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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the members of
4Jo-Carroll Energy on the 75th anniversary of their cooperative;
5and
 
6    WHEREAS, Jo-Carroll Energy was officially organized on
7April 4, 1939 in Elizabeth, Illinois, through the hard work and
8dedication of a handful of local residents wanting to improve
9living and farming conditions for themselves and their
10neighbors; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Because of the lack of density, it simply was not
12possible for the for-profit utilities to make a profit serving
13rural areas with only a few farms or homes per mile of electric
14line; with the help of loans from the Rural Electrification
15Administration, these rural people banded together to form
16rural member-owned and member-governed electric cooperatives;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, This group of local residents went door to door
19signing up their neighbors to become members of Jo-Carroll
20Energy and convincing them that a cooperative would bring
21lights and power to the rural area; and
 

 

 

HR0974- 2 -LRB098 20809 GRL 57991 r

1    WHEREAS, Their hard work paid off and Jo-Carroll Energy's
2lines were first energized on May 3, 1940, initially serving 60
3member-owners in Jo Daviess and Carroll counties; in 2013,
4Farmers Mutual Electric merged with Jo-Carroll Energy; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Jo-Carroll Energy continues to provides reliable
6electric service to member-owners in Carroll, Henry, Jo
7Daviess, and Whiteside counties; and
 
8    WHEREAS, For 75 years, Jo-Carroll Energy has served its
9member-owners based on 7 guiding principles: voluntary and open
10membership, member-elected and controlled boards of directors,
11members' economic participation, autonomy and independence,
12education and training, cooperation among cooperatives, and
13concern for community; therefore, be it
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
15NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
16we congratulate Jo-Carroll Energy on its 75th anniversary; and
17be it further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to Jo-Carroll Energy as a symbol of our esteem and
20respect.