HR0182 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0182 LRB098 11494 GRL 43683 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative on the 75th anniversary of their cooperative; and

WHEREAS, The Monroe County Electric Co-Operative was officially organized on June 2, 1938, in Waterloo, Illinois, through the hard work and dedication of a handful of local residents wanting to improve living and farming conditions for themselves and their neighbors; and

WHEREAS, Because of the lack of density, it simply was not possible for the for-profit utilities to make a profit serving rural areas with only a few farms or homes per mile of electric line; with the help of loans from the Rural Electrification Administration, these rural people banded together to form rural member-owned and member-governed electric cooperatives; and

WHEREAS, This group of local residents went door to door signing up their neighbors to become members of the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative and convincing them that a cooperative would bring lights and power to the rural area; and

WHEREAS, Their hard work paid off and the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative's lines were first energized on October 20, 1939, initially serving 383 member-owners in 3 counties; and

WHEREAS, The Monroe County Electric Co-Operative continues to provides reliable electric service to member-owners in Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair counties; and

WHEREAS, For 75 years, the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative has served its member-owners based on 7 guiding principles: voluntary and open membership, member-elected and controlled boards of directors, members' economic participation, autonomy and independence, education and training, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative on its 75th anniversary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the Monroe County Electric Co-Operative as a symbol of our esteem and respect.