NOVEMBER 2015
matters MEMBERSHIP
A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION
Did you know... You can get a customized plan of action to reduce your usage and costs with our free online Energy Advisor, available at BlueRidgeEMC.com. You can also call or drop by our office for a free Energy Savers booklet.
Prepare now for winter heating bills Cold weather is coming! That means heating needs increase as well as more time spent inside using lighting, appliances and electronics. Blue Ridge Electric offers the following tips to help you keep your electric bill lower during cold weather and shorter days. Be energy efficient Simple steps help! Get a plan of action customized to your home by clicking on “Energy Advisor” at BlueRidgeEMC.com. (Find your customized Energy Advisor by logging into “My Account.”) Or, call our office for a free Energy Savers booklet. Other quick tips: Set thermostats to the lowest comfortable level (try 68 degrees for winter). Limit space
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heater use. Open curtains to let in the sun’s heat, but be sure to close them at night. Budget Billing Equalize your payments for 11 months. In the 12th month, your account is “evened up” with a final payment or credit applied. Combine this with bank draft for ultimate convenience. FlexPay Our “pay as you go” plan makes it easier to purchase electricity in smaller amounts, paying daily or weekly, at any time by phone, office kiosks or online. There are no deposits or late fees. Simply keep a balance on your account to keep electricity flowing.
Tips for members needing assistance paying their bill •
Extend your due date by three business days using our self-help telephone service. For only $10, you can avoid any late or reconnection fees accumulating on unpaid bills.
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I f you need more time, call us to discuss an individualized payment arrangement plan.
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ou may also consider calling your Y local social services agency to see if you qualify for special assistance such as Operation Round Up® or state and federal crisis assistance programs.
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Propane subsidiary benefits members Your cooperative’s propane and heating fuels subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, is delivering good value to members in a variety of ways. Most importantly, profits from subsidiaries are used to help hold down rates and keep your bill lower. This is our key purpose for our subsidiaries, which also includes RidgeLink, a business-to-business fiber and broadband provider.
higher levels of crisis heating assistance to members in need as well as award community grants to improve local quality of life. Last year, a total of $100,000 was donated to the Foundation from the profits of the cooperative’s two subsidiaries. Providing jobs for local people and delivering exceptional customer service at a competitive price are other very important features of Blue Ridge Energies that benefit members and our communities as a whole!
In 2014, Blue Ridge Energies produced a net benefit to the cooperative of $1.7 million in net income used We hope you see the benefit primarily for the purpose it holds for you personally mentioned above. In addias well as the entire memtion to sales, some of the bership when you purchase benefit comes from costyour propane, heating fuels sharing for space, includand gas appliances from ing gas and hearth product Blue Ridge Energies. As a showrooms in the cooperacooperative member, you’re Blue Ridge Energies’ showtive’s district offices, as well also an owner of Blue Ridge rooms are located inside each as services such as human Energies. Blue Ridge Electric district resources and safety overoffice as well as our sight for which the subsidIf you’re already a customer Independence, VA location. iary pays the cooperative. of Blue Ridge Energies, I would like to personally thank you and ask In addition to helping hold down member you to consider referring a friend to your rates, Blue Ridge Energies profits also ben- cooperative’s subsidiary. And if you’re not efit members through providing support to already a customer of Blue Ridge Energies, the Blue Ridge Electric Members Founda- I hope you’ll consider becoming one today! tion. This helps your Foundation provide Page 22
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More than $24,000 has been donated over the past two years to local breast cancer related charities through the Blue Ridge Energies pink truck program. For every gallon of propane delivered in the pink delivery trucks, a penny is donated to local organizations that help support those battling breast cancer.
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Bylaws, Service Rules and Regulations updated At their regular board meeting held on September 24, 2015, Blue Ridge Electric’s Board of Directors approved the following updates to the Cooperative’s Bylaws and Service Rules and Regulations. Members may obtain full copies of these documents at BlueRidgeEMC.com or by contacting the Cooperative to request a mailed copy. Bylaws ARTICLE II MEETINGS OF MEMBERS SECTION 2.07 Credentials & Election Committee. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to appoint, at the October Board meeting or at the next meeting opportunity of the Board, a Credentials and Election Committee consisting of an odd number of members who are natural persons, not less than five (5) nor more than nine (9) for a one-year term, who are not existing Cooperative employees, agents, Officers, Directors or known candidates for Director, who are not close relatives thereof (as defined in Section 3.14) or members of the same household of Cooperative Officers, existing Directors or known candidates for Director, and who, if an election of Directors is to be held are not members of the Nominating Committee for such meeting. Section 3.02 Qualifications In order to be eligible to become or remain a Director of the Cooperative, such person must meet the following qualifications: a. must be a natural person and a citizen of the United States, b. must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age, c. must have a high school diploma or GED. d. must be receiving electric service from the Cooperative at his primary residence which shall be for qualifica tion purposes where a member is registered to vote and spends most of his time, e. must not have had a membership that has been in a state of suspension as defined in Section 1.10, f. electric service must not have been involuntarily disconnected for nonpayment at any time during the twelve months preceding the candidate application, g. must not have been involved at any time in meter tampering reported to law enforcement, h. must be legally competent and available to attend regular Board meetings, committee meetings, training and other events. Directors who miss more than two consecutive regular Board meetings may be subject to removal action by the Board. It shall be the duty of the Board to develop additional policy guidelines on attendance requirements, i. must not in any way be employed by, financially interested in, or serving as an officer, director, trustee or equivalent for a competing enterprise with the Cooperative or its subsidiaries, or a business that sells products, services or supplies to the Cooperative or its subsidiaries, j. must not have a close relative (as hereinafter defined) who is in any way employed by, financially interested in, or serving as an officer, director, trustee, or equivalent for a competing enterprise with the Cooperative or its subsidiaries, or a business that sells products, services or supplies to the Cooperative or its subsidiaries. k. must not have been convicted of a misdemeanor involving moral turpitude or a felony pursuant to state or federal laws, l. must not have been a former regular full time employee of the Cooperative or its subsidiaries, and m. must not have a close relative who is an employee or incumbent director of the Cooperative as defined in Section 3.14 of these Bylaws.
All Director candidates, whether nominated by the Nominating Committee or by petition, shall complete a Director Candidate application packet including the execution of a release waiver for a complete background check, by the date established in these Bylaws.
SECTION 3.03 Election. At each Annual Meeting of the members, Directors shall be elected by a vote of the members. Only natural persons who are members shall be eligible to be elected and serve as a Director of the Cooperative.
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Bylaws, SRRs updated (continued) SECTION 3.06 Nominations. It shall be the duty of the Board of Directors to appoint, at the October Board meeting or at the next meeting opportunity of the Board, a Nominating Committee, consisting of not less than seven (7) and not more than eleven (11) natural persons who are members of the Cooperative, but are not existing Cooperative employees, agents, Officers, Directors or close relatives thereof or known candidates to become Directors as defined in Section 3.14 and who are so selected that each of the Cooperative’s Directorate Districts shall have representation thereon in proportion to the number of Directors who must be residents thereof, including one additional member representing the membership. All Director Candidates wishing to be considered through the Nominating Committee process, shall complete and submit the Cooperative’s formal Director Candidate application, regarding Bylaws qualifications, on or before the first business day in March to the Cooperative’s Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer or other designee. Any (fifteen (15) A total of twenty (20) or more natural persons who are members of the Cooperative with five being in each of the four directorate districts, acting together, may make additional nomination(s) in writing over their signatures, listing their nominee(s) in like manner, on or before the first business day in April to the Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Section 3.14 Close Relative Defined As used in these Bylaws, “close relative” means a person who, by blood or in-law or marital-like relationship, including step and adoptive kin, is either a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew, or niece of the principal. The common law definition of in-law shall be used. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson
EDITOR Renée R. Whitener
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons
DISTRICT OFFICES
Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany Wilkes PowerLine®
(828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383
Toll Free
(800) 451-5474
(PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)
(for members outside of the service area.)
To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above. OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Kiosk available 24/7 + Night deposit Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEMC.com +
SECTION 5.02 Election & Term of Office. Board Officers listed in Section 5.01, with the exception of the Chief Executive Officer and other such Officers, shall be elected by secret written ballot, annually and without prior nomination, by and from the Board of Directors at the first regular meeting of the Board of Directors held after each Annual Meeting of the members. SECTION 14.01 Amendments. These Bylaws may be altered, amended, or repealed by resolution adopted by the Board of Directors at any regular or special Board of Directors meeting, but only if the notice of such meeting shall have contained a copy of the proposed alteration, amendment, or repeal, or an accurate summary explanation thereof. Except for non-substantive changes (punctuation, capitalization, renumbering, etc.) to these Bylaws, A a copy of such alterations or amendments or repeal shall be sent by mail or by electronic means to each member of the Cooperative after any such shall have been adopted by the Board of Directors. ARTICLE XV - CONSTRUCTION SECTION 15.01 Construction. Feminine or neuter entity pronouns shall be substituted for those masculine form or vice versa, and the plural shall be substituted for the single number or vice versa in any place or places in which the context may require such substitution in these Bylaws. Several changes to the Service Rules and Regulations were also approved. The latest Bylaws and Service Rules and Regulations can be found under the “Cooperative” tab at BlueRidgeEMC.com or you may request a copy at your local Blue Ridge Electric office. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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