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The Salem
Electric Board of Directors met on May 12 at 7:00 p.m. for the Annual
Membership Meeting. The meeting was called to order by President Jim Dyer and
all board members were present. The members present at the annual membership
meeting constitute a quorum and all members of Salem Electric received a notice
of the meeting.
The nominations for the two director positions were
announced as follows:
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Position No. 3
Curt Culver
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Position No. 4
None
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The ballot box was declared closed and staff left
the room to count the ballots.
A motion was made by Culver to dispense with the
reading of the 1997 annual meeting minutes. The motion was seconded by
Bonesteele and carried unanimously. A motion was made by Culver, seconded by
Anderson, and carried unanimously to approve the 1997 annual meeting minutes as
written.
Board Chair's Report
Dyer gave a report on the state of Salem Electric.
Both the fiscal and calendar years were very successful for the cooperative. He
used this opportunity to thank the staff for the usual outstanding job they had
done. He highlighted SE's involvement with the community. Among the highlights
this year were the donation of lighting to Marion Square Park, sponsorship of
the Salem Symphony, and many other donations in support of worthy local
non-profit organizations. Dyer said the board was instrumental in defeating the
hastily-conceived deregulation plans in the past legislative session. He
assured the audience that the board will continue to monitor the situation and
report to the membership on the status of the restructuring issue as we move
toward the next session.
General Manager's Report
Robert Speckman welcomed the membership and
acknowledged the employees present at the meeting.
Speckman reported that SE's reliability has
continued to be outstanding. The 1996 figure for outage time per customer was
8.11 minutes. In 1997 it was even better, at 7.44 minutes. Compare this to the
national average of 70 minutes for public power and 160 minutes for
investor-owned utilities.
Speckman said Salem Electric's commitment to remain
debt free has given the cooperative flexibility and has helped to keep rates
low. SE has borrowed money on occasion, like for the remodeling of the
building. Money may also be borrowed in the near future to purchase three
substations from the Bonneville Power Administration. This is a move that will
save Salem Electric and the members substantially in the future.
Speckman also commented on the deregulation of the
utility industry. He assured the audience that the goal of SE is to protect the
benefits and low cost power enjoyed in the Northwest. Much has been learned by
those who got involved early on, like Enron, who has now pulled out of the
residential sector in California, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He said the
Board and staff will continue to do what can be done to protect the interest of
the members.
Employee Presentations
Debbie Addison: Debbie was hired in 1994 as a
Customer Service Representative and was promoted to Member Services Coordinator
in 1997. Debbie explained several conservation programs. She displayed various
compact fluorescent bulbs and talked about the appliance program. You may have
seen Debbie in the Salem Electric Drill Team that performed in the Keizer Iris
Parade. Debbie was the one wearing the fake nose and glasses disguise.
Chris Krieck: Chris joined Salem Electric as
an accountant in 1990. He provided an overview of the accounting system and
outlined the monthly accounting dates and deadlines for the various financial
spreadsheets and financial reports. I know the board really appreciates the
work this department does. Their outstanding work on the budget makes our job
much easier because it is always impeccable. Every year the financial auditors
have nothing but praise for the staff reports.
Roger Kuhlman: Roger became the
Engineering and Operations Manager in 1991. He gave a presentation on the Foote
Creek Rim Wind Project in Wyoming and described various aspects of the project.
Following several questions from the members,
President Dyer reported the election results as follows:
Position No. 3
Curt Culver, re-elected 1,711 votes
Meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m., followed immediately
by an organizational meeting of the board.
Organizational Meeting
The meeting was called to order at 8:25 p.m. by
President Jim Dyer with all board members present. Towslee announced a
recommendation by the committee appointed to review the process for appointing
someone to fill the vacant board position. The committee recommended that the
process of advertising and soliciting interested members be followed by an
interview process. Motion was made by Wolf, seconded by Culver and carried
unanimously to accept the committee recommendation.
Nominations were opened for President and Chair of
the Board. Dyer was nominated by Wolf. Nominations were closed. Dyer was
elected by acclamation.
Nominations were opened for Vice-President. Towslee
was nominated by Anderson. Nominations were closed. Towslee was elected by
acclamation.
Nominations were opened for Secretary/Treasurer.
Wolf was nominated by Culver. Nominations were closed. Wolf was elected by
acclamation.
Meeting adjourned at 8:31 p.m.
-- Bill Wolf, Secretary/Treasurer
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