For our members
Annual Meeting
The 79th Annual Meeting of the members will be held at 6:00 p.m. (registration starts at 5:00 p.m.) on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the Lincoln County High School in Eureka, Montana. This event is an opportunity for our members to learn more about their cooperative. They also transact any business to come before the membership.
At the meeting, the results of the trustee election are announced. Members are also given an update on cooperative happenings and financials.
Trustee Election
As a member of Lincoln Electric, you have the right to get involved in your cooperative. One of the main ways to get involved is electing fellow members to your Board of Trustees. These eight members meet once a month to review cooperative policies, financials, and evaluate the direction of the cooperative.
Trustees are elected each year by Lincoln Electric members by mail-in ballot. Ballots are mailed to all Lincoln Electric members with their official Notice of Meeting. Your mail-in ballot must be completed and submitted as noted on the ballot.
Trustee nomination petitions are available October through December. You can learn more about your Board of Trustees here.
79th Annual Meeting
2026 Meeting Recap
Lincoln Electric Cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting of the Members was held at Lincoln County High School on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Two percent of the membership, or 108 members, was needed to achieve a quorum. We had 308 memberships registered at the event. The meeting began at 6:00 p.m. and was adjourned at 7:26 p.m.
Our CFO, Michelle Wilbur, gave a brief financial update based on Lincoln Electric’s 2025 audit. She reported that the cooperative is in great financial standing.
Your Lincoln Electric board approved the retirement of capital credits for the 46th consecutive year. In 2026, over $400,000 will be retired to members and former members. Overall, we’ve returned more than $14 million to our members in the form of capital credits, landing Lincoln Electric near the top cooperatives in the country for capital credit retirements.
Mark Hash of HASH, RUDBACH, HUTCHISON & MURRAY, PLLP, Lincoln Electric’s legal counsel and meeting parliamentarian, presented the results of the 2026 trustee election.
With three seats up for election, Myra Appel (District 7) ran unopposed and was reelected by acclamation. In District 6, incumbent Marianne Roose chose to retire, leaving two open seats. Four candidates were nominated to fill those positions: Larry Benson, Ben Goodrich, Rick Peterson (incumbent), and Greg Stought.
Results of the 2026 Election:
Rick Peterson, the incumbent in District 6, was reelected, and Larry Benson was elected to fill the second open seat.
Lincoln Electric Co-op approved 8 separate Luck of the Draw Scholarships for a total of $12,000. LEC uses unclaimed capital credits to fund the scholarships.
Mary and Stephen Roehrig won the grand prize of free electricity for a year, based on $150 per month.