1. Healthcare

1511 14,000 Rd, P.O. Box 368, Altamont, KS 67330
866-784-5500
www.twinvalleyelectric.coop
T W I N VA L L E Y
E L E C T R I C C O O P E R AT I V E
Twin Valley Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Ron Holsteen CEO
Board of Directors
Daniel Peterson
President
Bryan Coover
Vice President
Ronald McNickle
Secretary
Larry Hubbell
Treasurer
Rodney Baker
Trustee
Tom Ellison
Trustee
Bryan Hucke
Trustee
Dareld Nelson
Trustee
Office Hours
Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Contact Us
1511 14,000 Rd, P.O. Box 368
Altamont, KS 67330
620-784-5500
www.twinvalleyelectric.coop
Co-op Connections
Card Savings Update
In 2014,
members
saved
$468.35
in
prescriptions using the
Co-op Connections Card.
FROM THE MANAGER
NEWS
Democracy at the Co-op
While the national elections of the past November
may be fading from your
memory, voting for politicians is not the only way
we as co-op members can
practice democracy.
Every co-op–whether
it’s Twin Valley, your credit
union or a farm co-op–
follows the basic principle
of one member, one vote.
Most often you are asked
to vote and elect individuals
that will represent you on
the board of directors. These
folks are your friends, neighbors and fellow residents of
our community. Occasionally, you may be asked to
vote on a policy, such as a
bylaw change (this is like the
constitution for your co-op).
Every member in good
standing of the co-op may
run for the board. This is one
of the key differences between a co-op member and
a customer of an investorowned utility (IOU). Most
IOUs are not too interested
in customers’ opinions of
how the company should
be run.
Co-ops invite participation. In fact, it is critically
important to the survival
of the co-op. Most co-ops
serve far fewer people than
IOUs. Co-ops measure the
number of members in the
thousands, IOUs in the millions. If you are not actively
involved with the co-op, we
all suffer. As the electric utility industry evolves, having
interested members who are
willing to take an active role
is critically important.
At Twin Valley, we believe in the Own, Use, Serve
and Belong model.
Own–Refers to each
member truly believing and
feeling that they do indeed
share in the ownership of
the co-op. This can come
from attending the Annual
Meeting, voting, receiving
a capital credits check or
participating in other co-op
events.
Use–For electric coops this means that you use
the co-op's resources wisely
(after all, you are an owner
of those resources). You use
energy-efficient appliances,
weather strip windows and
doors, use LED or CFL lights–
and you turn them off when
you leave the room. Share
that one with the
kids!
Serve–If
we are successful
with “own” and
“use,” perhaps
you will feel
called to serve
Ron Holsteen
your co-op–maybe as a board member, volunteer, committee member
or community contributor
through the co-op.
Belong–We all seek to
belong to something. In the
early days when the co-op
was just getting started,
neighbors helped neighbors.
While our lives seem busier
and more electronically
driven than ever, the need
to connect and belong is
necessary for us and our
communities to thrive.
There is great power in
the human connection, and
at Twin Valley, we strive to
do that every day.
The Twin Valley Annual
Meeting is April 16 at the
Labette County High School.
The nominating committee
will meet on February 10 to
nominate candidates for the
board of director positions
at this year’s Annual Meeting.
FEBRUARY 2015
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
16-A
N E W S F R O M T W I N VA L L E Y E L E C T R I C C O O P E R AT I V E
NOTES FROM OPERATIONS
Thank You for Your Support
William Worthy
This month
I’d like to
commend
and
thank our
members
and the
public for
what they
do for us.
I would like to take my allotted space this
month and talk about something I haven’t
mentioned previously. I know at times you may
feel as if I’m scolding our members or the public
over some of the obstacles we face as we go
about our business of providing electric service
to you. I never want to come across that way,
but at times I tend to shoot from the hip and
my filter may be turned off when I do.
However, this month I’d like to commend
and thank our members and the public for
what they do for us. As I approach my five-year
mark with Twin Valley Electric Cooperative, I
look back on the times when members helped
our employees. Whether it was offering a tractor and a chain to pull a truck out of a ditch
or bringing out coffee to the linemen in the
middle of the night, our members always seem
to want to help out the employees of their
cooperative.
This Christmas, we were blessed by the
offerings of a very generous member who
brought fresh pork sausage to all the employees of Twin Valley and wanted to thank us
for what we do, no matter the time of day or
night, or the weather conditions.
As you know, we opened our new office
this past August and the flowers, plants and
cards from our members far outweighed the
naysayers on what we had built. Of course, the
naysayers would find a reason to gripe no matter what we did.
On a personal note, I’d like to thank our
linemen and office personnel for the hard work
and sacrifices they have to make in order to
keep the lights on. Sometimes, and more often
than not, these sacrifices come right in the
middle of dinner with their family, a birthday party, a dance recital or junior’s tee-ball
game. For that reason, I would like to thank
the spouses, children and families of the Twin
Valley employees who give up their time with
loved one when the thunder rolls and the
telephone rings.
Each time our linemen roll out, they have no
idea what awaits them. It could be as simple as a
fuse blown or a bad connection up to poles and
wire lying on the ground because someone lifted
a dump bed up at the wrong time.
Our linemen are well-trained and follow strict safety rules when it comes restoring power to our members. They know that
bending or breaking safety rules can lead to
strict punishment if violated and they know the
reason for this is to make sure they get back to
their families in one piece. Twin Valley is very
proud of its safety program and our people for
following it.
We will see what Mother Nature has left
for us this winter and you can count on us being here 24/7 to make sure the lights stay on.
If you have any comments or questions, you
can call me at the office or email me directly at
[email protected].
Go Paperless Today!
Whether you’re busy taking care of your family, or just always on
the go, we know how hard it is to get everything done in 24 hours.
That’s why Twin Valley Electric is proud to offer online bill pay.
Online Bill Pay offers you the option to go paperless with future
statements. You have the ability to pay your bills online, view your
account history and your statements with our Online Bill Pay system.
Just visit our website at www.twinvalleyelectric.coop and click
the Online Bill Pay icon. You’ll be directed to our secure site. Once
there, you will need to create a user ID the first time you log on.
16-B
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
FEBRUARY 2015
You can then view and
pay your bill online. It’s
really that easy.
Our Online Bill Pay
system is secure and designed to protect your
account and payment
information. Payment methods include personal check,
or use your Visa or MasterCard.
Need Help With Home
Energy Costs? LIEAP Can Help
The Low Income
Energy Assistance
Program (LIEAP)
is a Federally funded
program that
helps eligible
households pay
a portion of their home energy
costs by providing a one-time per
year benefit.
The 2015 application period
is through Tuesday, March 31. Applications must be received prior
to 5 p.m. on March 31. Online
applications are available at www.
ks-energy-assistance.com.
The following summary
describes basic LIEAP eligibility
provisions. Additional informa2014 Maximum
Allowable
Monthly Income
1
$1,265
2
$1,705
3
$2,144
4
$2,584
5
$3,024
6
$3,464
7
$3,904
8
$4,344
9
$4,783
10
$5,223
11
$5,663
12
$6,103
+ add $440 for each additional
person
Persons Living
at the Address
requirements:
tion may be obtained by calling
800-432-0043.
In order
to qualify,
applicants
must meet
the following
 An adult living at the address
must be personally responsible
for paying the heating costs incurred at the current residence,
payable either to the landlord
or the fuel vendor.
 Applicants must demonstrate
a recent history of payments
toward purchase of the primary
heating energy.
 The combined gross income
(before deductions) of all persons living at the address may
not exceed 130 percent of the
federal poverty level according
to the guidelines listed in the
chart at right.
For more information call
800-432-0043 or visit www.
ks-energy-assistance.com.
Shelton Retires
after 35 Years
at Twin Valley
TOMMIE
SHELTON,
Crew
Forman,
retired
from Twin
Valley Electric with
35 years of
service.
Shelton celebrated with
his fellow
employees
and Board
members
on Decem- Tommie Shelton
retires after 35 years
ber 30.
at the co-op.
His
co-workers
surprised him with a .22 caliber
rifle in honor of his retirement.
Twin Valley thanks Shelton
for his dedicated service and
we wish him all the best in
retirement.
Benefit levels vary
according to:
Household income
Number of persons living
at the address
Type of dwelling
Type of heating fuel
Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month
Did you know that 90 percent of the energy used to operate a washing
machine comes from using hot water? A simple switch from hot to cold
can save a great deal of energy! Also, consider air drying or even line drying
to save even more household energy.
Tyler Kennett (left) presented the .22 to
Shelton at his retirement party.
FEBRUARY 2015
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
16-C
Attention High School Juniors
Don't Miss this FREE Trip of a Lifetime!
Each year, students from Kansas join more than 1,600 youth in
Washington, D.C., to attend the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour.
This year’s Youth Tour is scheduled for June 11-18, 2015.
Kansas delegates attend Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp
along with students from three other states to develop leadership
skills and learn about co-ops. The 2015 CYLC will be July 11-17.
Twin Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc., will send one high
school junior to the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in
Washington, D.C., and one to the Cooperative Youth
Leadership Camp in Steamboat Springs, CO.
March 6 at 1 p.m. to pick the winner. All participating
students will receive a prize.
To apply please complete, sign and return the application below to Twin Valley, P.O. Box 368, Altamont,
KS 67330 BY FEBRUARY 20, 2015.
To Qualify
The applicant must be a high school junior living within
the cooperative’s territorial boundaries and the child of
a Twin Valley Electric member.
To Apply
Applicants will be expected to study and take a quiz
over information sent by Twin Valley regarding electric
cooperatives. There will also be a short interview on
Youth Tour Selection Process
Applicants must complete an application and return it
to the cooperative office. Finalists will be quizzed and
interviewed by a panel of judges at the cooperative
offices.
For More Information
For more information contact Jennifer at 866-784-5500.
Application for Youth Tour Contest - Due by February 20
Name of Applicant ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________City_______________________________ State __________ Zip _______________
Birth Date _______________________________________ Twin Valley Account # ________________________________________________
Name of Parents or Guardians __________________________________________________________________________________________
Parents' Phone Number _______________________________________________________________________________________________
School _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I agree that all information supplied in this application is accurate and true.
Signature of Applicant ________________________________________________________________________________________________
I hereby grant permission for the above named applicant to enter the 2015 Youth Tour competition sponsored by Twin Valley Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
Signature of Parent or Legal Guardian ____________________________________________________________________________________
16-D
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING FEBRUARY 2015