Monticello voters approved SKRECC to acquire the Monticello Electric Plant, opening the door to 3,500 new consumers in that community. Though SKRECC currently serves around 9,000 customers in Wayne County, the service area surrounds that served by the Monticello plant.
Those in favor voted over twice as strong as the opposition, as 874 were for the buyout, versus 428 against.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) currently supplied electricity to Monticello, and will be purchased at least through the next year. Federal regulations prohibit SKRECC from buying more power from the TVA than would be used by the Wayne County seat.
Acquisition talks began when the Monticello Electric Plant Board sent out requests for proposals to buy power. SKRECC will pay the City of Monticello $686,000 in annual payments over a 30-year period, as it becomes only the second town the cooperative serves (the other is Albany).
State law mandates that such a purchase go through several steps, including being voted on by the city council and then a public vote.
Allen Anderson, CEO of SKRECC, called it a “great victory,” noting that this had been the realization of a plan that began back in 2003.
“We had a huge group of supporters,” he said. “We ere very pleased with the results. They speak highly of (SKRECC).”
Anderson said that as it was, Monticello was “on a little island” without the support services SKRECC offers and will be able to effectively and immediately provide.
“It will be an easy transition,” he said. “This will be good for (SKRECC) because it’s serving a town, and I think it will be good for the town because they were like a hole in the doughnut. I think it will be good for everybody."
