Tri-County Electric Coop Rural Living

Upcoming District 1, 2 & 4 Meetings — Page 9 May & June 2018 Vol. 21 • No. 5

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Keeping You Safe During and After Summer Storms Vol. XXI No. V May & June 2018

Board of Trustees

Gary Fulford

Albert Thomas

Catherine Bethea

District 6

District 7

District 5

President

Vice President

Secretary - Treasurer

Junior Smith

Bobby Dodd

Donnie Waldrep

George Webb

Johnny Edwards

Elmer Coker

District 1

District 4

District 2

District 8

District 3

District 9

TCEC Staff

Julius Hackett, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Brewer, Manager of Engineering Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Corporate Services Eileen Herndon, Executive Assistant Darrell Tuten, Manager of Operations Wendell Williams, Manager of Finance Tri-County Electric Cooperative Rural Living, the voice of your member-owned electric cooperative, is published bimonthly — more if necessary — at no subscription cost to the membership. The publication team is comprised of TCEC employees in partnership with Madison Media Group. Postage is paid at Blountstown, Fla.

Publication Team

Julius Hackett, Chief Executive Officer Eileen Herndon, Executive Assistant Kaitlynn Culpepper, Community Relations Specialist

Publisher

Curtis Media Michael Curtis & Staff Tri-County Electric Cooperative 2862 West US 90 Madison, FL 32340 www.tcec.com 1-800-999-2285

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No one knows electrical safety better than the experts who practice it every single day.

Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC) encourages you to practice safety with these reminders — for during and after a summer storm: Avoid wires and water — When lightning strikes a home during a storm, the electrical charge can surge through pipes and utility wires. That means you can get zapped if you’re touching water or any device that’s plugged in, whether it’s a landline phone or toaster.

Skip the makeshift shelter — During a storm, it’s tempting to take cover under a picnic gazebo or golf cart, but in opensided structures with no conductors to channel strikes, a bolt’s path of least resistance to the ground could be you.

On top of that, these structures raise your risk of a lightning strike because of their height. Keep moving toward suitable shelter.

Portable generators — Take special care with portable generators, which can provide a good source of power, but if improperly installed or operated, can become deadly. Do not connect generators directly to household wiring.

Power from generators can back-feed along power lines and electrocute anyone coming in contact with them, including co-op line workers making repairs. It’s best to hire a qualified, licensed electrician to install your generator and ensure that it meets local electrical codes.

Flooded areas — Stay away from downed power lines and avoid walking

Julius Hackett, CEO through flooded areas. Power lines could be submerged and still energized with electricity. Report any downed lines you see to TCEC by calling 1-800-999-2285 immediately.

Electrical equipment — Never use electrical equipment that is wet — especially outdoor electrical equipment, which could be a potential danger after a summer storm. Water can damage electrical equipment and parts, posing a shock or fire hazard.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, each year thousands of people in the United States are critically injured and electrocuted as a result of electrical fires, accidents and electrocution in their own homes. Many of these accidents are preventable. There is much you can do to keep yourself and your community safe around electricity.

Contact us for additional electrical safety tips or if you would like us to provide a safety demonstration at your school or community event. Pause and take the extra time to plug into safety.

Holiday Schedule Reminder All Tri-County Electric offices will be closed May 28, 2018, in observance of Memorial Day. We will have standby crews available for power restoration if needed. Please see “To Report Electrical Problems or Outages” on Page 11 of this newsletter.

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Hurricane Season 2018: What to Expect from June to November After a decade of relative quiet, Floridians have witnessed two years of active hurricane seasons. Most recently, Hurricane Irma impacted nearly the entire peninsula of Florida as it made landfall in Naples in September of 2017, causing over $60 billion in damage and leaving more than 7 million Floridians in the dark.

Among the 7 million people without power, over 14,000 were TCEC members.

The restoration efforts to reverse Irma’s damage took TCEC five days. TCEC also received assistance from outside crews from different states, Florida’s Electric Cooperative Association (FECA), as well as Seminole Electric Cooperative, our wholesale power provider.

The 2018 season is predicted to produce at least as many named storms as last year, and may be on record to be the strongest hurricane season in 70 years.

Global Weather Oscillations (GWO), the producer of one of the most accurate predictions of the 2017 hurricane season, anticipates 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, four major hurricanes, and the potential for four US hurricane landfalls in 2018 — two of which will likely be major impact storms. This means

that Florida could receive devastating storms with sustained winds in excess of 110 miles per hour.

There are three factors that cause meteorologists to expect a strong hurricane season: warmer-than-normal water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, favorable upper-level winds over Bermuda, and the weakening of El Niño patterns, which typically lead to stronger hurricane seasons.

This year’s abnormally-high prediction means that you and your family must effectively prepare for the 2018 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. In addition to extensive planning and preparation ahead of this year’s hurricane season, TCEC, in coordination with Seminole, created a Hurricane Guide to assist you in your emergency planning. This guide includes information on how to report an outage, generator safety, helpful links and phone numbers, and more. Please use this guide when reviewing your hurricane preparation materials so you will know what to do before, during, and after a storm to help TCEC restore your power as quickly and safely as possible and ensure the safety of you and your family.

Tri-County Electric Co-op Hurricane Preparedness Guide

Atlantic Hurricane Season is June 1 to November 30

It is easy to forget just how damaging these storms can be. Don’t wait to form your plan for the 2018 Hurricane Season — download our Hurricane Guide online at www.tcec.com or pick one up at your local TCEC office today and prepare for an active year of storms!

To maintain the quality, reliability and integrity of the services we provide, it is necessary to adjust our pricing structure. TCEC’s current rate relies heavily on the sale of power to recover fixed costs such as powerlines, substations, equipment, right-of-way maintenance, salaries and more. This can be negatively affected by large variations in energy sales. Difficulty covering the day-to-day operating costs or collecting more than what is needed to operate your member-owned cooperative can be a result. To level out the annual cash flow — an important factor for a not-for-profit power provider like us — your co-op is implementing a

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DEPARTMENT SPOTLIGHT Just as the aviation industry needs air-traffic controllers to manage the movement of airplanes for safety and commerce, so too, the electric industry requires system operators.

TCEC system operators are responsible for monitoring the status and operation of the co-op’s electrical system on a day-to-day basis. They work out of a central control center monitoring the distribution system through the use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and other systems and equipment to provide safe and reliable service to our members.

Our system operators maintain a service order-based dispatch system, and if there is a power outage, they coordinate the response to member trouble calls and inquiries. They dispatch crews to repair the line or equipment and they make sure equipment is powered down, too, so it can be safely repaired to restore power.

Our system operators work in shifts, and depending on the size of the outage, they may work in teams.

A majority of their day is spent at the control desk, monitoring the system and going through routine procedures that are carefully followed. When there are outages, they interact with the field crews and substation personnel while constantly monitoring conditions in order to anticipate or mitigate potential problems.

Their jobs can be stressful, particularly during storms when large outages may occur. When a major system disturbance occurs, it is the system operator’s job to quickly respond and get the power grid restored to safe operating conditions. They must be able to handle multiple tasks and remain focused under pressure while monitoring all communications in the field to know at all times where service crews and field personnel are located.

When they aren’t working, they are training. System operators focus on training and honing their skills and annually perform simulation exercises to practice new situations to help broaden their expertise.

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System Operations Talk About a Job We All Rely On! AMY STRAKA is our Lead System Operator and

a 14-year veteran of the co-op. Early in her career she was a meter reader in Taylor County before moving over to system operations. Amy’s extensive knowledge of the territory is beneficial to her when dispatching crews during outages as well as maintaining a constant watch on crew locations while they work.

Amy is an avid animal lover, and during her time away from the control center, she appreciates a leisurely horseback ride or the solitude of hunting.

Amy’s team of system operators include ...

MARVIN JOHNSTON is a retired 25-year Army veteran who has been with co-op for six years.

When not standing watch over system control, Marvin enjoys being outdoors working in his yard. He also enjoys traveling with his wife in their RV. JEREMY TUCKEY has worked for the co-op for three years. Electric co-ops run in his family; his father retired from an electric co-op and his wife works at Suwannee Valley Electric Co-op.

A sports enthusiast, Jeremy enjoys keeping up with different collegiate and professional leagues.

When not monitoring the electric system, he likes playing golf.

KEN ODOM joined the co-op in 2016, and his prior experience in dispatch operations has made him an asset in the control room. He frequently assists the co-op in other areas when not working his regular shift. In what little spare time he has, he likes to get outdoors. He enjoys riding his motorcycle or fishing and hunting with his family.

LUCAS MILLER is the newest member of the team.

His computer savviness has helped him master the complex computer programs utilized in system control. Lucas likes to gain knowledge — he enjoys restoring things whether it be rebuilding automobiles or refurbishing old tools. He often can be found riding his ATV or fishing.

May & June 2018

What Happens When You Report an Outage?

After making that call to report your outage, have you ever wondered what goes on between the time you hang up the phone to when the lineman restores your power?

As soon as an outage has been reported, an audible signal sounds and the member’s number appears on a monitor within TCEC’s system control center.

The system operator on duty (operators are here 24/7) will then locate the member reporting the outage in the TCEC control system and send a signal testing the member’s meter to see if it has power. If the member has power, the system will report a green “ON” symbol on the system map. If the member does not have power, the system will report a red “OFF” symbol on the system map. The image below shows some members that are OFF and some that are ON.

When the system identifies that a member is out of power by the red OFF symbol, the system controller will then call the

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lineman on duty to go out and investigate the outage. Once the problem has been found, the lineman will call in and report the cause of trouble to the system operator.

The system operator will set an estimated time of restoration in the system based on the input from the lineman. The average restoration time across the system is approximately 80 minutes for each outage. However, outage times may increase due to stormrelated activity and to the level of damage to the affected area.

Once the cause has been identified, the lineman will begin working on resolving the issue that caused the member to lose power. After the line has been repaired, the lineman will ask the system control operator to verify power has been restored to the member by sending another test signal to the member’s meter.

When the system controller verifies power has returned to the member’s meter, the outage is closed within the system.

TCEC members can report outages either by telephone or text message. Members can call TCEC via phone at 1-800-9992285 or a member can text the word OUT to 1-800-999-2285 to report their outage. But remember, text messaging only works if the number sending the text has been associated with an account in the system. 966001

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SUMMARY OF THE BY-LAWS OF TRI-COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. PERTAINING TO MEMBERSHIP, ANNUAL MEETINGS, BOARD REPRESENTATION, AND QUALIFICATION, NOMINATION AND ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEMBERSHIP 1. Any person, firm, association, corporation, or body politic or subdivision thereof may become a member of the Cooperative by: a. Filing a written application for membership; b. Agreeing to purchase electrical energy from the Cooperative; c. Agreeing to comply with and be bound by the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of the Cooperative, and any rules and regulations adopted by the Board of Trustees; and d. Paying the membership fee provided by the By-Laws of the Cooperative, and being accepted for membership by the Board of Trustees or the members. No member may hold more than one (1) membership in the Cooperative, and no membership shall be transferable.

2. A husband and wife may, if they desire, apply for a joint membership.

ANNUAL MEETINGS 1. The Annual Meeting of the members of the Cooperative is held on the Third Saturday in September of each year, in either Madison, Jefferson or Taylor County, Florida.

The place at which an Annual Meeting is to be held is designated in the Notice of such Annual Meeting given to the members of the Cooperative prior to each Annual Meeting.

BOARD REPRESENTATION 1. The territory served by the Cooperative is divided into nine (9) districts. Each district is represented by one (1) Trustee. The Trustees from the nine (9) districts constitute the Board of Trustees of the Cooperative.

2. The Board of Trustees manages the business and affairs of the Cooperative. The Board of Trustees exercises all the powers of the Cooperative except such powers as are conferred upon or reserved to the members by law, or the Articles of Incorporation or the By-Laws of the Cooperative.

QUALIFICATIONS OR ELIGIBILITY TO SERVE AS A TRUSTEE 1. To serve as a Trustee of the Cooperative, a person must: a. Be a natural person; b. Is not a current employee and if a former employee who was not in good standing at time employment ended, a

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minimum three years must have elapsed; c. Has been subjected to a criminal background check and credit check; d. Is a member in good standing of the cooperative without any disconnections for non-payment of utility services within last five years; e. Be a bona fide full-time resident of the district which member plans to represent for at least 12 months preceding nomination; f. Has the capacity to enter into legally binding contracts; g. Does not have a financial interest in or relationship with an outside organization or individual having business dealings with the Cooperative if it would likely impair the ability of the trustee to serve the best interests of the cooperative; and annually complete and sign a conflict-of-interest certification and disclosure form; h. Is not related to a current trustee as defined in the Conflict of Interest Board Policy; i. Has not been previously removed as a trustee, or has not resigned as a trustee while a proceeding to remove member was pending; j. Has not been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to a felony or first degree misdemeanor; k. Attend at least two-thirds of all board meetings each year while a trustee.

NOMINATION AND ELECTION PROCEDURES FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES 1. A person may be nominated as a candidate for Trustee at a District Meeting of the members of a district or at the Annual Meeting of the members of the Cooperative.

2. Not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days before any meeting of the members of the Cooperative at which Trustees are to be elected, a separate meeting of the members of each district comprising a part of the territory served by the Cooperative shall be called at a suitable place in each district for the purpose of selecting two (2) persons as candidates for Trustee to represent the members located within such district.

3. Any member who intends to seek a nomination to be a candidate for trustee (including incumbent trustees) must notify

the Cooperative in writing at its headquarters in Madison, Florida at least 21 days before the district meeting at which nominations for trustee are to be made. After receiving such written notice, the Cooperative will confirm that the member is a resident of the district for which he/she intends to be a candidate for trustee, and is otherwise qualified to be a trustee.

4. If more than one candidate is nominated, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared the official candidates of the district. The names of the candidates selected at the District Meeting as the official candidates for each district shall be placed in nomination for the office of Trustee of such district by the Secretary of the Cooperative at the next meeting of the members of the Cooperative at which Trustees are to be elected. At such meeting of the members, additional nominations for Trustee for a particular district may be made from the floor, provided that the person making such additional nomination must reside in the same voting district as the person whom the member desires to nominate as a candidate for Trustee; and provided further, that any member desiring to make an additional nomination for trustee from the floor must, at least fifteen (15) days prior to an Annual or Special Meeting of the members at which trustees are to be elected, file at the Main Headquarters Building of the Cooperative in Madison County, Florida, with the Secretary of the cooperative or a person designated in writing by the Secretary of the Cooperative, a written statement of the intention of such member to make such additional nomination from the floor and list in such written statement the name of the member he intends to nominate from the floor.

5. After all nominations are made, an election is held by printed or xeroxed ballots, with the names of the candidates arranged by districts. Each member of the Cooperative present at the meeting is entitled to vote for one (1) candidate from the district in which the member receives service; a.) no voting by mail or proxy is permitted; b.) each member is entitled to only one (1) vote; c.) for a joint membership (allowed only for a husband and wife), the vote of either separately or both jointly shall constitute one (1) joint vote; d.) the candidate from each district receiving the highest number of votes is elected Trustee from such district.

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Make Plans to Attend Your District Meeting As a member of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, you have a unique opportunity to take an active role in the business of your electric company — because you’re not just a customer, you’re a member-owner, too.

One opportunity you have is to elect a district trustee who will represent the

members at monthly board meetings.

By attending a district meeting and nominating a member for district trustee, you have an opportunity to be involved in the decisions that will impact the future of TCEC. 87327001001 This year, district meetings are being held for Districts 1, 2 and 4 for the purpose

to nominate candidates for District Trustee, who will then be elected to the Board of Trustees at the Annual Meeting on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. District Meetings also provide members with an opportunity to meet the current trustees and staff from TCEC, as well as discuss cooperative-related business.

We welcome your input and hope to see you at your District Meeting!

District Meeting Dates & Times District Meetings will be held in July for TCEC members living in Districts 1, 2 & 4. See specific meeting dates for meeting start times and registration times.

DISTRICT 1 MEETING Thursday, July 19 Pinetta Elementary School 6:30 p.m.

Registration begins at 6 p.m.

DISTRICT 2 MEETING Tuesday, July 24 Steinhatchee Community Center 6 p.m.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m.

DISTRICT 4 MEETING Monday, July 23 Lee City Hall 6:30 p.m.

Registration begins at 6 p.m.

Information on Becoming a Candidate for Trustee

Legend DIST. 1 - JUNIOR SMITH

MADISON COUNTY

DIST. 2 - BOBBY DODD

TAYLOR COUNTY

DIST. 3 - DONNIE WALDREP

MADISON COUNTY

DIST. 4 - GEORGE WEBB

MADISON COUNTY

DIST. 5 - CATHERINE BETHEA - SECRETARY - TREASURER

TAYLOR COUNTY

DIST. 6 - GARY FULFORD - PRESIDENT

JEFFERSON COUNTY

DIST. 7 - ALBERT THOMAS, JR - VICE PRESIDENT

JEFFERSON COUNTY

DIST. 8 - JOHNNY EDWARDS

TAYLOR COUNTY

DIST. 9 - ELMER COKER

TAYLOR COUNTY

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If you are a member wanting to be nominated as a candidate for District Trustee at your district meeting, you must notify the Cooperative in writing at its headquarters in Madison no less than 21 days before your district meeting. Trustee candidates must be members of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, and they must live in the district represented.

Anyone interested in running for Trustee should contact TCEC at 1-800-999-2285 or email eherndon@tcec.com to get information regarding the election process and responsibility of being a Trustee.

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Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Notes for Feb. 12, 2018

Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Notes for March 12, 2018

With all trustees, key cooperative personnel, guests, and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, in the Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. headquarters office building located in Madison, Fla. Reports to the Board included those of the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association/ACRE Legislative cook out, Seminole Electric Cooperative Board Meeting, Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, the CEO, and Attorney. Proposed revised “Service Rules and Regulations of the Cooperative” were distributed for review for possible action at the March board meeting. Other action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the Feb. 12, 2018, Board Agenda; the Jan. 8, 2018, Board Meeting Minutes; adoption of the rate adjustment based on the Cost of Service Study as prepared by Mike Leverett, Jr., Energy Economics Consulting Corporation; approval of changes to the Attorney Fee Contract; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included the WPCA for February 2018 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for December 2017; the list of new members for Dec. 18, 2017–Jan. 21, 2018; Safety and Accident Report for December 2017; along with the System Outage Report.

With all trustees (except one), key cooperative personnel, guests, and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, March 12, 2018, in the Tri-County Electric headquarters office building located in Madison, Fla. Reports to the Board included those of the Seminole Electric Cooperative Association Board Meeting, Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, and CEO. The Policy Committee recommended and the Board approved revised “Service Rules and Regulations of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc.” Action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the March 12, 2018, Board Agenda; the Feb. 12, 2018, Board Meeting Minutes; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included the WPCA for March 2018 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for January 2018; the list of new members for Jan. 23–Feb. 18, 2018; Work and Accident Report for January 2018 along with the System Outage Report. Other action taken by the Board included the following: acceptance of the bid from Nationwide Stucco & Design for restoration of the headquarters office building exterior synthetic finish; authorization for the electric receivable accounts for the fourth quarter 2017, which appears to be uncollectible, for the appropriate accounting designation; and acceptance of the 2017 audit and approval to engage the services of Nichols, Cauley & Associates, LLC to perform the Cooperative’s audit for an additional year. Other items reported included NRECA Annual Meeting held February 2018; discussion of pending 2018 legislative session issues relevant to electric utilities; and cooperative broadband services in rural areas.

Gary Fulford Catherine Bethea President Secretary-Treasurer

Gary Fulford Catherine Bethea President Secretary-Treasurer

How to Make the Best Homemade Ice Cream Homemade ice cream is delicious and surprisingly easy to make. Four simple ingredients and an ice cream maker is all you need to make creamy, delicious ice cream without leaving home. No eggs or rock salt needed!

Ingredients 2 cups half-n-half 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract ½ cup sugar Directions 1. Combine all ingredients in bowl, mixing well.

2. Start the ice cream maker and pour mixture through hole in lid.

3. Churn 20–40 minutes or until desired consistency.

Thinking of adding some flavors to this vanilla ice cream? Use ½ cup of a variety of mix-ins like chocolate chips, candy pieces or nuts.

Be sure to add the additional ingredients to the vanilla ice cream after it has churned in your ice cream maker for at least 15 minutes.

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Find Your Hidden Account Number & Get a $150 Bill Credit!

Hidden somewhere in this issue of Tri-County Rural Living are two member account numbers. Look carefully, one might be yours. If you find your account number exactly as it appears on your bill for electric service, we’ll credit your bill up to the amount of $150!* You have until June 30, 2018, to claim your credit by calling TCEC Ext. 203, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You must contact TCEC before the deadline to collect your prize. * Total credit on bill will not exceed $150. This one-time credit is valid only on the current balance. Any balance remaining after the $150 applied credit is the member’s responsibility.

BOARD MEETINGS The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri‑County Electric Cooperative, Inc. will be held the second Monday in each month at 3:00 p.m. in the central office building of the Cooperative located at 2862 West U.S. 90, approximately two miles west of the city of Madison.

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month When streaming online content, use the smallest device that makes sense for the number of people watching. Avoid streaming on game consoles, which use 10 times more power than streaming through a tablet or laptop.

This Publication’s Inspirational Moment “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.”

Proverbs 16:24 (NLT)

HELP THE LINEWORKER REACH THE SUBSTATION Lineworkers work in dangerous conditions to restore electricity after major storms and other types of power outages. Many times, lineworkers make substation repairs to get the power back on.

Can you help the lineworker get to the substation?

Source: energy.gov

To Report Electrical Problems or Outages Please Call:

850-973-2285 or 1-800-999-2285 24-HOUR SERVICE THANK YOU

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Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. 2862 West US 90 Madison, FL 32340