Four incumbents held their positions on the Ozark Border Electric Cooperative Board of Directors during an election Saturday.
The election comes after a year that saw more than one-third of the cooperative's management staff retire, taking nearly 180 years of experience with them.
"The retiring staff definitely left a void," new general manager David Schremp said in a speech to members during the annual meeting, which was held at Three Rivers College. "However, we have been blessed by the fact that Ozark Border had very good, extremely dedicated employees waiting in the wings, who were ready to step up and take on these responsibilities."
Schremp replaced longtime general manager Stan Estes in late 2016, after 40 years with the cooperative.
The election drew almost 1,200 voters, Schremp said.
Each person elected will serve a three-year term.
Board president Darrell Atchison of Williamsville, Mo., was the only person who ran for District 1.
Mark Yarbro of Poplar Bluff, Mo., held a solid lead against two contenders for District 2. Yarbro received nearly 740 votes, compared to less than 200 votes each for challengers Shane Hastings and Eric Leroux, both of Doniphan, Mo. Yarbro is the secretary/treasurer.
Both District 3 and District 4 had two candidates each.
Charles Bunting of Poplar Bluff, Mo., received 645 votes, holding his District 3 seat against Paul Petty of Neelyville, Mo., who received 380 votes.
Ed Crow of Dexter, Mo., at 679 votes, won more than twice the votes of challenger Andrew Joyce of Campbell, Mo.
The board officers will remain the same.
The cooperative provided service to nearly 40,000 consumers at the end of 2016 and maintained almost 6,000 miles of power line, Atchison said in a speech to members.
More than $1 million in capital credits were refunded to members in both June 2016 and June 2017.
"This was the 22nd consecutive year of refunding capital credits," Atchison said.
After nearly 80 years, Ozark Border has more than $227 million in assets, he continued.
Annual operating costs average $351 per customer, compared to an average cost of almost $550 per customer for other Missouri cooperatives.
While more than 60 percent of the cooperative's power comes from low-cost coal, it continues to expand the use of renewable engeries, said Schremp.
"Our goals are to continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing needs of our members, and to provide reliable power at the lowest cost possible," he told members.