“[PEC] reduced controllable expenses by $7.4 million — that’s our lowest cost-per-customer since 2006 . . . "
-- PEC Chief Financial Officer RB Sloan
PEC Press Release
June 23, 2012
TO: All PEC-area newspapers
MEDIA CONTACT: Kay Jarvis (830) 868-4961
Pedernales Electric Cooperative welcomed more than 750 people at its annual meeting Saturday, June 23, in Kyle. The annual meeting is the Co-op’s largest and most important event, bringing together members from across PEC’s 8,100-square-mile service area to participate in the democratic cooperative election process, learn more about Cooperative business and see new ways to save energy and money.
Members re-elected Cristi Clement, Larry Landaker and Dr. Patrick Cox as directors and voted in favor of amendments to the Co-op’s Articles of Incorporation. Election results were announced at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
From left: Cox, Clement and Landaker
The incumbent directors each will serve another three-year term on the Board.Board of Directors election results were as follows:
District 1 Director
• 11,489 votes: Cristi Clement
• 5,347 votes: James P. Halbert
• 4,458 votes: Mark Mayfield
District 6 Director
• 9,011 votes: Larry Landaker
• 6,403 votes: Linda Kaye Rogers
• 3,508 votes: Michael Donegan
• 2,097 votes: Mike (Doc) Cantu-Withoff
District 7 Director
• 18,472 votes: Dr. Patrick Cox
The approved amendment eliminates an Article VIII, Section 1 mandate and adds the payment of interest and principal as an allowable use of the general reserve. Any changes to the Co-op’s Articles of Incorporation, a legal document filed with the state that defines the organization, purpose and highest-level business rules of the Cooperative, must be approved by members.
Member voting results for the Articles of Incorporation amendments:
• 13,376 votes in favor
• 3,355 votes against
During the meeting, PEC Board President and District 1 Director Cristi Clement gave a brief overview of the Board’s accomplishments.
“I am very proud of my fellow directors for their work this past year,” Clement said during her address. “Among other things, together we established a Cooperative-wide ethics policy and a code of conduct for directors. We worked hard to achieve alignment with our new CEO while he builds our workforce and the PEC organization. … Members deserve the best that is in each of us.”
PEC’s Chief Executive Officer RB Sloan gave a report on 2011 activities, plans for the future and the importance of the cooperative difference.
“This past year, we produced our first budget compiled by staff, distributed $13.4 million in member capital credits and continued our tradition of exceptional member services and reliable electricity,” Sloan said. “The Co-op also reduced controllable expenses by $7.4 million — that’s our lowest cost-per-customer since 2006. (This) recognizes the significant effort and commitment that staff and the Board have made to give members the best rates.”
Sloan said that the Co-op anticipates this year’s capital credits distribution will be similar to last year’s, and that PEC is implementing new technology for even greater efficiency.
“This is the year of the cooperative at PEC,” Sloan said. “I ask everyone — the Board, our employees and you — to join us. I am convinced that PEC’s best days are ahead.”
Following Sloan’s message, attendees were shown a PEC-produced video that highlighted the cooperative difference — the fundamental way PEC differs from for-profit electric utilities. The video touched on the seven cooperative principles that guide PEC, paying special attention to the principles related to democratic member control and governance, members’ financial participation through capital credits and PEC’s commitment to its members and growing communities.
After the election results were announced, the meeting’s door prizes were awarded. Members winning door prizes were:
• Retired PEC pickup truck — Christine Rougeux, Buda
• Energy Star refrigerator — Bonnie Wade, Austin
• Energy Star washer and dryer — Frederic Sternberg, Round Mountain
• Apple iPad — Richard Priekup, Horseshoe Bay
A special organizational Board meeting was held immediately following the annual meeting, and officers for the next year were elected as follows:
• President: Kathy Scanlon, District 3 Director
• Vice President: Dr. Patrick Cox, District 7 Director
• Secretary-treasurer: Chris Perry, District 4 Director
The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be held Monday, July 16, at 10 a.m. at PEC’s E. Babe Smith Headquarters Building in Johnson City.
At the conclusion of PEC’s June 23 annual meeting, Ryan O’Connor of Survey & Ballot Systems, which managed the election, announced 21,961 total votes were cast, including 14,789 by mail, 6,846 online and 326 in person at the annual meeting. There were 1,563 more votes cast this year compared to last year’s 20,398 voting total.
15 comments:
Linda Kaye Rogers must be very disappointed; she has been running around acting like she already won. This represents another loss for the liberals in the Wimberley Valley. She was a poor candidate; she just talked too much about things she didn't really know anything about.
What Can we do to Fight Smart Meters and Smart Grid:
• Become aware – gain knowledge. Do your own research, so you are thoroughly aware of the rightness of your cause.
• Take a stand against the smart meters in your own area. If you don’t yet have a smart meter, put a sign on your old analog meter such as the one pictured here which is plastic and survives the rain, or write one yourself and cover it with plastic.
• Put a belt around your analog meter and bolt it with a lock to the side of your house as my husband and I have done. (The belt and lock can be ordered at www.refusesmartmeter.com.) Fence your property: We also have a fence around the part of the garage where the analog meter is with no gate to it and two dogs guarding it.
• Local Protests: Since the Smart Meters are being implemented on the local level, fight it locally. Go to your city council and board of supervisors and ask them to pass a moratorium against it. Cite the above mentioned laws, codes, and amendments that the utility company is violating if they install the meters without the customer’s permission and in most cases, even knowledge.
• Join with like minded groups: This is a non-partisan issue; join with anyone who believes in health and freedom. Or help organize a group to stand in front of your utility company with signs to gain their attention, or stand in front of where the trucks are parked that go out to “deploy” the meters. (They like to use the word deploy instead of install. Deploy is a military term.)
• Help Spread the word in your neighborhood: Pass out information to your neighbors to protect them as well and to protect all of you from the radiation mesh that will be created.
• Bring in speakers and have a town hall meeting and a panel discussion as was done in Santa Barbara April 28. Invite your city council members and other elected officials to participate or at least attend. Because of this panel and the public speaking out at several City Council meetings, Santa Barbara Council Members voted to pass a moratorium against the meters. http://www.independent.com/news/2011/apr/26/landmark-smart-meter-forum-santa-barbara-april- 28t/)
• Attend your state PEC Meetings and speak out and let your voices be heard.
• Write letters to the editor of your paper; write or call your state legislators; and even your
congressmen. The more they hear from you the more they will know this is a serious problem.
• Speak out against ICLEI and the United Nations that are behind this plan seeking to transform our nation. Seek to get your city to no longer belong to ICLEI. Thirteen cities have succeeded in doing os.
• Run for Office yourself: Now that you know the truth about this serious issue, run for office; even if you are not elected, it gives you the opportunity to speak out at various places and for various groups to tell them the truth about these issues.
• Submit a Declaration of Intent (can be found at www.refusesmartmeter.com) and if there is no response file a lawsuit against your utility company: People did it in Portland, Maine, and won. It has set a precedent for other cities and states.
Do we really need wireless smart meters? Decide for yourself:
Do you want an accurate, reasonably priced utility bill? Utility customers have noticed huge increases in their bill after a ‘smart’ meter is installed- in some cases hundreds of dollars more than usual. A study released in September by the Structure Group, claimed the meters were accurate. But the study did not examine the meters operating as part of a mesh network as they are in the field. And overcharging continues.
Do you value civil liberties and the right to privacy? When a ‘smart’ meter is installed, your utility has access to a treasure trove of information about you- when you wake up in the morning, when you go on vacation, what kinds of appliances you are using, etc. They will be able to sell this information to a series of corporations and the government. Read the interview with the Electronic Frontier Foundation about how ‘smart’ meters violate privacy.
Do you care about wildlife and cutting carbon emissions? Smart meters do not result in energy savings, according to Reuters. They may even increase energy consumption. There is also emerging evidence that wireless, non-ionizing radiation (from cell phones, wifi, and ‘smart’ meters) harms wildlife and damages trees.
Are you concerned about job losses in this anemic economy? Utility companies claim that they are retaining 80% of their meter readers. What they don’t tell you is that several years back, they transitioned their meter readers from full time to temporary so the job loss would not appear so drastic. We cannot afford to lose thousands of jobs in this economy.
Do you value your health, and the health of your family and friends? Just as we’re learning that cell phones cause brain tumors, why are we installing the same technology on everyone’s homes with no right to opt out? Thousands of people have complained of tinnitus, headaches, nausea, sleeplessness, heart arrhythmia, and other symptoms after a ‘smart’ meter was installed. This is consistent with published studies associating these symptoms with exposure to electromagnetic fields. Smart meters violate already high FCC limits on human exposure to microwave radiation and are being installed as “electro-sensitivity” skyrockets. There are also reports of ‘smart’ meter interference with pacemakers and other implants.
Are you in favor of fire regulations that put the safety of residents first? A number of electrical fires have been caused by ‘smart’ meters. Smart meters are not UL certified, as is required by electrical code for all electric appliances within the home. Smart meters are potential ignition sources and remove utility personnel from neighborhoods. If meter readers had been present in San Bruno, would the gas leak have been detected? Whistleblowers have alleged unsafe installations.
Are you alarmed about the decline of our democracy and informed decision making? The conversion to ‘smart’ meters is one of the largest technology rollouts in history, and yet virtually no public consultation with ratepayers or local governments was carried out in advance.
That's okay. Linda Kaye can continue attending Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District meetings. There she can offer up her services as mediator to address the contrived disputes manufactured by David Glenn and James McMeans.
Maybe I should have said a loss for the ignorant "Hippies" in the Wimberley Valley. My apologies to the fair minded, intelligent Liberals.
To the Anon that is in fear of Smart Meters; I hear that tin foil hats afford maximum protection. What kind of hippie crap is this? This little post if serious had to come from the Wimberley crowd. There is nothing smart in the bunch.
I agree with the anti-smart meter guy. That's good info you provide. I will follow up. And, beggin your pardon, I also think Ms. Linda Kaye couldn't mediate her way out of a paper bag.
Been a PEC member for 14 1/2 years. The work crews are pretty darn good at what they do. Glad we're past the Fuelberg/Burnet days. I think current management can and should do a better job at reducing costs/kwh while adding more incentives for home renewable tie-ins and re-sale to the grid. Really smart legislation would address this matter and a smart PEC board should support it and promote it. A healthty co-op always keeps its members interests first.
A healthy electric co-op should also keep planet Earth's best interests in mind. Why? Because we all live on this damn planet and we are all one big damn family.
I want my PEC, allegedly the nation's largest power co-op, of which I am a member, to go beyond its pervasive timid, provincial and restricted mindset. I want BOLD IMAGINATIVE thinking coming out of my co-op that advance the use of renewable energy sources AND a healthier Earth.
Please take my capital credits, which are virtually worthless to me the way you distribute them, and invest them in things that will make a difference for my grand kids and humanity.
Thanks for the write-up on smart meters. I've followed the story for a couple of years through some friends that have been collecting the research. Your notes are right on the mark.
Smart meters, like Smart Code and much of the "sustainability movement" has, at best, some dangerous unintended consequences. Others view these as part of a deliberate movement to a communitarian mindset.
Keep in mind that our freedom is best guarded by having the highest regard for INDIVIDUAL Rights. When we open the door to sacrificing the Rights of the Individual, we risk tyranny through the political process. We are living that today.
The people that believe in the unproven dangers of the Smart Meters are neither left wing nor right wing they believe in anti-gravity so they need no wings. Since moving to Central Texas I have finally arrived at a conclusion; the nut cases once thought to be mostly in California and places like Oklahoma and Arkansas must have moved here. I suspect most of them comment here on this bog. Jezz, what a bunch of loons!
For some reason, Smart Meters (and airport scanners) remind me of this:
From the Museumofquackery.com
Shoe Fitting X-Ray Device
In the late 1940's and early 1950's, the shoe-fitting x-ray unit was a common shoe store sales promotion device and nearly all stores had one. It was estimated that there were 10,000 of these devices in use. This particular shoe-fitting x-ray unit was produced by the dominant company in the field, the Adrian X-Ray Company of Milwaukee WI, now defunct. Brooks Stevens, a noted industrial designer whose works included the the Milwaukee Road Olympian and an Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, designed this machine.
The primary component of a shoe-fitting x-ray unit was the fluoroscope which consisted essentially of an x-ray tube mounted near the floor and wholly or partially enclosed in a shielded box and a fluorescent screen. The x-rays penetrated the shoes and feet and then struck the fluorescent light. This resulted in an image of the feet within the shoes. The fluorescent image was reflected to three viewing ports at the top of the cabinet, where the customer, the salesperson, and a third person (your mother?) could view the image at the same time.
The radiation hazards associated with shoe fitting x-ray units were recognized as early as 1950. The machines were often out of adjustment and were constructed so radiation leaked into the surrounding area.
By 1970, shoe fitting x-ray units had been banned in 33 states including Minnesota and strict regulation in the remaining 17 states made their operation impractical. Believe it or not, this particular shoe-fitting x-ray unit was found in 1981 in a department store in Madison, West Virginia. It was still being used in the store's shoe department! When it was pointed out to the store managers that it was against West Virginia law to operate a shoe-fitting x-ray unit, they donated it to the The U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Handy information for those concerned about the dangers of Smart Meters:
Handy Info
Thanks for the "Handy Info". I added a chinstrap and some feathers to mine and I look fabulous!
And, finally, I am safe at last from the communitarians in that socialist bastion of Wimberley.
Just some information about the odd obsession with Agenda 21:
http://www.treehugger.com/environmental-policy/who-behind-agenda-21-paranoia-how-can-we-fight-back.html
What's So Terrible about Agenda 21 and Sustainability?
Agenda 21 is a pretty innocuous 20 year old document that calls for "sustainable development." ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability helps local governments build capacity and share knowledge about sustainable development. It is all pretty mild stuff, yet across America, it, and the very word sustainability, are under attack. However, a recent survey showed that most people never heard of it and only 6% say they are against it. so why are politicians from State governments up to the National Republican Party and Presidential candidates like Newt Gingrich make such a big deal of it?
" People don't wake up in the morning sweating bullets about the United Nations."-Robin Rather
Robin Rather of Collective Strength, who commissioned the survey, says " I genuinely believe the Agenda 21 phenomenon is highly manufactured. It's not out there in the mainstream."
Robin lives in Austin, Texas and has a lot of family who are Tea Party members. She respects and agrees with a lot of what they say. But she says "they don't wake up in the morning sweating bullets about the United Nations. Their anger is directed at Washington." Yet the scale of the Agenda 21 campaign is enormous. Who is manufacturing it? Robin continues:
Usually when you listen to complaints like those of Tea Party members, there are different inflections, a much wider variation. But this isn't organic and local, the same talking points come up everywhere. They are being played and used. The whole campaign serves no interest to anyone who isn't trying to ensure that we keep burning as much fossil fuel as we can for as long as possible.
"The UN’s Local Agenda 21 program may already be in your local community, through your home town or city’s membership in ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. Agenda 21 seeks for the government to curtail your freedom to travel as you please, own a gas-powered car, live in suburbs or rural areas, and raise a family."- Arthur Thompson, John Birch Society.
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