July 16th, 2018 by Todd Schroeder, General Manager/CEO
The time is drawing near for Macon Electric Cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting of members. At MEC, we always look forward to our annual meeting, because it is a time to thank our members for being an integral part of our cooperative. If you haven’t been to the annual meeting before, we encourage you to come see what it’s all about. There will be a barbecue meal, entertainment by Keota, informational booths, kids’ activities, and gifts and prize drawings.
Another important aspect of the annual meeting is that it is your opportunity to let your voice be heard. As you know, you are owners of our cooperative, not just customers. Therefore, you have a say in how your cooperative operates. Voting on your board of directors and By-law amendments are two of the ways to ensure your voice is heard.
The By-law amendment proposition at this year’s meeting is designed to allow for members who are unable to attend the annual meeting to vote via absentee ballot online or by mail. The current version of the By-laws allows for members to vote only if they attend the annual meeting. This proposed amendment would make additional voting options available at the discretion of the board of directors.
Currently, MEC directors are elected by less than ten percent of the cooperative’s membership. As you can understand, there are members who cannot attend the annual meeting for a variety of reasons; therefore, these members would benefit from the additional voting options. Also, expanding voting options would allow more members to participate in the democratic process of cooperative membership. It is important to note that this proposition would not take away the option to vote at the annual meeting, nor would it lead to an ending of the annual meeting itself.
This year’s Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 14 at the Macon County Fairgrounds, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Voting will conclude at 6:30 p.m., prior to conducting the business meeting, which will be located in the Youth Building this year. We encourage all of our members to come out and take part in the democratic process that comes along with being a member of your local electric cooperative. We look forward to having you out for good food and a great time.