I would like to thank all of our members who were able to attend our 79th Annual Meeting in Stratton in June. I know how busy this time of year is for our membership.
K.C. Electric is served by a nine-member board of directors which is elected by the membership. The nine board of directors consist of five representatives from Kit Carson County, three from Cheyenne County, and one from Lincoln County. Each year during the annual meeting three directors are elected to serve a three-year term.
There were no contested races for the board election this year. Incumbent directors who will serve another three-year term are Dave Ritchey from Cheyenne County, Wayne Parrish from Kit Carson County, and Eric Poss from Lincoln County.
Instead of our typical President and General Manager speeches, this year we had two guest speakers from our wholesale power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. Chief Energy Innovation Officer Reg Rudolph and Senior Vice President General Counsel Jay Sturhahn addressed the crowd and discussed how Tri-State delivers electricity to K.C. Electric now and how that will change in the future. They also gave an industry update and discussed the future of Tri-State, including reliability and rates.
Board President Kevin Penny moderated the discussion, and the group took questions from the crowd. Penny also announced the 2025 scholarship winners.
Director Terry Tagtmeyer was recognized for 25 years of service, and Eric Poss was recognized for five years.
As is tradition, we gave away a number of door prizes throughout the meeting. The grand prize of $1,500 went unclaimed since the person whose name was drawn was not in attendance. However, five members in attendance each walked away with $100 cash.
President Penny announced that the 2026 Annual Meeting will take place on Thursday, June 4 in Seibert at Hi-Plains High School.
The electric industry in Colorado and throughout the entire country is changing at a very rapid pace, and we must continue to adjust to these changes. I can assure you, the K.C. board and staff will keep working hard to deliver the high-quality service you expect and deserve from your cooperative.
I hope to see you next year in Seibert!
Scholarship Recipients
- Jaylyn Kechter, Idalia High School — $2,000 from K.C. Electric
- Thomas Schaal, Burlington High School — $2,000 from K.C. Electric
- Hailey Loutzenhiser, Arriba-Flagler High School — $1,000 from K.C. Electric
- Daphne Hartman, Hi-Plains High School — $1,000 from K.C. Electric
- Caitlyn Pimentel, Burlington High School — $1,000 from K.C. Electric
- Gage Levin, Stratton High School — $1,000 from K.C. Electric
- Cutler McArthur, Eaton High School — $1,000 from Basin Electric
- Maddie Powell, Bethune High School — $500 from Tri-State G&T
- Brady Simmons, Genoa-Hugo High School — $500 from Tri-State G&T
Congratulations to each of these scholarship recipients. We wish them good luck in their future endeavors.
K.C. ELECTRIC MISSION
Our mission is to provide our members with safe, reliable service at the lowest cost, while maintaining an environmentally responsible, accountable, and sustainable operation now and in the future.
David Churchwell is the General Manager of K.C. Electric Association. KC Electric’s mission is to provide our members with safe, reliable service at the lowest cost, while maintaining an environmentally responsible, accountable, and sustainable operation now and in the future.
