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ABOUT US

What is North Star Electric Cooperative?
North Star is a member-owned, non-profit cooperative that was formed in 1940 for the sole purpose of providing electricity to rural north central Minnesota, including areas of Lake of the Woods, Koochiching, Roseau and St. Louis counties — areas that no power company would serve. Today the cooperative serves 5,590 members (more than 6,800 accounts) with over 1,467 miles of power lines between Warroad and Orr and employs 21 people. Everyone who purchases electricity from the cooperative is a member. We were created to efficiently deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy to our homes, businesses, farms, and schools. North Star is a community-focused organization, providing jobs and investing in the communities we serve.
Annual Meetings
Annual meetings are held every fall, usually the first Friday in October. Our Enlightener newsletter notifies members of the annual meeting time, date, and location. At the annual meeting, we update members on how their co-op is doing financially and operationally, we transact business, and members elect their representatives on the board of directors.
Monthly Meetings
The board generally meets the first Wednesday of each month at 9:30 am at our headquarters office in Baudette. Meetings typically last about three hours. Detailed minutes are available at the cooperative for member review. Board meeting summaries are printed in the Enlightener, our monthly newsletter. If you wish to speak with the board or have an item that you would like placed on the agenda, please contact the General Manager at least two weeks in advance.
Board of Directors

The board is a democratically elected body nominated and voted into position by members of the cooperative. There are seven districts within our service area, and each director serves approximately 775 members. Any co-op member in good standing is welcome to run for an open board position for the district where their primary residence is located.  All members have the right to vote for their board representative.

The current board members are Steve Arnesen (Roosevelt), Randy Bergan (Williams), Mike Hanson (Birchdale), Douglas King (International Falls), Lorraine Nygaard (Big Falls), Tom Smith (International Falls), and Shelley Spears (Baudette). If you would like to contact your board member, please call 888-634-2202.

Each summer, the members are reminded in the newsletter about the election process and how to become a candidate. Becoming a candidate requires the completion of a petition. These candidate petitions are due at the co-op at least 60 days before the annual meeting, as required in the cooperative’s bylaws. Members may vote for candidates in their district at the annual meeting. If a district has a contested election, the cooperative will mail ballots to each member in the district that has more than one candidate. The members may return their ballot by mail or at the annual meeting.

For more information on becoming a board member, please view our cooperative bylaws.

There are several educational opportunities for directors throughout the year. Obtaining an NRECA (National Rural Electric Cooperative Association) Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate within a director’s first term is required as qualification for a subsequent term. Directors are encouraged to become educated on topics that will serve the membership, including legislative issues, finance, capital credits, governance, and more. Directors are expected to be available to the members and communicate with them on cooperative issues. Directors receive up to $300 per meeting day, plus expense reimbursement, for their service.

District Map

Management Team

Kevin Holen is serving as the cooperative’s General Manager and Member Service Manager. He is assisted by Robyn Sonstegard (Finance Manager) and Tim Pelach (Operations Manager).

Monthly Newsletter

The cooperative publishes the Enlightener every month. It is mailed to every member and posted on this website on the Enlightener page.  Members signed up for email bill notifications every month also receive an electronic link to the monthly newsletter. The September issue is the Annual Report. Each publication focuses on issues impacting the cooperative. Topics in the newsletter include board meeting summaries, staff reports, electrical safety awareness, energy conservation suggestions, and opportunities to deliver the best energy value.

Where Your Power Comes From

North Star and 10 other rural electric cooperatives in northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota own Minnkota Power Cooperative, a G&T (Generation & Transmission cooperative), headquartered in Grand Forks, ND. Minnkota’s electric generation portfolio includes a diverse mix of coal, wind, and hydro resources (see www.minnkota.com). In terms of nameplate electric generation capacity, about 56% is derived from coal, 34% from wind, 8% from hydro, and 2% from other resources.

Minnkota participates in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) wholesale energy market to both buy and sell surplus power. MISO is a not-for-profit, member-based organization. All of Minnkota’s generation and load is modeled, scheduled, dispatched and settled financially in the MISO market.