April 2016 | Volume 78 | Issue 4
Co-op Members’ Annual Meeting May 12
Doors open at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, May 12
- Kearney office, 1000 W. Hwy. 92 — just west of I-35 on Hwy. 92
- Register for the annual meeting and prizes until 7 p.m. (Please note: must be present to win all prizes – winning names drawn at end of business meeting)
- Capital credit checks (for amounts of more than $15) at registration
- First 1000 members to register will receive a Platte-Clay outdoor thermometer
Community, co-op and energy efficiency displays and info 4:30 – 7 p.m.
- Sign up for solar energy
- Light meal served 4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
- Learn about demand — the 3-part billing coming in November
- Business Meeting 7 p.m.
- Vote for your Board of Directors, Bylaw changes
- Update on your co-op’s activities – State of the Co-op
- Win a year of electric service (1 winner, maximum $1500)
- Win 6 months of electric service (2 winners, maximum of $750 each)
Kid stuff – Kids’ Carnival 4:30 – 8 p.m.
Kid Prizes – Beats Solo2 Headphones, Beats Pill Speaker, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4, $150 iTunes Gift Card, LEGO Minecraft The Mine 922‑Piece Building Playset with Minecraft Mini Collector Case, Razor Electric Scooter and Girls & Boys Fisher Price Power Wheels Kawasaki ATVs
Please note: must be present and in business meeting to win all prizes. These prizes awarded at end of business meeting.
Annual Meeting May 12
Mike Torres
From the CEO
I want to take this opportunity to extend a personal invitation to all Platte-Clay members to attend the annual meeting Thursday, May 12. The doors will open at 4:30 and we’ll serve a light meal. The business meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Kids can enjoy the carnival, which will run until 8 p.m.
Adults can pick up their capital credit check, visit the booths and learn about Platte-Clay products and services.
One of the important activities this year will be explaining the new three-part billing that will show demand beginning in November. There will be several interactive presentations made prior to the business meeting at 7:00 p m. We’ll have employees available to answer questions and we encourage you to attend one of these informal sessions to learn how all of this will impact your electric bill.
And for those who want a head start on understanding demand, we encourage you to take a look at the co-op web site, pcec.coop There’s a link to a video and an interactive demand calculator which may be helpful.
Since we’ve all been paying for demand—and some of us paying for other members’ demand—we anticipate most members will be pleased when they review how their family uses energy. This truly is the fairest way of billing all members.
And that brings us to the theme of this year’s annual meeting, Members 1st.
Although we all may be a little tired of elections, each year Platte-Clay members elect three members to serve on the Board of Directors, one for each District.
This year we have four great candidates running for the Board of Directors, two incumbents and two non incumbents seeking to represent the South District.
Dick Kramer, who has represented the South District since 1989, has announced his retirement. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of the membership and his leadership and concern for the co-op will be missed.
Members representing members are part of what co-ops are all about.
I hope to see you May 12 at the annual meeting.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Nominating Committee members
Left to right, front row: Sandy Sondag, Jane Lacy, Judy Cox, John Boddicker. Back row: Grundy Newton, Randy Reuter, Jeff Couchman and Steve Foster.
Rural Missouri serves as official annual meeting notice
The co-op By-laws require members receive the official notification of the Annual Meeting between 10 and 25 days before the meeting.
Because of the sequential Northland Connection mailing in the bills, the co-op uses the Rural Missouri, which can be mailed to all members at one time within that timeframe.
Although not all members wish to receive the Rural Missouri, everyone will in April as a co-op member and the By-law requirement.
Board candidates’ biographies posted
Members running for the Board of Directors have been posted at both offices, 15055 Bethel Rd., Platte City and 1000 W. Hwy. 92, Kearney.
As of the press deadline, there are four members running for the Board. You can find their bio-graphical sketches in the newsletter and posted at the co-op offices.
In the event a member is interested in running for the Board and has missed the deadlines, it is possible to be nominated from the floor during the business meeting.
Must be present to win all prizes
It is a heartbreaker when someone comes in from outside the building and friends tell them their name was called to win a prize and they were not in the business meeting.
Members and their children who entered a drawing must be present to win any prize.
The business meeting starts at 7 p.m. and usually runs about an hour. Members learn about the co-op’s year, elect Board members, this year will approve Bylaw changes and at the end of the meeting, prize drawings.
This year the grand prize is a year of electric service, or a maximum value of $1500. There are two second prizes — six months’ of electric service, or a maximum of $750 each.
Kids prizes are listed on the front page of the newsletter.
Emergency reschedule date May 19
In the event of a tornado warning or other emergency on May 12, the annual meeting will be rescheduled for May 19 for the safety of Platte-Clay members.
If rescheduled, the annual event will be a business meeting to review the state of the co-op, to review the finances and to elect members to the Board of Directors.
The co-op will provide local media, radio and television stations, with cancellation information.
Members also will be notified of the date change via the co-op’s Facebook page and web site, pcec.coop
In the event the meeting is postponed, on May 19 the Kearney location will open the doors at 5:30 p.m. to allow members time to park and to get settled.
The business meeting will start at 7 p.m.
Catch a ride with Platte-Clay
Circulating trams will pick up and return members to their vehicle before and after the business meeting.
Handicapped parking
There is extremely limited handicapped parking next to the building.
Because the circulating trams will pick up and return members to their vehicles in the general parking areas, it is not necessary to park next to the building. Just wave down the Platte-Clay tram for a ride to and from the annual meeting activities.
Please update your account names and telephone number(s)
This is a great time to update all names and telephone numbers for your Platte-Clay account.
Just call 628-3121 anytime, 24 x 7 x 365 and we can add or change your telephone number.
Having the current telephone number is important because Platte- Clay calls to alert members about scheduled outages in the affected area to make it easier for members to plan accordingly.
Plus, when calling in, the automated telephone system, called Interactive Voice Response, (IVR) recognizes the telephone number(s) associated with the account, saving time and allowing members to report outages or problems automatically without waiting in a queue.
The member who owns the account may add the names of other parties, such as a spouse, to the account. This is important because the co-op can not give out any information or the capital credit check to anyone whose name is not on it.
Meet your 2016 Board of Director Candidates
These are the members who are running for the Board of Directors as of publication date.
Steve Adkins
Steve Adkins
Plattsburg
North District
After retiring from the Park Hill School District as a carpenter who, working with other trades, was responsible for five District buildings, Steve began ranching and now runs a cow-calf operation near Plattsburg. He was elected to the Board in 2013.
A member of the co-op since 1995, Steve says the talents and skills he brings to the Board include the ability to find the best answer to problems, he asks all the necessary questions and faces the hard situations head on.
The issues he sees facing the co-op include government, specifically the Environmental Protection Agency, regulations and the need to work for a fair playing field regarding green power generation.
The most important things to know about Platte- Clay are that the co-op is all about the members, it works hard to keep electric bills affordable and that our employees are the Number 1 asset.
He feels he is the best candidate because of his deep concern for the welfare of the co-op and members.
Larry Leachman
Larry Leachman
Platte City
West District
A co-op member since the year 2000, Larry retired from General Motors as a buyer.
He holds a B.S. in Business Management from Northwest Missouri State.
The issues he sees facing Platte-Clay include increasing costs, continuing environmental issues and the increasing number of home solar systems.
The most important things to know about Platte- Clay, he says, are that the Board serves its members, rates are competitive with investor-owned utilities and customer service is the top priority. He supported building the community solar array and is participating in the renewable energy it produces.
He feels he is the best candidate because of his past business experience and his past Board experiences, including serving on the Platte-Clay board since appointed in 2013.
Kim Goepferich
Kim Goepferich
Holt
South District
A member since 1994, Kim has extensive business management experience and currently works for KCB in Kearney as a Financial Service Representative.
She is responsible for customer service, helping customers with their needs and expectations of the bank.
The issues she believes the co-op faces include keeping the costs to members reasonable and finding ways to implement renewable energy while keeping electricity affordable to members.
The most important things to know about Platte- Clay is that first, the co-op is owned by the members, those who buy the electricity. Second, members make up the Board of Directors and govern the co-op, not an outside group of shareholders from other states.
Kim feels she would be the best candidate because she is someone willing to work very hard for the co-op, will work for the members of the co-op and she will be one who cares about the employees.
Tom Kapetanovich
Tom Kapetanovich
Kearney
South District
A member of the co-op since the year 2000, Tom is an electro-mechanical engineer and precision machinist. He and a partner own Accurate Gear & Machining, Inc., in Independence.
Tom feels the primary issue facing the co-op is future development of power for energy.
The most important things to know about the co-op are the general operation, financial and supply and distribution of services.
He feels he would be the best candidate because of his business experience and his experience of working with the public.
Proposed Bylaw Changes and Revisions
Co-op members will have the opportunity to vote on two proposed Bylaw changes and one addition at the annual meeting Thursday, May 12. Full text of the co-op Bylaws is on the web site, pcec.coop and the comparison is in the Rural Missouri, the official annual meeting notice, sent to all members. Text comparisons also will be available at the annual meeting May 12.
Proposed Revision
Article IV-Directors,
Section 3(b) Qualifications
(change in bold italics underlined)
(b) is in any way employed by an electric cooperative or has a financial interest in another electric cooperative, other than a current or past member, is in any way an employee, has ownership or has a financial interest in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy, electric services or electric supplies to the Cooperative (in an amount in excess of $5,000 annually in the case of electric supplies), or a business primarily engaged in 1) selling electrical appliances 2) plumbing appliances 3) futures or 4) supplies to the members of the Cooperative; except where such ownership is in securities in widely-held corporations traded regularly in recognized security markets;
Proposed Bylaw Addition
Article IV-Directors,
Section 9-Restrictions
For a period of seven (7) years after serving as a director of the Cooperative, no person shall be eligible to become or remain an employee or to hold any position of trust in the Cooperative.
In addition, if a former director of the Cooperative becomes in any way an employee, has an ownership interest in or has a financial interest in an enterprise or a business selling products or services, the Cooperative shall not be allowed to do business with such enterprise or business in an amount in excess of $5,000 annually for a period of seven years after such former director’s service as a director of the Cooperative ended.
Proposed Revision
(change in bold italics underlined)
It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to appoint, not less than thirty (30) days nor more than one-hundred twenty (120) days before the date of a meeting of the members at which directors are to be elected, a committee on nominations consisting of not less than five (5) nor more than eleven (11) members who shall be selected from different sections so as to ensure equitable representation. No active employee of any electric Cooperative may be a member of the nominating committee. No member of the nominating committee shall be a candidate for the office of director. The committee, keeping in mind the principle of geographical representation, shall prepare and post at the principal office of the Cooperative at least twenty days before the meeting a list of nominations for directors which may include a greater number of candidates than are to be elected. Any fifteen or more members acting together may make other nominations by petition not less than seventy (70) days prior to the meeting, and the Secretary shall post such nominations at the same place where the list of nominations made by the committee is posted. The Secretary shall mail with the notice of the meeting or separately, but at least seven days before the date of the meeting, a statement of the number of directors to be elected and the names and addresses of the candidates, specifying separately the nominations made by the committee on nominations and also the nominations made by petition, if any. The chairman shall invite additional nominations from the floor and nominations shall not be closed until at least one minute has passed during which no additional nomination has been made. No member may nominate more than one candidate.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.