may be re-elected.
Three directors are elected in each year at the annual meeting by a vote of the
members attending. Prior to the annual meeting, the board appoints
nominating committees of three persons living within each of the three districts
with expiring terms. Each committee is instructed to select at least two
nominees for the vacancy. Additional nominations may be made by petition
as designated in the cooperative's bylaws.
Directors meet regularly with the general manager on the second Tuesday of each month and may be called to special meetings. They are expected to attend other meetings
and seminars to gain knowledge on specialized and technical subjects on which they must make decisions. Directors receive a fee for attending each meeting, and are reimbursed for
expenses they incur, but they receive no salaries.
The REMC's board of directors includes:
District 1 - Larry D. Peters
District 2 - Walter Hunter
District 3 - John Trinkle (president)
District 4 - Paul Elliott
District 5 - Jerry Kelley (secretary-treasurer)
District 6 - Mark Trisler
District 7 - Richard Lambring
District 8 - Earl Pottschmidt (vice-president)
District 9 - John Miller
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Employees
There are 66 full time employees to handle all phases of the business for distribution of power throughout our assigned area. These include engineering, construction, maintenance, billing, and accounting with an in-house computer, as well as many
consumer services including information about wiring, heating and cooling, and energy conservation.
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Statement of
Nondiscrimination
Jackson County REMC is a recipient of
Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of
race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex,
marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation,
genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an
individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all
prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large
print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600
(voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director,
Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, D.C.
20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an
equal opportunity provider and employer.
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