WORTHINGTON — Several residents of Worthington were surprised to hear their small town purportedly was visited by two agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Friday morning, though they were less surprised to hear about the visit’s relevance to the Utilities District of Western Indiana Rural Electric Membership Cooperative.

Mike Chapman, manager of human resources and compliance for UDWI REMC, announced Thursday that the nonprofit cooperative’s CEO, Brian Sparks, had been placed on paid leave while the current board of directors initiates a third-party audit of the company’s finances. Hoosier Heritage Management, located at the corner of Forest Avenue and Williams Street in Worthington, was listed on the cooperative’s 2015 federal tax return as its highest compensated independent contractor that year, having been paid more than $2 million for tree trimming.

A man identifying himself as the head of Hoosier Heritage Management directed a reporter Friday to two investigators on-site at the company, who, in turn, told the The Herald-Times to contact Wendy Osborne, a spokeswoman for the FBI out of Indianapolis. Osborne did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation.

Residents of Worthington say the town runs on power from Duke Energy, but some do have experience with UDWI REMC.

Sherry Vandeventer, co-owner of the Cupboard Antiques and Uniques in Worthington, listed the cooperative’s tree trimming service as one of the few things that haven’t been problematic. Todd Vandeventer, Sherry’s husband and co-owner of the antiques store, added that the REMC had gotten better about removing downed branches.

Where the Vandeventers take issue is in the fact that they pay less for electricity at their 3,000-square-foot home powered by Duke Energy than they do for the 1,000-square-foot farmhouse they also own and which is powered by UDWI REMC. Furthermore, the amount of property the UDWI REMC owns — and how it takes care of that property — has been cause for concern.

“Luckily, it’s just him (Todd) and I, anymore. Young families, I’m sure it’s a huge struggle for them,” said Sherry Vandeventer, who has begun drying her clothes outside to combat her higher utility bills. “Especially in those hard months in the dead of summer and winter.”

Sherry Vandeventer listed redundant landscaping at the cooperative’s Bloomfield headquarters and the company’s aggressive purchasing of unused property as examples of where money has been wasted.

She first noticed a difference between her bills when the REMC introduced a fluctuating price structure for high-demand periods.

“When they did that flux-rate increase, I just never wrapped my head around that,” Sherry Vandeventer said. “Maybe I didn’t pay as much attention to this as I should have.”

Utility members voted last month to fill three seats on the cooperative’s board of directors. All three districts up for a vote were filled by new appointees listed on a member-created website, ourremc.com, that detailed several allegations against the cooperative’s administration and its finances.

“I was glad to see a change in the board, just because it had been a long time,” Sherry Vandeventer said. “I think fresh blood on a board like that is a good thing.”

Standing behind his wife, Todd Vandeventer added:

“Usually, by the time the FBI comes, something is already going on.”