Candidates for election to the Board of Directors shall be nominated by a nominating committee, which committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors not less than 90 nor more than 150 days before the date of the Annual Meeting of the Members at which directors are to be elected. The nominating committee shall consist of not less than three nor more than seven members who shall be selected, to the extent possible, from the geographic region for which directors are to be elected. If you are a member and are interested in serving on the nominating committee, please contact our office at 319-462-3542. No officer or member of the Board of Directors shall be appointed as a member of such committee. Any 50 or more members may make other nominations in writing over their signatures. Such nomination shall be received by the Secretary not less than 45 days prior to the meeting and the Secretary shall post the names of all nominations made by petition in the same place where the list of nominations made by the committee is posted. [Refer to Article III of the ByLaws]
All directors of the Cooperative are elected in an at-large election. The Cooperative’s service area is divided into four geographic regions. Two members shall be elected from each geographic region to serve as director on the Cooperative’s Board of Directors. The directors shall reside within the geographic region they are elected to represent. The remaining ninth director shall be selected from the region with the highest population of members to allow equal representation on a per member basis. [Refer to Article IX of the Articles of Incorporation]
Directors shall be elected at the annual meeting for a term of three years. The election of directors shall be by ballot and each voting member shall be entitled to cast one vote for each director to be elected. The ballot shall contain the name of each of the candidates nominated and clearly identify the director vacancy or geographic region from which each candidate has been nominated. [Refer to Article IX of the Articles of Incorporation]
To serve as a Director, an individual must be a member of the Cooperative and reside within the region they are elected to represent. Director candidates must not have been employed by the Cooperative in the previous two years or be closely related to an employee or incumbent director; nor be employed by or have a material financial interest in any competing enterprise or entity selling supplies or services to the Cooperative.
Directors must be willing to devote time and effort to attend and actively participate in monthly board meetings, training classes and/or meetings sponsored by Cooperative-affiliated organizations. Directors are encouraged to attain National Rural Electric Cooperative’s (NRECA) Credentialed Cooperative Director and/or Board Leadership Certificate upon election to the Board.
Directors shall be compensated a fixed fee of $420 per day or each fraction thereof, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses when representing the Cooperative in an official capacity. The per diem is increased by $10 on each January 1st.
If you are a member and interested in learning more about the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors, or the qualifications to be eligible to serve as a Director, please contact the office at 319-462-3542.
Each member shall be entitled to one vote only in the affairs of the Cooperative. If two individuals hold a joint membership in the Cooperative, such individuals shall jointly have one vote that must be agreed to unanimously. At all meetings of the members at which a quorum is present, all elections shall be decided by a vote of a majority of the members present unless otherwise required by law.
At the option of the Board of Directors, and in an effort to ensure greater participation by the members in the election of Directors, a ballot may be mailed or sent by other electronic means at the time that notice of the meeting is given. Any member may vote for Directors and return the ballot by mail or other electronic means to the Secretary of the Cooperative at least 48 hours in advance of the Annual Meeting. If the Board of Directors chooses not to allow voting by mail or other electronic means they may allow members who are unable to attend the Annual Meeting of the members to vote by absentee ballot in the election of Directors or upon any motion or resolution to be acted upon at such meeting. An absentee ballot must be requested, voted upon and returned to the Cooperative not more than 20 days nor less than 48 hours prior to the date of the meeting at which action is to be taken.
When such sealed, mailed absentee or electronic ballot is received at the Cooperative, it shall be accepted and counted as a vote of such absent member. [Refer to Article II of the ByLaws]