The 2021 Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative (MLEC) Annual Meeting was held at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 6th, at the Grand Casino Mille Lacs. The meeting was a drive-in style and took place outside in the parking lot. Members stayed in their vehicles and listened to the meeting via radio broadcast. There were 47 registered members in attendance.
The theme for the meeting was “Strength Moving Forward.” Members heard comments from Board President, Harold Harms, who talked about MLEC’s stability throughout the past year and the cooperative’s strengths including its leadership, employees, and wholesale power provider (Great River Energy).
CEO Sarah Cron talked in detail about how MLEC has successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and how the cooperative has given back to members during these unprecedented times. Cron also discussed the potential new operations center.
Lincoln Messner, MLEC Accounting & Finance Manager, gave a summary of the cooperative’s financials throughout 2019 & 2020. Members followed along in their Annual Report booklets. An electronic copy can be found at www.mlecmn.net.
Due to the meeting format, members were asked to submit questions ahead of time. Questions regarding solar panels, building a new operations center, and job titles were all addressed live during the broadcast.
Per MLEC Bylaws, Article II, Section 8, Carol Pundt of District 2 and Don Appel of District 5 were re-elected by acclamation.
Bruce Robinson was re-elected in District 6 and Michael Reem re-elected in District 7.
Several door prizes were given away for those in attendance. All prizes were mailed to ensure the safety of members and employees. Prizes included multiple gift cards, bill credits, and Grand Casino gift certificate packages.
MLEC is a not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative owned by the members we serve. We provide service to over 13,000 members in parts of Aitkin, Crow Wing, and Mille Lacs counties. Our headquarters is located at 36559 US Highway 169, one mile east of Aitkin, MN.