Nearly 380 member-owners and guests attended North Western Electric Cooperative’s (NWEC) drive-through annual meeting at their Bryan office Saturday morning, April 9, from 9 am to noon. Member-owners registered and voted to approve 2021’s annual meeting minutes and two proposed changes to the co-op’s Code of Regulations. Many guests brought pets along for the ride (be sure to check out NWEC’s Facebook page for photos).

In accordance with NWEC’s Code of Regulations, member-owners could also vote online from March 21 through April 8, 2022, at noon. A total of 536 votes were submitted by those who could not attend the meeting but utilized voting through their secure online SmartHub account.

All member-owners who participated in their annual meeting (either by attending the drive-thru or casting their ballot online) will receive a $20 bill credit on their May electric bill (the one received at the end of April that is due May 10).

In District 3, no petitions were received to run for the board; Trustee Kim Shoup was re-elected by affirmation. In District 7, no petitions were received so Richard Polter was also re-elected by affirmation. The full NWEC Board of Trustees can be viewed online at www.nwec.com/board-trustees

Prior to the drive-thru meeting, each NWEC member-owner was sent an Annual Meeting packet on March 2, containing the following the following documents:

• Official Notice of Meeting
• Official Ballot Form
• Proposed Changes to the Code of Regulations
• NWEC 2021 Annual Meeting Minutes

Approved Changes to the Code of Regulations

Article III, Meeting of Members

• Organized the order of business at NWEC’s Annual Meeting. Allowed for hybrid format versus large in-person meetings when necessary.

Article IV, Board of Trustees

• Expanded the nepotism policy for board members to include close relatives and former employees of less than three years – including employees of NW Ohio Propane. It also added that trustees could not be convicted felons.
• Removed nominations from the floor at the Annual Meeting.

Jeff Woodbury and Keith Stark were member-owner representatives present to oversee the collection of the ballots during the drive-thru meeting and counting the votes following the meeting.

The 2021 Annual Meeting Minutes were also accepted by the membership.

To find NWEC’s cooperative documents, including the complete Code of Regulations and 2021 Annual Report, visit www.nwec.com/cooperative-documents. Call NWEC at 419-636-5051 for more information.