The Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC reviewed the past year and outlined its plans for the future during its annual meeting held recently.
The Bloomfield-based electric cooperative serves nearly 16,000 members across Clay, Daviess, Greene, Knox, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Owen, Putnam, Sullivan and Vigo counties and maintains more than 2,700 miles of power line.
During the meeting, members re-elected three directors: Melinda Hendrix of District 7, David Kirkling of District 1 and Todd Carpenter of District 5. The seven-member board also includes Shawn Dugan of District 2, Michael E. Williams of District 3, Terry McDanial of District 4 and W. Edward Cullison of District 6.
After the election, CEO Shane Smith presented an update titled “Keeping our Momentum.” He reviewed activity from the past year, including storm response work, safety efforts and ongoing fiber expansion.
“We’ve just wrapped up a strategic plan to help us make smarter decisions day-to-day and to get ready for what our members will need next,” said Smith. “Our number one priority is, and will continue to be, safety for our employees, linemen and our members.”
Smith said the cooperative is focusing on reliability and operational efficiency as severe weather events become more frequent. He said vegetation management has been a major investment and plays a role in reducing outages and maintaining service.
Smith added that the cooperative is also focusing on communication and education efforts for members, along with workforce training.
The 2026 annual meeting presentation is available on its website. Board meetings are scheduled for April 27, May 19 and June 22.
