Annual Meeting Held; Members Urged to Take Charge of Their Energy Future Tri-County EMC held its 69th Annual Meeting October 16 at its headquarters in Gray. The meeting resulted in the re-election of all Post 1 directors and a call to action for members to commit to their energy future through energy conservation and influencing public policy.  A total of 1,136 ballots were cast electing Post 1 Directors to serve a three-year term: Dan Z. Greene of District 1, Brenda P. Green of District 2 and Sammy O. Hall of District 3. Eighty-five members and guests were apprised of the EMC’s accomplishments and challenges in meeting a rapid growing demand for electricity. Tri-County EMC Chairman Tom Thompson Jr. reflected on the challenges our nation and industry face, such as the rising costs of transportation and materials. In light of recent rate and fee increases due to escalating wholesale power costs and increased operating costs, he reassured members that the EMC is working in the most economical way to hold costs down as much as possible. >>>

Annual Meeting Cash Prize Winners Taking part in your EMC’s business can be rewarding. The Tri-County members pictured below each won $50 for completing and returning their ballots. Wiley Tuft of Gray won $500.

Funds Awarded Due to HB 431 Tri-County EMC put $84,063.36 into the community via House Bill (HB) 431. The funds are from unclaimed capital credits, or margins that the non-profit cooperative was unable to return to former members. Prior to HB 431 enacted in 1995, unclaimed capital credits were surrendered to the state. Now, Georgia’s EMCs can use these unclaimed funds, after retaining them for five years, for education, economic development and 501(c)(3) charitable organizations in EMC service areas. The Board of Directors chose to apply the funds toward economic development, education, school technology and youth programs throughout the cooperative’s service area. << >> Tri-County Chairman Tom Thompson Jr. (center-right) gives a $5,000 check to Putnam County Schools Technology Director Keith Ellenberg for technology in the schools as Putnam school and Tri-County EMC officials look on. <<

Killgos Get a Different Look at Cooperatives Tri-County EMC Members Shannon and Becky Killgo, a bookkeepper at Tri-County, returned from the Couples Co-op Conference with a fresh perspective on cooperatives. "I didn’t realize that they are formed in so many areas of business other than electricity," says Shannon. Held November 7–9 in Myrtle Beach, SC, the conference gave couples insight as to the economic and >> The Killgos at the Couples Co-op Conference. << service opportunities available to them. Through games and encounter sessions, the group became acquainted with other couples representing different cooperatives in Georgia and explored how to solve problems a co-op may face. (44531-01) "I believe what I enjoyed most from this conference is meeting couples from different walks of life," notes Becky. "I learned some new and interesting things from talking with other couples that are affiliated with other cooperatives; such as how tobacco crops and how dairy farms are managed." To learn about this opportunity, call 478.986.8126 or 1.866.254.8100, ext. 8126 or visit tri-countyemc.com.

Did You Know? ...

To meet Georgia’s growing energy demand by the year 2018, we will need to increase our generation capacity by 60 percent or by 6,000 MW—a difficult task given the average power plant takes nearly 10 years to build. <<

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