Month: February 2026

Claiborne Electric and its employees donated just under $16,000 to the Minden St. Jude Auction, held February 5-8.

The Minden St. Jude Auction began more than 40 years ago as a small, local radio auction in Minden. Today it has grown to become a four day event that takes place annually on Super Bowl weekend. Since it’s inception, the auction has raised more than $20 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Per capital, Minden raises more money for St. Jude annually than any other town or city in the United States.

The 2026 event raised a record-breaking $2.7 million. For about 15 years, Claiborne Electric has partnered with the auction as a corporate sponsor. Several years ago, the Co-op offered employees the opportunity to get involved through payroll deduction. Employees can opt to have any amount deducted from each pay check, and the accumulated donations are taken each year to the Minden St. Jude Auction. Additionally, the Co-op matches donations dollar-for-dollar. This year, employee donations totaled just under $8,000, making the total Claiborne Electric donation nearly $16,000 for the children of St. Jude.

Operation Round Up is a community service program that gives Claiborne Electric members the option to allow their bills to be rounded up to the next whole dollar.

The difference in the actual bill and the rounded amount is deposited into the Operation Round Up Trust Fund. The funds accumulated are dispersed to charitable causes in the communities served by Claiborne Electric.

Recent grants approved by the Trust Board pushed the organization’s donated total to more than $2.3 million since the first grants were dispersed in 2007. The year-end 2025 Operation Round Up report is below.

For more information on Operation Round Up, click here.

Most members have now received bills which include their electric usage during Winter Storm Fern.

We would like to remind members that in times of extreme cold, heating systems run for much longer periods to maintain the temperature set on a thermostat. This results in significantly higher usage.

During Winter Storm Fern, our area saw 60 to 80 hours of sustained below freezing conditions with low temperatures in the teens. Much of our service area was covered in ice for more than a week. In these conditions, heating systems were running nearly constantly, fighting against outdoor weather elements to keep heated areas warm. This significant increase in electric usage results in significantly higher billing.

Members can monitor their daily electric usage in our free SmartHub app. We also have a fantastic team of Member Service Representatives to help members with questions about usage and billing. We are here to help. We also offer payment plans for members who cannot pay their bill in full.

Homer: 318-927-3504

Farmerville: 318-368-3011

Read more about winter electric usage here.

Claiborne Electric’s automated outage reporting number is changing next month!

On March 30, the automated outage reporting number will change to 855-937-1782. This number is the same as the automated payment number. Members may report an outage by pressing “2” in the menu after dialing the new number. This will allow members to report the outage directly to the dispatch center’s outage system.

Beginning March 30, please save this new number in your mobile phone, or write it down where important numbers are saved. In the coming days, members will receive a letter with a new outage number magnet, so watch for that in the mail.

The fastest and most efficient way to report a power outage to Claiborne Electric is to download and use our free SmartHub app on a mobile device.

As always, members may report an outage directly to a live Member Service Representative by calling a local office. However, when reporting an outage by calling an office directly, office lines become overwhelmed and congested during widespread outages, sometimes resulting in long wait times to speak directly to an MSR. If possible, SmartHub or the automated outage system should be used.

The nomination period for Claiborne Electric’s Board of Directors closed at the end of the business day January 30. Districts Three, Seven, and Eight were open for nomination.

In District Three, Kenneth Franklin of Marion was the sole nominee. In District Seven, Phillip Fincher of Homer was the sole nominee. In District Eight, Lane Davidson of Minden was the sole nominee. These three Directors will begin a new term on Claiborne Electric’s Board of Directors in June 2026.

For specific information on districts or election rules, please reference Claiborne Electric’s bylaws. Bylaws pertaining to districts and director elections can be found in Article IV of the bylaws.

Kenneth Franklin 

Phillip Fincher         

Lane Davidson