Fayette Electric Cooperative celebrated its 84th Annual Membership Meeting in a new way on Wednesday, July 21. At the time that plans were being made in February, the Centers for Disease Control were still advising against large gatherings of people in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With safety its primary concern, the co-op’s board of directors decided to host Fayette EC’s first virtual annual meeting.
In a pre-taped message, President David Lehmann called the meeting to order and welcomed members and guests to the virtual annual meeting. The virtual meeting was possible because the board approved amendments to the cooperative’s bylaws that allows the cooperative to conduct an annual meeting using remote communications. The amendments also allowed members voting by mail to be counted in person for the purpose of determining whether a quorum was met.
The business of the meeting included the election of four directors. Co-op members had previously nominated the following directors to represent their respective districts at meetings held in May: Gale Lincke, District 3; Leo C. Henke, District 4; Bill Briscoe, District 6; and David A. Stancik, District 7. A total of 1,825 members voted in the election and all four incumbents were re-elected to their positions on the board.
In a video update, General Manager Gary Don Nietsche presented a review of the events associated with the historic winter storm that affected the cooperative’s service territory and its members in February 2021. He also presented an update on the year 2020 including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the cooperative and its employees, improvements made to FEC’s distribution system, and the financial status of the cooperative.
In partnership with CoBank, a total of $20,000.00 in grants were awarded to four non-profit organizations that provide benefits to the communities that the cooperative serves. The grant recipients included: Lavaca Assistance Ministry Body of Hallettsville, Serenitystar of Smithville, the Texas Ramp Project, and the Pilot Club and Anchor Club of La Grange.
Nietsche recognized eight employees for their years of dedicated service: Amy Rackley, Lezli Thomas and Mike Proske, five years; TC Muniz, 10 years; Dana Janca, 15 years; Catherine Poppe, 25 years; Royce Friemel, 40 years; and Linda Gaddes, 50 years. Board President David Lehmann also recognized General Manager Gary Don Nietsche for 40 years of service, and the following directors for their years of service: James Anderle, five years; Gale Lincke, 15 years; Joseph Kruppa, 20 years; and David A. Stancik, 25 years.
In closing, President Lehmann announced that the 1,825 members that submitted their ballots to Survey & Ballot Systems were entered in the door prize drawing for a chance to win one of 60 door prizes. The winners are listed here and will also be listed in the local pages of the September issue of Texas Co-op Power magazine.