Tri-County Holds 66th Annual Meeting; Directors Re-elected
>> Tri-County EMC’s Annual Meeting took place Oct. 20. Directors representing Post 1 were re-elected to serve a three-year term. These are Dan Greene of District 1, Brenda P. Greene representing District 2 and Sammy Hall of District 3. A total of 1,008 ballots were cast. (36104-01)
In his opening address, Tri-County EMC Chairman Tom Thompson stressed the importance of cooperatives existing to provide necessities, like electricity, for rural Americans. He thanked EMC employees who, at times, sacrifice comfort with their families to restore electric service. Employees were also recognized for working diligently in the aftermath of the ice storm and Hurricane Katrina.
This year’s theme “Walking the Walk,” echoes Tri-County EMC employee, director and member involvement in the community. “Establishing Operation Roundup was one of
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>> Tri-County EMC CEO Hill Bentley (left) recognizes Chairman Tom Thompson for 20 years of service to the EMC. << |
Employees and directors were recognized for their years of service to the EMC: (5 years) John Baswell, Sharon Gray, William Hubbard and Marion Nelson; (10 years) Margaret Morris, Mike Rainey, Rev. Charles Richardson and Cindy Thomason; (15 years) Walter Gray; (20 years) Tom Thompson Jr. and (25 years) Dennis Rowland.
Tri-County EMC CEO C. “Hill” Bentley addressed the rapid growth of the EMC. “Our meters per mile of line are continually increasing,” states Bentley. Nationwide, the cost to serve rural areas is significant with EMCs averaging 6.6 consumers per mile of distribution line, compared with 34 customers per mile for investor-owned electric utilities and 44 customers per mile for municipal electric utilities. This comparison means less revenue for the EMCs. Bentley stated that Tri-County’s residential prices for electricity are lower than the state average, but predicted that the rising costs of fuel will spur changes to the EMC’s rate structure in January. Power costs account for over two-thirds of Tri-County’s expenditures.
Members were rewarded for voting. Eleven names of voting members were randomly drawn to receive cash prizes totaling $1,000. <<
