A Brief History-

East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative

With the management sharing arrangement in 1991, significant cost savings were realized which helped stabilize Benton and Buchanan’s electric rates. Through the management sharing arrangement the two organizations gained efficiencies by doing joint projects through the sharing of office personnel and line personnel. During 1993 and 1994, the Board of Directors, seeing the benefits of the current arrangement, began feasibility studies of a consolidation of the two cooperatives. They began to see that additional savings could be seen with a consolidation with the sharing of insurance carriers, attorneys, auditors, computer systems and engineering plans. Also, even further savings could be achieved by eliminating duplication of board meetings, financial reports, quarterly reports, annual reports, construction work plans, long-range work plans and financial forecasts. The Board of Directors found that in order to continue to maintain a competitive posture and lessen overall risks and impacts on an individual basis in the future, it was important that serious consideration be made to a consolidation proposal.

With that, the individual Board of Directors reviewed the consolidation feasibility and unanimously proposed the consolidation to the membership.

On January 31, 1995 – the member-consumers of both Buchanan County REC and Benton County ECA approved consolidation efforts proposed by the Board of Directors of both cooperatives with approval margin levels in the mid-80s. On October 1, 1995, East-Central Iowa REC was formed with offices and operating centers remaining open in both Independence and Vinton.

Original Board of Directors – (Incorporators)

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Updated: October 8, 2007