Members of Co-Mo Connect Powered by Co-Mo Electric Cooperative attended the 82nd Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 27.
Though the meeting was held in person, it wasn't the traditional Annual Meeting that members have experienced in the past.
"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we have scaled back our traditional meeting in an effort to best serve and ensure the health of our members and employee," said Gene Eulinger, Co-Mo Connect Powered by Co-Mo Electric Cooperative Board President. "We are still excited to have an in-person meeting of the members this year and look forward to a return to a standard, more traditional, Annual Meeting next year.
Co-Mo Country members were able to attend the meeting in person or watch the meeting later at www.co-mo.coop. Those in attendance were able to participate in the democratic process of electing board members and voting on amendments. Members who were not able to attend the meeting participated in the voting process using mail-in ballots. Using the new mail-in format as part of the May edition of Rural Missouri magazine, there were 1,200. Warren "Bruce" Wolfe (District One, incumbent), Gary Lee Harris (District Two, incumbent) and Rodney Blaine Schad (District Three, incumbent) were re-elected to the board.
After the business meeting, the board voted to keep all current officers in their roles at the re-organizational session after the meeting. Gene Eulinger remains president of the board. Gary Harris will continue as vice president and Rick Everhart, Sr. will continue as secretary and treasurer.
At the beginning of the meeting, Eulinger welcomed members and spoke about the changes to the meeting as a result of Covid-19. Following the welcome by Eulinger and invocation by John Schuster, Everhart presented the treasurer's report. Next, Aaron Bradshaw, the co-op's CEO, expressed his gratitude to Co-Mo members and employees for their adaptability during the past year as the pandemic impacted the Co-Mo area.
Next, Bradshaw gave an update on the cooperative's performance. He noted the importance of keeping Co-Mo employees safe and how the co-op continued safety training in a way that is compliant with CDC guidelines during the past year. He praised the cooperative for its achievement of the electronic distribution system being on 99.9% of the time. Bradshaw took a moment to thank the members for their part in energy conservation during the polar vortex in February. While the vortex caused rolling blackouts for other parts of the nation, Co-Mo's energy conservation efforts avoided such blackouts in the area. He also noted that the cooperative remains in sound financial shape and informed members that there would not be an increase in rates this year. Bradshaw wrapped up by summarizing the growth of Co-Mo Connect, which has grown to nearly 22,000 subscribers.
"I know I speak for everyone here at Co-Mo when I say that we appreciate the opportunity to serve you and this community," Bradshaw said.
A live broadcast of the meeting will be on the cooperative website later today.