Celebrating our progress and sharing our vision to serve you

by General Manager Steve Stroshane

In December, Polk-Burnett’s senior management team shared a progress report with co-op board directors, showing how our work delivered results and returns on investments in 2025, as well as strategic action plans to keep the co-op moving forward this New Year. Our goals include reducing outages, holding costs down to be rate competitive, and keeping employees safe and productive; all of these are in service to you, our members. Below are highlights of our 2025 progress and 2026 strategic plans.

Operations: Keeping your lights on
I’m proud to report the completion of our new Cedar Lake Substation, which began serving members in the Somerset and Farmington areas on December 2.

In addition, our new Viola and Luck Solar arrays were energized in December. Local solar improves reliability and helps offset power market costs. Watch for an update later this year.

Co-op crews successfully upgraded several substations, including Black Brook, Spencer Lake, Grantsburg and Trap Rock, and installed animal protection at Farmington Substation in 2025. We will add animal protection at three more substations in 2026.

Our 2026 grid investment is $5.16 million, reflecting a $250,000 increase over 2025. The construction work plan focuses on replacing old underground conductor, converting overhead power lines to underground, and maintaining a clear right-of-way under power lines. We plan to build 47 miles of line in 2026, 19 miles overhead and 28 miles underground.

Finance: Managing costs and rates
While the wholesale cost of power will increase 4% in 2026, we have successfully reduced controllable costs by 1%. We anticipate energy sales to remain stable, with a projected 0.5% increase in 2026. The co-op connected 250 new services in 2025.

Following an independent cost-of-service study in 2025, members saw a 3% rate increase in July due to inflationary pressures on equipment, material and contracted services. I'm pleased to report that there will be no rate increase in 2026.

Technology: Driving efficiency
In my July 2025 column, I reported that technology is integral to our operations, supporting more than 40 essential co-op functions. Technology is the backbone of working efficiently and delivering exceptional service. In 2025, we installed new software on crew iPads to help manage (and quickly restore) outages from the field. It also enables lineworkers to communicate estimated restoration times to members via outage text alerts; we know this is important to you! 

We introduced a secure AI application for content creation, and we added a database server to safely house business-critical information. Mapping technology ensures we have complete and accurate records of our system, and automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology tracks where current work is happening. We continue to advance two-way communication with substations and meters to speed outage restoration, and we're always adding and testing network security. 

Member services: Providing extraordinary support
In 2025, we launched a program to install new receivers on load management devices. The upgrade will help us better control these devices when energy demand and prices are high, which is a cost savings for everyone. This is a multi-year project and we are still in the testing phase.

We also hosted seminars for electric contractors and members interested in residential solar. In 2026, we look forward to continuing our EnergySense rebate program to help members improve energy efficiency in your homes. I’m excited to announce that our popular Electronics Recycling Day returns in 2026, free for co-op members! Be sure to watch your Powerlines for details.

Our SmartHub app is now used by 13,500 members to pay and view bills, track electricity use, manage accounts, and view and report outages. The app gets about 6,000 visits each month.  Additionally, 12,700 members are enrolled in our convenient auto pay program.

Communication: Keeping you informed
Education and information are key cooperative principles. Thank you for reading our Powerlines newsletter! Available as a bill insert and via email, it keeps you informed about the latest co-op news, events, rebates and tips to save energy and money. If you'd like to join more than 3,000 subscribers by signing up for our monthly email newsletter, give us a call. We’d be happy to help!

Members also find important notices on your billing statements and SmartHub app. Our website provides 24/7 self-service on your desktop and mobile devices. We see an average of 7,500 web visits every month, with more than 40,000 clicks, video views, form completions and other web interactions. Our Facebook page gets about 50,000 views per month, and you’ll find 132 videos on our YouTube channel. We appreciate all of you who connect with us online.

For those of you who prefer visiting in person, I’d like to invite you all to our 88th Annual Meeting and Member Appreciation Day June 5. This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with co-op directors and employees.

Community involvement: Supporting our hometowns
Beyond powering your homes and businesses, we actively contribute to our community. In 2025, we awarded $69,300 to 68 local nonprofits through Operation Round Up and our scholarship program awarded $1,500 to 101 students. In addition, co-op employees volunteered more than 600 hours—from splitting firewood and cleaning the highway to hosting blood drives, stocking food shelves and lighting hometown Christmas celebrations! We look forward to more impactful community involvement in 2026.

Our team: Dedicated and equipped
Our 49 full-time electric employees, along with 10 in Propane Services, are our greatest assets. Through monthly strategy updates, safety training and professional development, we ensure our team is equipped to deliver reliable power and exceptional service. The co-op is truly blessed with talented and dedicated people who are here to serve you.

Investing in our future
Co-op employees inspire and connect with youth during school tours, safety demos, career days and job shadows.

As your general manager, I pledge to uphold our mission by:

• Working cooperatively with co-op partners to share mutual aid, ideas, collective buying and technology.

• Being involved in the community.

• Using data to make business decisions.

• Focusing on safety, reliability and member satisfaction.

Thank you for your continued support and trust. We look forward to serving you in the year ahead.