The 79th Annual Meeting of Members of Hill County Electric Cooperative, Incorporated of Havre, Montana, will be held on Saturday, May 11th, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building on the campus of Montana State University Northern in Havre, Montana, to take action on the following matters: The election of two trustees of the Cooperative. Voting may occur via mail or in person. Passing upon reports of officers, trustees and committees for the year 2023. Transacting such other business as may come before the meeti...

Annual Meeting — May 11, 2024 Hill County Electric is pleased to invite you to join us for our Annual Meeting. This event marks an important milestone for our organization as we refl ect on the achievements of the past year and look ahead to the future. We cordially invite all our cooperative members to come together and be a part of this signifi cant event. The Annual Meeting is a time for us to celebrate the successes of the previous year and recognize the hard work and dedication of our team. It is also an opportunity for us to share ou...

The election for our Trustees will be held by mail or in-person voting at the 2024 Annual Meeting. HCE has Districts 4 and 5 up for election this year. District 4 Kelly Rutledge My name is Kelly Rutledge. I am running for a trustee position with Hill County Electric for District 4. I am a Chouteau County resident, farming and ranching on our centennial cattle and grain operation. My wife Kristie and I have been married for almost 29 years. She serves several schools as a school psychologist for Bear Paw Cooperative, and we have 3 amazing...

Utility Poles Are Not Bulletin Boards The skill to climb poles and perform duties, sometimes nearly 40 feet up in the air, is unique to linemen. It requires mental strength, attention to detail and proper training and equipment. Items like signs posted on utility poles can impact the stability of the poles over time and create distractions. Utility poles are private property that are owned by electric and telephone companies. Hanging signs on utility poles is generally not allowed and it can even create potentially life-threatening hazards...

2024 Nominations for Board of Trustee It is time for members to consider running for the Hill County Electric Board of Trustees. District 4 and District 5 are the open districts this year. Nominee requirements to run: Petition with district number and name of nominee Collect 15 current members' printed name, address, and signature on petition Nominee must live within the district in which they are running To sign the petition, a member does not have to live in same district as nominee Submit signed petition to the cooperative no late...

Reliable Power for Today— and Tomorrow Ringing in a new year sparks a sense of renewed hope and optimism about the future. As the CEO/GM of Hill County Electric (HCE), for me it’s a time to reflect on where we are and where we’re going. At the heart of this reflection, I think about ways we can better serve you, the members of the cooperative. Our team at Hill County Electric is always looking ahead, exploring ways to innovate and utilize new technologies to improve our services. As our nation increasingly relies on electricity to power the...

Be prepared for winter storms When winter temperatures drop and storms hit, it can be challenging to stay safe and warm. Winter storm severity varies depending on where you live, but nearly all Americans are affected by extreme winter storms at some point. Hill County Electric (HCE) cares about your safety, and we want you to be prepared. Heavy snow and ice can lead to downed power lines, leaving co-op members without power. During extremely low temperatures, this can be dangerous. During a power outage, our crews will continue to work as q...

How Does Inflation AffectYour Electric Bill? Inflation impacts everything from the price of gasoline to the price of food. We can all identify items where costs have gone up significantly in the last two years. We would be hard-pressed to think of an item that costs the same as it did three years ago or even a few months ago. HCE tries hard to keep the costs down. The increases we see in power and materials are not something we have any control over. Allow me to share some examples of the increase in costs HCE has experienced: Single ph...

Save a Life: Avoid Distractions While Driving While driving, we typically hear that “ding” on our phone, alerting us to a text or call coming through, and we sometimes feel the urgent need to check it. We know we shouldn’t, but we reason that we’re going to make an exception–– just this once. So, why do we indulge in behavior we know to be wrong, dangerous and in many states, illegal? Call it hubris. According to AAA research, most people feel they are better-thanaverage drivers. Afterall, we have busy lives and are accustomed to multitask...