2025 Annual Meeting Recap
The Annual Meeting for Oakdale Electric Cooperative (OEC) was held on Saturday, April 26, at Tomah Recreation Park. Attendance consisted of 139 registered members with 196 total attendees.
General Manager & CEO Chris Tackmann spoke on plans to improve the co-ops system to include rebuilding four miles of three-phase overhead line in New Lisbon area, constructing new 1.7 miles of three-phase line between Oakdale and Clifton substations, eliminating two interstate overhead crossings, and focusing on high outage areas with bad rights-of-way. Substation upgrades will consist of a new substation called Bear Creek that will be utilized by Smart Sand, Inc. to prevent overloading the Oakdale substation, along with a new substation in the Armenia area called the County Line substation. The three OEC solar gardens energy output currently powers approximately 856 homes annually with a new 4.5-megawatt system coming in 2026. Tackmann reflected on the new tariffs implemented with, “I’m unsure of how the tariffs will affect us but I can say that we primarily buy from inside the United States, therefore I’m hoping we don’t see any direct impact on purchases for the co-op.”
Tackmann applauded the members who participate in Operation Round Up that totaled $92,675 in donations back to communities in 2024. He concluded that Capital Credit retirement will take place in October with $1.2 million going back to members.
Guest speaker Joe Mesec, Director of Government Relations with Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) spoke on primary issues relating to co-ops in the Capitol. Right of First Refusal (ROFR) is a bill that gives incumbent utilities the “right of first refusal” to build long-range transmission projects within their service area. The three incumbent transmission owners in Wisconsin are American Transmission Company (ATC), Xcel Energy, and OEC’s generation and transmission provider Dairyland Power Cooperative. Mesec stated, “this legislation will retain Wisconsin’s control over the safety and reliability of our state’s power grid instead of ceding that control to federal regulators.”
The reason this is a large topic is that our consumer members can directly benefit from the buildout of these projects if ROFR is passed. Margins are realized by the cooperative and can be used to continue building infrastructure, like transmission lines, to support and grow the member-owned cooperative. Returns earned from a project can be used to offset future rates for members as well. “This will not happen with non-incumbent or new developers whose loyalties and fiduciary responsibilities are not in line with what’s best for Wisconsin,” Mesec reflected. WECA has been advocating tirelessly to ensure the ROFR bill is passed to allow any return on projects to benefit Wisconsin cooperatives and its members.
Other issues Joe Mesec spoke on were the Wisconsin Energy Reform Act, Wisconsin’s Legislative Commitment to Advancing Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power Siting Study, Wisconsin Hosting a Nuclear Power Summit, Eradication of Wild Parsnip, and Third-Party and Community Solar. Mesec chalked the nuclear discussion up to that, “there has been a realization that nuclear is not as bad and dirty as it used to be.”
Cooperative members had equal voting rights and three options to vote by mail-in, electronic, or in-person to bring a total of 1,716 ballots cast in the contested director election. In district 3, incumbent Gregory Eirschele was re-elected against opposing candidate Allen Zirk. Incumbent Jonathon Williams ran unopposed for district 6 and was re-elected.
One $250 bill credit and five $100 bill credits were drawn, and the winners are as follows: Martin Neas ($250), Paul Rusch, Mike Warner, Jim Hayward, Louise Zirk, and William Pieper.
Additional drawings were held that were bought from OEC members. Three decorative lawn ornaments from Kathy Von Haden with The Shed in Tomah were drawn and those winners were Evans Larson, Ron Blado, and Gale Kramer. A STIHL battery-powered trimmer from Hartje’s Farm and Power Equipment in La Valle, was drawn with that winner being John Arzt. Flowers from Destinee Coenen with Skies the Limit in New Lisbon were drawn to 12 winners, those include: Randy Fabian, Don Kaus, Mary Kovacik, Paul Zastoupil, Russell Voss, George Chapman, James Gerke, Kevin Jones, Louis Nagy, Larry Wargowsky, Tammy Turnmire, and Lois Von Haden.
Special guests in attendance were OEC’s attorney John Behling and guest speaker WECA’s Director of Government Relations Joe Mesec.
At the reorganizational meeting, all officer positions remained unchanged. They are as follows: board chairman, Richard Barrett; vice chairman, Gregory Eirschele; secretary, Jonathan Williams; treasurer, James Van Wychen; assistant secretary, Deana Protz; DPC director, Robert Hess; and alternate DPC director – Richard Barrett.
Refreshments and donuts were served prior to the meeting. Each member account received a jar of jam from OEC member Holly Krizan with Black Bear Fruits and all members in attendance were given a $10 Jimmy John’s gift card and cheese and sausage snack pack from Humbird Cheese.