Sussex Rural shows positive growth
WANTAGE — The treasurer of the Sussux Rural Electircal Cooperative reported the organization has seen positive growth over the past year, and that Utilily Plant in Service has increased by $1.3 million.
The growth reflects the cooperative's investment in system upgrades, which are designed to increase reliability and safety.
"The bottom line is that your cooperative is in a very healthy financial position," he said.
About 550 members and family members attended the annual meeting, held on Monday, June 1, at High Point Regional High School.
The 2015 Youth Tour participants also were announced. Every year, the electric cooperatives from across America send high school juniors to Washington, D.C. for a week. There will be more than 1,600 students from across the country participating in this year’s youth tour. The three students selected from High Point High School are Adelaide Petti, Sneha Suri, and Ember Thomas.
Thomas Madsen, Ron Dupont, and Barbara Miller were re-elected to three-year terms as directors.
President and CEO Jim Siglin addressed the membership by remarking that the cooperative had an “uneventful year,”
It has been nearly three years since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and before that Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011 and horrific ice storms shortly before that. Siglin also noted that due to the population shift out of the county, energy sales have decreased. Siglin said,
“The decline in membership continued in 2014 as retired services outpaced new service connections," Siglin said. "This further contributed to the decline in energy sales.”
Earlier Haggerty had noted that the cooperative had one of the lowest power costs in the New Jersey. This statement was reinforced by guest speaker Frank M. Betley who is president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, a statewide service organization, and the Allegheny Electric Cooperative.
As an enthusiastic and animated speaker, Betley offered oversized Hershey’s chocolate bars as rewards for audience participation. During his presentation, the audience applauded him for his revelation that cooperative members pay only 65 percent of what Jersey Central Power & Light customers pay for their electricity.
Bentley also noted that the various sources for the cooperative’s electricity are stable and will remain so for years to come.