History of Central
Central State Rural Electric Cooperative was organized in 1938. “State” was officially dropped from the name in 1939.
Central began as a stock corporation founded by ten local men. Five of the ten founders served as the board of trustees until the first annual meeting in February 1939. They borrowed $85,000 from the newly-created Rural Electrification Administration (now called the Rural Utilities Service or RUS) to construct a rural distribution system that would provide electrical service to 141 farms and homes.
Today, Central has grown to provide electrical service to more than 20,000 meters with more than 4,000 miles of electrical line. The service area covers approximately 2,000 square miles and includes parts of Noble, Garfield, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee, and Payne counties.
Central has assets in excess of $100 million and employs approximately 80 people. Every member of Central Electric Cooperative is an owner of this business. Central is literally owned by those we serve.
Gross-receipts taxes are paid every year by cooperatives to the local school districts based on miles of line in each district. This tax amounts to over $15 million each year. Central's service area is divided into seven districts. A trustee is elected by the consumer/members to serve a three-year term.
