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FEC Holds 72nd Annual Meeting Click
photo for a closer view... CAPTION: Member-owners of Farmers' Electric Cooperative file into the lobby of the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center to register just before the 72nd annual meeting of the cooperative Tuesday night. During the annual meeting FEC's CEO Mike Saunders and FEC board president Ron Cornett urged the crowd to contact their representatives in Congress and voice opposition against legislation that, they said, would dramatically increase the cost of Missouri's energy, if legislators approve it. Approximately 700 people attended the 72nd annual meeting of Farmers' Electric Cooperative last night at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center in Chillicothe. Organizers say the potential for severe weather dropped the expected attendance by several hundred members. The member-owners of FEC re-elected Ray Shields, Meadville, to a three-year term on the cooperative's board of directors. Shields, who has served 14 years on the FEC board, represents Linn County.
"I'm still ticked-off about not having a power plant under construction at Norborne," Cornett said. "Now we are going to have to generate electricity with gas or by some other means, which means eventually, the price to generate power will double." C-T Photo/Laura Schuler - RON CORNETT FEC board president Cornett said because of the current political climate, "it is currently not an option to build a coal-fixed power plant at this time." Cornett discussed several different generating options available to the cooperative system in Missouri, pointing out the significant price increases to do so with each option. "This is a good cooperative," Cornett said. "We have good employees, in fact, we are as good as anybody around. But part of our system is 70 years old and some of our equipment is getting very old." Cornett said the cooperative was working to replace the oldest parts of FEC's distribution system, as well as upgrading additional equipment as needed. In closing, Cornett told members that it was time for "government to shrink" and for members to "take an interest in your government."
C-T Photo/Laura Schuler - SANDERS FEC CEO Sanders cited the current move by federal legislators to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions from power plants and other carbon producing manufacturing facilities. "The Clean Air Act was never meant to regulate carbon," Sanders said. "There's not one word about regulating carbon in the original Clean Air Act." Sanders also focused briefly on the proposed cap and trade legislation battle in Congress. Sanders said most of the money from this proposal goes into the general fund, not for research and development to fight any carbon problem. Sanders also recognized three FEC employees who had retired or are going to retire in 2010. Sanders thanked Karol Coliver (February), Gary Hamilton (June 15), and Mary White (August 31) for their years of service. He also noted the cooperative currently has 42 employees with a combined 730 years of service to the cooperative. Sanders thanked those in attendance for making it to the annual meeting despite a tornado watch and the continued threat of flooding throughout the service territory. Dana Macoubrie, FEC's attorney, conducted the election of the open board seat as well as the election of the 2011 Committee on Nominations. Shields was elected by acclimation after no nominations were received from the floor. Elected to the 2011 Committee on Nominations were Kenneth Lee (Winston), Dennis Farmers (Cowgill), Judith Waters (Norborne), Kay Saale (Chillicothe), Charlotte Miller and Judy Holder (Meadville), and Dennis Widhalm (Brunswick). Sixty prizes were given away at the conclusion of the business meeting. The grand prize winner was Norman Case, Chillicothe. Case has the option of a large screen television, refrigerator, double oven, or a washer and dryer. Youth winners were also drawn fro electric scooters. Anna Daugherty (Sumner) won the girls' drawing for the scooter, and Landyn Peterson (Chillicothe) won the boys' scooter. Click photos below for a closer view!
Click here for complete details on the 2010 annual meeting! 2010 Committee on Nominations will meet Tuesday, April 13 The 2010 Committee on Nominations
will meet Tuesday, April 13, at 11 a.m. at the Farmers' Electric Cooperative office in
Chillicothe to propose one candidates for three director positions. The election for the
three director positions will be held at the June 8 Annual Meeting of the
cooperative. A director will be elected from District 6, which consists of all or parts of the
cooperative's service territory lying within the county of Linn. A board member may also be nominated by petition if 15 or more members nominate an individual , not less than 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting, to be held June 8, 2010, in Chillicothe. Additional nominations may also be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting. |
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Board president Ron Cornett opened the meeting citing the 75th anniversary of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt's creation of the Rural Electrification Administration, which resulted in the formation of
Farmers' Electric Cooperative three years later.
FEC's
Chief Executive Officer Mike Sanders continued the political theme in his speech
to the membership. "For the first time in four years, I don't have to stand
here and explain a rate increase," Sanders said. But really, this is out of
our control. That is why the 
