This is to notify you that, in accordance with Section I, Article III of the Bylaws, as amended, the Annual Membership Meeting of Rio Grande Electric Cooperative, Inc. will be held virtually on our emPower page at 10 a.m. (CDT), Saturday, October 8, 2022, for reports and transaction of other Cooperative business that may properly be presented by the membership.
In accordance with RGEC Bylaws, the following candidates have been selected, from which 4 directors are to be elected to fill vacancies created by the expiration of specified terms of office, retirement, or other, as indicated:
Director District 1
Howard Ivy
Director District 3
Jamie D. Ballew (Incumbent)
Randy Schott
Donna D. Schuster
Director District 4A
Margarita Nelson (Incumbent)
David P. Hood
Larry Settle
William D. White
O. K. Wolfenbarger III
Director District 7
Tim Edwards (Incumbent)
Thomas Griffith
Voting on election of directors and voting on any issue required by law or articles of incorporation to be submitted to a vote of the members, shall be by mail only and may also include, at the option of the board, an electronic method of returning a ballot or vote. The method of casting votes by mail and electronically, the formats of any ballot for election of directors or any other issue to be voted upon by the members, and the procedures for mailing ballots and returning them by mail or electronically, shall be determined by resolution of the issue shall be certified and announced at the annual meeting of the members or any special meeting. Ballots or electronic votes must be received by October 5, 2022, in order to be counted. So, exercise your right to vote!
This year’s annual meeting, will be held virtually, due primarily to the cost savings to be realized. Neither members, nor the Co-op, want the additional expenses associated with traveling with the high prices of fuel these days. As CEO Theresa Quiroz explained in her message to you last month, “A virtual meeting costs approximately 51% less than an in-person meeting. An additional factor we considered is that the attendance for virtual meetings has been comparable with the most heavily-attended in-person meetings. The 2019 (in-person) meeting held in Uvalde was our highest attended meeting, with 247 memberships represented. The 2021 (virtual) annual meeting was attended by exactly the same number – 247. These members did not incur any travel expenses to attend, and RGEC avoided travel, overtime, food, and a host of other expenses associated with annual meetings. It just makes good business sense to hold these meetings virtually, especially at a time when we are working so fervently to hold down costs.” It also appears that yet another variant of the COVID virus has reared its ugly head, and is causing many more people to become ill. This is another reason considered when deciding to hold the meeting virtually.
Prizes
Rio Grande is still providing all the fun and prizes which have become synonymous with the annual meetings. There will be 2 $500 Gift Cards awarded, 10 $250 Credits On Account, 50 $100 Credits On Account, and, of course, the Grand Prize, a used RGEC Fleet vehicle. This year’s Grand Prize is a 2010 F150. Be sure to read our “Registration” segment below, for important registration and prize eligibility information.
Business
Reports from the Board President, CEO and Board Treasurer will fill you in on all the important happenings with your Co-op. You’ll meet the scholarship recipients and learn about the Co-op’s community engagement efforts, and meet the recipients of the Sharing Success grants, which are made to several non-profit organizations.
Election Results
The results of the director election will be announced by RGEC’s corporate attorney Lea Ream.
Questions
A Q & A session, for which questions can be submitted prior to the meeting, will be conducted by CEO Theresa Quiroz. (Visit our our emPower page to submit electronically.) Questions will also be accepted via email at webmaster@rgec.coop, and through Chat during the meeting. As many questions as possible will be answered during the meeting, and the remainder will be addressed in the November edition of the RGEC Update in Ranch & Rural Living Magazine.
Spanish Translation
Text of each report is available in Spanish on our emPower page, for our Spanish speaking members.
Registration
Registration opens at 8 a.m. (Central) September 26. To be eligible for prizes, you must register on our emPower page by 1 p.m. (CDT) Friday, October 7, be in virtual attendance at the meeting Saturday, October 8, and chat in to claim your prize, if your name is shown/ announced. The first 50 memberships who register and attend the meeting will receive a bonus prize. Members can continue to register to attend the meeting after 1 p.m. October 7, but will not be eligible for prizes.
We are looking forward to lots of member participation again this year! See you online Saturday, October 8!