Tuesday | March 17, 2020
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3-20-20 POST: On Monday, March 16, President Trump issued guidelines for Americans, which included calling on people to avoid social gatherings of groups of 10 or more. The following day, Iowa's Governor Reynolds issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency to further assist with the mitigation of COVID-19.

That same Monday, ECI REC took steps to further implement our business continuity plan for such an event, taking measures to close off public access to our administrative headquarters and both operations facilities. Employees continued to report to work as usual, following the recommended social distancing and frequent hand washing guidelines put forth by the government and health officials.

Today we announce we are taking the next steps to further protect our employees, their families and our membership. Effective Monday, March 23, we will transition to a limited onsite and remote workforce strategy.

To minimize contact, personnel who report to the administrative headquarters will begin working in smaller groups on varying schedules between their homes and the office.

Line personnel, staking employees, and member service employees will continue to work out of the Independence and Vinton operations centers and report as normal following social distancing guidelines. Our service personnel will a have a set protocol to follow prior to making an onsite member call.

ECI REC’s goal is always to serve our membership effectively and efficiently, and this will remain our goal through these challenging times. We are confident we have the necessary resources to serve our membership remotely in all facets, due to the ECI REC technologies that are already in place and the handy work of IT.

These are unprecedented times, however our members can rest assured ECI REC will continue to address this challenge and we will maintain our focus on providing you safe, reliable electric service.

All communication channels remain open and available, as does SmartHub the online account portal our members can access 24/7. We are here for our members–stay healthy and safe.

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3-17-20 Post: As part of ECI REC’s emergency preparedness protocols, we have a thorough and rigorous plan in place to address a pandemic. Our plan emphasizes employee and member well-being along with business continuity.

We are closely monitoring COVID-19 pandemic through the Centers for Disease Control and Iowa Department of Public Health, Governor’s office. Through our statewide and national electric cooperative associations, we are continuously coordinating with others in the electric sector and government officials for the most up-to-date information. As always, we are focused on actions and strategies that ensure the ongoing delivery of the reliable power our members expect.

ECI REC reminds members to be on the lookout for suspicious emails, phone calls or persons impersonating business employees or charitable organizations. Unfortunately, scammers often take advantage of these situations. If you receive a call from someone claiming to represent ECI REC and they make threats or demand immediate payment, hang up and call ECI REC at 877-850-4343.

ECI REC’s three facilities are closed to the public until further notice. Co-op personnel continue to report to work and will remain available by phone and email. For a specific department, you may go to the Contact Us section at www.ecirec.coop. We encourage you to visit our website for updated information.

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3-16-2020 Post: As the concerns associated with the Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak increase, please take note of the following:

1. Effective immediately, all ECI REC facilities (Urbana, Vinton, and Independence) will be closed to the public until further notice. Payments can still be made via drop boxes at all three locations as well as the methods listed below.

  • USPS mail: ECI REC, PO Box 248, Urbana, IA 52345
  • Register your account on SmartHub. SmartHub accepts payment via bank accounts and credit/debit cards. VISA, Mastercard, and Discover accepted.
  • Two automated ways to pay through SmartHub without creating an online account:

2. Iowa Utilities Board Docket No. SPU-2002-0003 filed on March 13, 2020 communicates: "Consistent with the Governor’s disaster proclamation of public health emergency, the Board will extend the period covered by the winter moratorium. The moratorium will now continue until May 1, 2020."

If you have questions call our office: 877-850-4343.