| Three Trustee Seats up for Election Terms expire in Districts 2, 3 and 5 Three seats on the Flathead Electric Board of Trustees are up for election this year, and for the first time a mail-in ballot will determine the winners. Trustee terms that expire in March are District 2, Lower Valley, held by Brent Hall; District 3, Whitefish, held by Jay Downen; and District 5, North Kalispell, held by Alan Ruby. Anyone interested in running for one of these seats must live within the district boundaries and be nominated at the annual meeting March 29 by another member who resides in the district. If you’re not sure which district you reside in, check with the Co-op. Candidates for the open trustee positions will be asked to fill out a nomination form and will have the opportunity to give a short campaign speech at the meeting. Candidates also will be asked to submit a short biographical and issues statement that will be included in information mailed out along with ballots to all Co-op members after the meeting. Revision Designed to Make Bylaws More Member-Friendly Major Update is First Since Co-op was Established Responding to members at last year’s annual meeting, Flathead Electric’s Board of Trustees is proposing a major revision of the cooperative’s bylaws, the first comprehensive rewrite since the Co-op was founded 66 years ago. Individual amendments have been proposed as necessary through the years, but this proposal is a complete revision of the bylaws. Copies of both the existing bylaws and the proposed revision are included in this newsletter. Members will be asked to vote on the proposal after the annual meeting on March 29. Please keep this copy for review, as it’s the only copy that will be mailed. The bylaw text will not be included in the mailing of ballots following the annual meeting. The goal was to update the bylaws and make them more member-friendly. Members at last year’s annual meeting requested that the trustees undertake a major revision of the bylaws, and work began in June. A Bylaw Revision
Committee was selected by the board, consisting of Bruce Measure (District
7) as Chairman, along with fellow trustees Earl Messick (District 9),
Alan Ruby (District 5) and Chris Byrd (District 1). The committee also
included Co-op members Mark Lalum and Bev Medved, who were invited to
participate because of their expertise on parliamentary matters. The committee
met monthly at first, then more frequently as the work progressed. "In mid December, with the annual meeting just 90 days away, I didn't feel that we would be able to give the members a document that would make the recent revisions fit and serve the members for another 66 years,” said Bruce Measure. “After working with the member focus group and the committee on two long January nights, I believe the proposed bylaws address recent changes in the Co-op and will be flexible enough to serve the members for some time to come." The committee used the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s bylaw revision guide as a starting point and incorporated elements of the guide that were pertinent for Flathead Electric. After a draft was completed, a focus group consisting of nine members was asked to review the proposal and make suggestions for improvements. The volunteers in the focus group spent two evenings going over the proposed changes. The Flathead Electric board reviewed the proposed revision on Feb. 8 and voted to recommend acceptance by the membership.
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Flathead
Electric The
Board of Trustees meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month - subject
to change to accommodate schedules. All
Richard Heitman Watts Happening (USPS 004-345) is published monthly - $2.50 per year subscription for non-members - by Flathead Electric Cooperative, Inc., 2510 Hwy 2 East, Kalispell, MT 59901. Periodical Postage is paid at Kalispell, MT. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Watts Happening, Flathead Electric Cooperative, 2510 Hwy 2 East, Kalispell, MT 59901 © 2003 Flathead Electric
Cooperative, Inc.
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