Connections

P.O. Box 758410 S. High Street, Dighton, KS 67839

620-397-5327www.lanescott.coop

L A N E - S COT TE L E C T R I C CO O P E R AT I V E

Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative, Inc.

If your electricity is off for more than a few minutes, call 800-407-2217. Offi ce hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After-hours calls will be answered by the dispatch and standby personnel.

If you are without electricity or have an electrical emergency on your side of the meter, we have a master electrician on staff available 24 hours a day.

In Case of an Outage

24-Hour Electrician Service

Board of TrusteesDick JennisonPresident

Craig RamseyVice President

Paul SeibSecretary

Eric DollTreasurer

Ed GoughTrustee

Chad GriffithTrustee

Harold HossTrustee

Rad RoehlTrustee

Richard SoremTrustee

Staff Ed WiltseGeneral Manager

Nate BurnsManager of Electrical Operations

Katherine LewisManager of Financial Services

Bob VentersResale Manager

Rural Communities Have a Voice in WashingtonNews reports highlighting partisan bickering and gridlock in Congress can make it diffi cult to tell if our elected leaders are listening and responding to the concerns of rural Americans. America’s electric co-ops urged members to vote in the last election and are now advancing the interests of rural communities in Washington, D.C.

Early this year, the National Rural Electric Co-op Association (NRECA), our national service organization in Washington, led a group of more than 40 organizations in sending a letter to President Trump asking him to make rural issues a top priority of his administration.

“As you witnessed fi rst-hand during the campaign, the issues fac-ing rural America are no less signifi -cant than those facing urban parts of the country, but can be more easily overlooked because America’s small towns and rural areas make up just 15 percent of the nation’s population,”

the groups wrote.Organizations urged the presi-

dent to designate a senior member of the White House staff to take point on rural issues or establish an offi ce of rural policy within the Executive Offi ce of the President. In response to this and other electric cooperative outreach eff orts, the president signed an executive order in late April establishing an inter-agency Rural America Task Force to examine the issues facing rural America and identify actions needed to address them.

NRECA CEO Jim Matheson called the creation of the task force

As you witnessed fi rst-hand during the campaign, the issues facing rural America are no less signifi cant than those facing urban parts of the country.

Continued on page 16-Cf

Scan the QR code (to the left)or visit www.facebook.com/LaneScottElectric to “like” Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative’s offi cial Facebook page for the most up-to-date information on your electric co-op.

We will share safety and energy effi ciency tips, upcoming co-op activities, legislative updates on topics concerning our rural communities, scholarship and Youth Tour opportunities, outage information and more.

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OCTOBER 2017 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16-A

Cold Weather Rule—Effective Nov. 15-March 15The Cold Weather Rule (CWR) ensures you will have electric and gas service during the winter. The guidelines below have been established to protect not only you, the electric member, but your member-owned cooperative.

Member ResponsibilitiesffAgree to pay one-twelfth of the overdue amount of their bill, plus one-twelfth of their current bill, all disconnection and reconnection fees, and applicable deposit (de-posit to be spread evenly over the length of plan), and agree to pay the remainder in equal payments over the next 11 months; orffOther payment plan as negotiated with the cooperative (can be less than 12 months).ffMust pay future bills in full while paying off the overdue amount.

Member Must Not1. Violate any rule that affects the safety of

the member, other persons, or the utility’s delivery system;

2. Bypass meter;3. Misrepresent identity to obtain or retain

service;4. Tender non-sufficient funds (NSF) check as

initial or installment payment and not cure the insufficient payment within 10 days after NSF letter is mailed.ffUnder 1, co-op can disconnect customer immediately.ffUnder 2 and 3, co-op can disconnect, regard-less of temperature, 48 hours after notifica-tion by telephone call or electronic messaging to the member.ffUnder 4, co-op must send NSF letter giving 10 days to cure NSF check, and then disconnect is allowed regardless of temperature.

Co-op Responsibilitiesff 48-hour window required where temperature will remain above 35 degrees Fahrenheit. ff In first 24 hours, the co-op must call member notifying them of disconnect next day.ffOn the second day (day of disconnect), company must receive forecast that tem-perature will remain above 35 degrees for 24

hours before disconnect can be worked. If forecast indicates temperature will fall below 35 degrees, disconnect must be canceled and co-op must wait for new 48-hour window.ffThe co-op must inform member they have the right to enter a level payment plan for arrearages paid through an initial payment and equal installments over 11 months. If member still wants plan with fewer months, document that 12 months was offered to and refused by member. Plans with fewer than 12 months are considered to be CWR plans.

Default of Plan1. Member must pay cash, money order, or

credit card to cure a NSF check within 10 days of NSF letter issued or will be in default of payment plan.

2. Outside of the CWR plan (March 16 through Nov. 14), a member who defaults on a CWR plan is not eligible for another payment plan until he/she pays all arrearages from prior CWR plan.

3. Inside of the CWR period, a member who defaults on a CWR plan is eligible for a new CWR plan after making initial payment of at least one-twelfth, as explained above under Member Responsibilities.

Renegotiation of CWR PaymentsIf member receives lump sum assistance (i.e. LIEAP), the member is encouraged to renegoti-ate their CWR payments.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the cold weather rule, please call 620-397-5327.

The Cold Weather Rule ensures you will have electric and gas service for your home during the winter. You must make pay ar-rangements with Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative to use the CWR.

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 201716-B

CO N N E C T I O N S F RO M L A N E - S COT T E L E C T R I C CO O P E R AT I V E

It is our goal to always provide the best service possible for our members. How-ever, there may be times when you believe additional recourse is justified to resolve a service or billing issue.

To assist you, we’ve provided instruc-tions on how to file a complaint with Lane-Scott Electric and/or the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC).ff Step 1 – Please present your complaint to Lane-Scott Electric in Dighton at 620-397-5327 or 800-407-2217. Every effort will be made to resolve the problem to your satisfaction, if possible.ff Step 2 – If the problem cannot be resolved please contact the general manager in Dighton at 620-397-5327 or 800-407-2217.ffStep 3 – If you wish to pursue the complaint, you may contact the KCC’s Consumer Protection Office by calling 800-662-0027 or by writing to the Kan-sas Corporation Commission at 1500 SW Arrowhead Road, Topeka, KS 66604.

If the problem remains unresolved, then a formal complaint can be filed with the KCC. The KCC staff will advise you of this procedure upon request.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_fil-ing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call 866-632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agricul-ture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax 202-690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

Statement of Nondiscrimination

Steps for Filing a Complaint“a key step as we seek to

develop rural communi-ties economically. That includes implementing new energy technologies to meet tomorrow’s energy needs, while also deploying broadband and other ser-vices to enhance daily lives throughout rural America.”

Electric co-ops have also weighed in on another big topic in Washington: the need to improve the nation’s ag-ing infrastructure. Co-ops have told policy makers that they must look beyond merely repairing roads and bridges if a federal infrastructure ini-tiative is going to meet the needs of rural communities. High on co-ops’ list of priorities is closing the rural-urban digital divide by expanding rural access to high-speed internet service, which Matheson calls “a key ingredient for a healthy 21st century economy, particularly in rural areas.”

Given this imperative, co-ops were pleased when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) appointed Matheson to serve on a

newly-created Broadband Deploy-ment Advisory Committee. The mission of the panel is to advise and make recommendations to the FCC on how to accelerate the deploy-ment of broadband.

This isn’t to say that everything in Washington will go co-ops’ way. The federal government is a mas-sive bureaucracy with many interests vying for attention. But there’s one thing you can count on: electric co-ops will fight to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and within the many federal agencies that impact the quality of life in rural communities.

ELECTRIC CO-OPS

COMMITCo-op Month 2017

Rural Communities Have a Voice in WashingtonContinued from page 16-Af

But there’s one thing you can count on: electric co-ops will fight to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill and within the many federal agencies that impact the quality of life in rural communities.

OCTOBER 2017 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16-C

Energy Explorers COOPERATIVE

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Did you know October is National Co-op Month? Co-ops are diff erent types of businesses because they are not-for-profi t and are owned by the members they serve—including you!

Use the word bank to fi nd the words associated with co-ops in the puzzle below.

PRINCIPLESCOOP MONTH

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DEMOCRACYCOOPERATION

NOT-FOR-PROFITCOOPERATIVE

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KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 201716-D