To the Editor:

Has Dakota Energy set the date for the 2024 annual meeting? The regular monthly meetings are listed on the Dakota Energy website. Meeting this month is on April 23.

We need to be informed. The Guzman Energy/Dakota Energy attorney said that members do not know what is going on and can’t possibly make an informed decision.

We do not need more secretive agreements where member/owners have to make an appointment, have an employee present while reading, and sign an agreement saying no information will be disclosed.

Dakota Energy needs to have an in-person annual meeting so member/owners trust in the cooperative can be restored. The COVID scare has subsided, and it’s time to meet face-to-face with manager, Board of Directors, representative of East River (transmission agent), and representative of Basin Electric (power supplier). If some members would still prefer drive-through vote due to COVID, that could be held one hour prior to the meeting.

If you agree, you should contact the members of the Board to request an in-person annual meeting where Dakota Energy Manager and representatives from East River and Basin Electric can give short presentations and member/owners can ask questions.

You can contact the board members in person, phone, text, mail, and/or email. The email addresses of the board members are listed on the Dakota Energy website. Go to dakotaenergy.coop and click Your Cooperative, Your Cooperative (near the top) will have a dropdown, click on Board of Directors.

The Board members in Dakota Energy area are Darrel Raschke, Brian Bonebright, Tom Baruth, and Chase Binger. The Board members in Ree Electric area are Nick Nemic, Doug Schaefers, Todd Bushong, and Chad Dearborn. The member-at-large is Brian Baum.

You can contact Board members in your area and member-at-large or contact all Board members to request the in-person annual meeting.

Twyla Folk
Huron