July 2020

Committed to safely and economically provide reliable energy and other services which bring value to its membership.

PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES APPROVED

Fall River Electric owner-members approved eight minor changes to the Cooperative’s bylaws. All of the changes were part of a governance review that was unanimously recom-mended by the board and its legal counsel. Many of the changes were for clarification purposes.

The updated bylaws will be available on the Co-op’s website www.fallriver electric.com by September.

MEMBERS AFFIRM BOARD CANDIDATE VOTING FOR FUTUREA part of the 2020 annual meeting was an advisory vote from the own-er-members as to the future method of voting for board candidates. The question put to the members was whether the board should consider retaining the current method, of electing board candidates by the “plurality” method, or whether mem-bers desire to change the bylaws to reflect candidates earning a “major-ity” of the votes cast.

The final vote was:

Retain the current method of plurality – 1,264Require candidates to win by a majority of the votes – 1,087

Given the outcome of the advisory vote, the board will continue to have board candidates win by whomever earns the most number of votes from the membership.

Fall River Electric’s annual meeting of mem-bers was held virtually for the first time in Co-op history on Saturday, June 13, in Ash-ton. Meeting virtually was a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the board’s concern for the safety and well-being of both mem-bers and staff. A new record for the number of votes cast was set with nearly 2,500 members voting, which represents almost 20 percent of the total number of owner-members. Vot-ing was conducted online, by mail-in ballot-ing, and in-person via curbside at each of the three Cooperative offices in order to protect the health of members and staff.

The election voting resulted in all three in-cumbent board directors being re-elected: Jay Hanson in District 2, Georg Behrens in Dis-trict 3, and Jeff Keay in District 8. This will be

Hanson’s final term as he will reach his term limits in 2023. Behrens earns his second term and Keay is elected by members for the first time after being appointed a director in 2018 to serve the remainder of Ralph Burton’s term after Burton moved from the area.

Here are the voting results:

DISTRICT 2 – West VictorJay Hanson – 1,619Nolan Boyle – 794

DISTRICT 3 – East VictorGeorg Behrens – 1,629Alan Thompson – 517Rod Gust – 281

DISTRICT 8 – Northern Island ParkJeff Keay – 1,782Bob Stantus - 617

All three elected board members will each fill a three-year term extending into mid-2023. They will join the other six members that comprise the board, charged with oversee-ing the business affairs of the Cooperative and ensuring it remains financially sound. All board members must live within the physical boundaries of the district seat open for elec-tion but represent all owner-members of the Cooperative.

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All Fall River Electric owner-members who voted online or by mail as part of the Co-op’s 2020 annual meeting were entered into a random drawing for a number of prizes, including the Grand Prize of a $1,000 energy credit. The winner was Matkin Brothers Ex-cavation of Victor, a thirty-year-old Teton Valley excavation company.

Matkin Brothers Win Grand Prize

Members Re-Elect Incumbents To Board

From left: Bryan Case; Bucky, Billy, and Clint Matkin; Dede Draper.

Husk Crowther District 1Rexburg/RigbySecretary/Treasurer

Georg BehrensDistrict 3East VictorVice President

Anna LindstedtDistrict 4

East Driggs

Brent RobsonDistrict 5West Driggs/Tetonia

Dede Draper District 6

AshtonPresident

Jodi StiehlDistrict 7South Island Park

Doug SchmierDistrict 9, West Yellowstone

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Fall River’s FLASHES newsletter is printed on recycled paper and is certified by

the Forest Stewardship Council. Products certified by FSC directly support responsible forest management.

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Jay HansonDistrict 2

West Victor

800-632-5726208-652-7431

ASHTON1150 North 3400 East

Ashton, ID 83420

DRIGGS1605 N Highway 33

Driggs, ID 83422

WEST YELLOWSTONE436 Madison Ave

West Yellowstone, MT 59758

All Our Offices Are OpenMonday - Friday8:00am - 4:30pm

Jeff KeayDistrict 8

North Island Park

Bryan CaseFall River Electric

CEO/General Manager

As we reported last month, in an effort to help community members who may have lost employ-ment or suffered a reduction in wages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fall River’s board contributed $20,000 to four local food banks and pantries. Donations were made last month.

Members who are concerned about their account balances are encouraged to contact the Co-op’s Member Services staff to discuss payment arrangements to avoid dealing with a large bal-ance on their electric account. Call 800.632.5726 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MDT Monday through Friday.

Fall River Donates $20,000 To Area Food Banks/Pantries

Board Elects New OfficersAt the regular June meeting of the Board of Directors, new officers were elected with Dede Draper as Board President, Georg Behrens as Vice President, and Husk Crowther as Secretary-Treasurer. Draper succeeds Doug Schmier who has served as president since 2016. She is the second woman to lead the board since Sonja Cherry did so in 1998.

“Fall River Electric is a financially strong, operationally sound, and well-run mem-ber owned electric utility of which I am proud to be part of its leadership,” Draper says. “Thanks to Doug Schmier and Brent Robson, the Co-op’s previous president and vice president respectfully, for their dedication and leadership.”

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the new board leadership and express my appre-ciation for the hard work and dedication that Doug and Brent have given our Cooperative and its members,” says Fall River Electric CEO/General Manager Bryan Case.

According to the Cooperative’s bylaws, the Board President is the principal executive officer re-sponsible for presiding over all meetings of members and the board, as well as ensuring the cul-ture of the board cultivates open discussion, mutual respect for all board members, and unity once board decisions are made.

Fall River Electric linemen recently delivered lunches to healthcare workers at several hospitals and clinics in the Co-op’s service territory as a way of saying, “Thank you!” for the tireless efforts of those workers on the front lines helping keep our communities safe.

Linemen Deliver Lunch To Healthcare Workers

Georg BehrensVice President

Dede DraperBoard President

Husk CrowtherSecretary/Treasurer

North Fremont Food Pantry West Yellowstone Food Bank Teton Valley Food Pantry Rexburg/Idaho Food Bank

Teton Valley Health

West Yellowstone Clinic

Ashton Clinic & Pharmacy Island Park Medical Clinic

Madison Memorial Hospital Victor Health Clinic