Clean Power Plan Under Review PAGE 28 n Please Join Us! PAGE 32

Gulf Coast Electric’s Annual Meeting is Saturday, May 6Lanas and Myrtle Fox of White City won a Pelican cooler during the 2016 annual meeting. See page 5 for 2017 meeting details.

Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative

M AY 2017

Gulf Coast

Members acknowledge that $3.96, plus actual postage, is the cost to publish 12 issues a year of Florida Currents (USPS-8300). Published by Ruralite Services Inc., 5605 NE Elam Young Pkwy., Hillsboro, OR 97124—a not-for-profit Oregon cooperative corporation—the magazine serves the communications needs of consumer-owned electric utilities in Florida. Preferred Periodicals postage paid at Hillsboro, OR 97123 and at additional mailing offices.

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ELECTRIC CO-OPSare committed to keeping members

and employees SAFE.

Side Roads 10In the Kitchen 16Great Picture Hunt 18

Travel Journal 20Festival Roundup 22Parting Shot 30

Your utility pages: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32

Also In This Issue

May 2017Vol. 6, No. 7

Reconnecting to the Land 12Agribusinesses welcome visitors young and old to experience a slice of their life.

Inside

M AY 2017 3

Gulf CoastAnnual Meeting Preview 2017

Unaudited Financial Reports for Gulf Coast ElectricBalance Sheet 2016 2015

UTILITY PLANTUtility plant in service 156,861,957 154,901,162

Construction work in progress 1,449,244 1,286,768

TOTAL UTILITY PLANT 158,311,201 156,187,930Accum. provision for depr. and amort. 37,839,570 37,385,019TOTAL UTILITY PLANT LESS DEPR. 120,471,631 118,802,911

INVESTMENTSAssociated organizations 23,466,752 22,673,792Economic development 83,799 149,644Temporary investments 1,990,571 5,443,138Other investments 6,828 6,888TOTAL INVESTMENTS 25,547,950 28,273,462

CURRENT ASSETSCash-general 7,011,600 3,682,389Accounts and notes receivable 3,837,556 4,324,245Materials and supplies 978,873 1,611,700Prepayments 2,282,412 2,326,176Other current and accrued assets 1,510,387 513,485TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 15,620,828 12,457,995Deferred assets 1,155,966 1,058,530TOTAL ASSETS 162,796,375 160,592,898

Balance Sheet 2016 2015

EQUITIES AND LIABILITIESEQUITIESMemberships 83,310 82,425Patronage capital 45,264,081 42,580,240Other (loss) marketable securities (80,002) 0TOTAL EQUITIES 45,267,389 42,662,665

LONG-TERM DEBTEconomic development & other notes 0 0FFB and CFC mortgage notes 104,424,277 107,917,133Less current portion of long-term debt (3,455,777) (3,455,777)TOTAL LONG-TERM DEBT 100,968,500 104,461,356

CURRENT LIABILITIESNotes and accounts payable 2,357,914 2,446,343Current maturities on long-term debt 3,455,777 3,455,777Consumers’ deposits 1,825,216 1,827,321Other current and accrued liabilities 754,853 1,272,646TOTAL CURRENT AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES

8,393,760

9,002,087

Deferred credits 8,166,726 4,466,790TOTAL EQUITIES AND LIABILITIES 162,796,375 160,592,898

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONSOperating revenue 46,173,590 46,840,948Purchased utilities 25,839,847 26,649,678Operation and maintenance 4,840,774 4,600,767Consumer accounting and information 1,339,750 1,239,396General and administration 2,838,158 2,901,919Depreciation 5,083,069 4,993,534Interest 4,317,980 4,163,083Other deductions and taxes 30,712 157,435TOTAL EXPENSES 44,290,290 44,705,812

OPERATING MARGINS 1,883,300 2,135,136Non-operating margins 215,555 234,901Capital credits and patronage dividends 935,999 1,101,977TOTAL MARGINS 3,034,854 3,472,014

4 M AY 2017

Entertainment will be provided by The Drummond Family, a gospel group from Chipley.

GCEC’s 69th Annual Meeting!Schedule of Events (Based on Central Time)8:15 a.m. Welcome Invocation Presentation of colors Pledge of Allegiance Announcements

8:30 a.m. Entertainment by The Drummond Family

9:45 a.m. Prize drawings

10:15 a.m. Determination of quorum Proof of mailing of official notice Report of nominating committee

10:30 a.m. Introduction of trustees Introduction of special guests CEO/general manager’s report Announcement of election results Adoption of minutes Remainder of prizes Adjourn

Official Notice: 69th Annual Members’ MeetingPursuant to the provisions of the bylaws of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc., the 69th annual meeting is Saturday, May 6, 2017, beginning at 8 a.m. Central Time at the cooperative headquarters in Wewahitchka, Florida. The purpose of the meeting is to act upon the following matters:

XX Reports of officers and CEO/general manager.

XX Election of three trustees to serve for three years from the district and groups hereinafter set forth. District Number 2 Composed of Gulf County and consisting of three trustees—one of whom shall be elected from the Howard Creek-White City area and the other two to be elected from the remainder of Gulf County. Trustees from this district shall be divided into the following groups, and the trustees so elected shall be a resident of the group in which he or she is elected:

Group 1. A resident of the Howard Creek-White City area, which is described as being that portion of Gulf County, Florida, lying south of the Township line dividing Township 6 South and 7 South.

Group 2. A resident of the remainder of Gulf County at large.

Group 3. A resident of the remainder of Gulf County at large.

XX Proposed bylaw amendments.

XX Any other business that may properly come before the meeting.

May 6, 2017Wewahitchka

M AY 2017 5

April 30, 2016

The 68th Annual Meeting of the Members of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc. was convened at the headquarters building in Wewahitchka on Saturday, April 30, 2016.

The meeting was called to order at 8:15 a.m. by CEO/General Manager Michael White, who welcomed every-one to the meeting. The invocation and Pledge of Allegiance was given by Director Gary Cox.

Vice President of Marketing and Communications Kristin Evans made the following announcements:

• Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church was serving hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips and Pepsi products pro-vided by the cooperative. She announced no food coupons were needed.

• Members were encouraged to visit the ACRE Co-op Owners for Political Action, Gulf Coast Electric marketing department, and Project Helping Hand booths; Safety City and Van de Graaf Generator sponsored by PowerSouth Energy Cooperative; and the Wewahitchka Ambulance Service, which gave free blood pressure checks in the conference room.

• There was a children’s bounce house. Mrs. Evans introduced The

Drummond Family, who provided the entertainment for the annual meeting.

Immediately following the entertain-ment, there was a short break. Mrs. Evans reminded members to visit the food booths, as well as displays and booths set up in the conference room. She made a last call for prize ticket drop-off and gave away early-bird prizes.

Mrs. Evans introduced Attorney Pat Floyd, master of ceremonies. Mr. Floyd announced a quorum of members was met for the cooperative’s 2016 Annual Meeting. He exhibited a copy of the annual meeting notice and announced

to the membership, as required by the bylaws, that we had received certification and verification of mailing of the Official Notice of the Annual Meeting to the members.

Mr. Floyd presented minutes from the nominating committee, which met Monday evening, February 1, 2016. Nominations were presented by the com-mittee as follows:

• District 1, Group 1—Betty Moore • District 1, Group 2—Gary Cox• District 1, Group 3—Kinneth DanielsSince there was no opposition, Mr.

Floyd asked for and received a motion and second to elect Betty Moore, District 1, Group 1; Gary Cox, District 1, Group 2; and Kinneth Daniels, District 1, Group 3 for the next three-year term. The motion passed by an affirmative vote of the members.

Mr. Floyd asked for ratification of board actions from April 11, 2015, through April 30, 2016. On a motion duly made and seconded, the board actions were approved by an affirmative vote of the membership.

Mr. White then introduced each mem-ber of the board of trustees and told which areas they represented.

Mr. White welcomed everyone to the meeting. He reported the cooperative is committed to safety and that renovations were completed on the system to make it safer. He thanked the members for their cooperation on these projects.

Mr. White reported the cooperative has seen growth in the Southport service area, namely the Deer Point Lake area and Lake Merial.

Mr. White reported the cooperative is still working with Tyndall Air Force Base on a 50-year contract. It continues to be a successful venture that has assisted the cooperative in improving its bottom line.

Mr. White thanked the board of direc-tors for returning $450,000 in capital credits to the members last year. He

reported each member should have received a check or a credit on their power bill. For the past five years, the capital credit payout amount has increased. He hopes the financial posi-tion of the cooperative will allow this to continue in the future.

Mr. White reported that it has been some time since we have experienced a rate increase and, in fact, for the past couple of years, our rates have actually decreased. He reported this is due to fiscal planning from management and directors and employees working hard to hold down costs.

Mr. White reported this has been a busy year for right-of-way trimming in the Wewahitchka area. Work is wrap-ping up in this area. Mr. White thanked members for their cooperation during this time. He reported that trees were cut for safety purposes, to reduce outage time and to reduce line loss. The right-of-way crew is working in the Ebro area and moving toward Fountain and on to Washington County later this year.

Mr. White asked the members to give the employees of the cooperative a round of applause. He stated employees were the greatest asset the members have at the cooperative. Mr. White reminded members that if they have questions, to look for directors and employees wearing red polo shirts.

He then reviewed the process of mail-in ballots. He reported typically when there is voting at the annual meeting, the member turnout is between 3 and 4 percent. This year with the mail-in bal-lot process, the turnout was 24 percent. With this new process, he reported the power of the cooperative is put into the hands of all of the members.

In closing, Mr. White thanked mem-bers for attending the meeting. Mr. White then turned the program back over to Mrs. Evans.

Mrs. Evans came forward and

Gulf CoastAnnual Meeting Preview 2017

Minutes of the 2016 Annual Members’ Meeting

6 M AY 2017

recognized and presented plants to the oldest person present, Vilas Pope of Blountstown, 951/2 years old; young-est person present, Mariah Gray of Wewahitchka, 6 months old; the couple married the longest, Ivey and Emma Young of Wewahitchka, 61 years; and the couple married the shortest time, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bishop of Youngstown, married 2 months.

Mrs. Evans then turned the meeting back over to Mr. Floyd to conduct the final business.

Mr. Floyd announced the mail-in bal-lot election results as follows: 3,832 voted “yes” for re-election of the District I directors, and there were 35 “no” votes. Mr. Floyd announced the “no” ballots were not marked.

Mr. Floyd then turned the meeting back to Mrs. Evans for drawing of the Pelican coolers from Project Helping Hand and ACRE. The winners were Myrtle Fox and Annette Porter.

There being no further business, the 68th Annual Meeting of the Members was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.

Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc.

By:

President

ATTEST:

Committee MembersThe following members of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc. served on the nominating committee:

XX Rory Smith (absent), appointed by Rupert Brown

XX James Dauphin, appointed by Robert Byrd

XX Jimmy Yon, appointed by Kinneth Daniels

XX Joe Lilly, appointed by Gary Cox

XX Carl Goodson, (co-chairman), appointed by Waylon Graham

XX Harold Rowland, (co-chairman), appointed by Edward Jones

XX Pat Patterson, appointed by Douglas Birmingham

XX Dawn Spooner, appointed by Betty Moore

XX Mark Mercer, appointed by Jimmy Black Jr.

The nominating committee appointed by the board of trustees of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc. met at 6 p.m. Monday, January 23, 2017, at the office of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc. in Wewahitchka. The committee presented nominations as follows:

District 2, Group 1A resident of the Howard Creek-White City area described as being that portion of Gulf County, Florida, lying south of the Township line dividing Township 6 South and 7 South.Waylon Graham, 114 Magnolia Ave., Wewahitchka, FL 32465

District 2, Group 2A resident of the remainder of Gulf County at large.Douglas Birmingham, P.O. Box 663, Wewahitchka, FL 32465

District 1, Group 3A resident of the remainder of Gulf County at large.Edward Jones, 408 Second St., Wewahitchka, FL 32465

The meeting was held and the above nominations are submitted in accordance with the bylaws of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative Inc.

Respectfully submitted:

Report of Cooperative’s Nominating Committee

M AY 2017 7

A Bad Conservative ApproachI get a number of comments about my articles. Some are good. Some are not so good and personally demeaning.

One response said, “You need to stop printing Gary Smith’s opinion because it’s idiotic and above all untrue! He is a coal promoter and denies global warming exists. Therefore, he is stupid and a liar! Stop spreading YOUR lies, Mr. Smith, as Alabamians deserve better than you!”

Another response said, “You are obviously not a nutri-tionist because you don’t know that cow milk provides no nutritional value for babies. And, your labeling people as liberals creates a political divide and is moronic.”

I criticize plans imposed or proposed by Democrats and liberals. However, this month, I am critical of a conserva-tive proposal brought by two Republicans: George Shultz, Treasury secretary under President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan; and James Baker, Treasury sec-retary under Ronald Reagan and Secretary of State under President George H.W. Bush.

Schultz and Baker recently proposed a carbon tax and rebate scheme they say “does not rely on heavy-handed, growth-inhibiting government regulation, but instead is based on a sound economic analysis that embodies the conservative principles of free markets and limited government.”

The plan contains four pil-lars: a gradually increasing

carbon tax; a rebate of the carbon tax proceeds to the American people through a dividend; a border car-bon adjustment to protect American competitiveness; and rollback of environmen-tal regulation when the sys-tem is in place.

They say their carbon tax is “a cost-effective way to reduce carbon emissions and, unlike the current regulatory approach, would free compa-nies to find the most efficient way to reduce their carbon footprint. A gradually rising tax would send a powerful market signal to businesses that want certainty when planning for the future.

“The carbon dividend rebate would return the tax proceeds to the American

people on a quarterly basis. The revenue-neutral tax would benefit working fami-lies rather than bloat govern-ment spending. A $40-per-ton carbon tax would provide a family of four with roughly $2,000 per year in carbon dividends in the first year and gradually increase as the car-bon tax increased.

“Our plan would strengthen the economy, help working-class Americans, and pro-mote national security, all the while reducing regulations and shrinking the size of government.”

The plan is great for politi-cians. It probably won’t be so great for you.

PowerSouth, a small elec-tric generation and transmis-sion utility, emits about 8 million tons of carbon diox-ide annually. A $40-per-ton tax on carbon dioxide would increase our expenses $320 million—about double the cost of wholesale power to our members.

That increase would mean an increase in your retail elec-tric bill by about one-third. If you are paying $180 a month, you would pay about $240 a month with the carbon tax.

Of course, under the plan, you supposedly will get your money back at the end of the quarter, so you just adjust your spending patterns for three months.

Secretaries Shultz and Baker say the plan reduces government bloat, reduces regulations and reduces the size of government.

Who will decide what tax gets collected, who will collect the taxes, who will account for the taxes, who will hold the taxes, who will decide the size of the rebates, who will distribute the rebates and who will make sure everything about the plan is fair?

As a practical matter, many new government employees would have to be added and at least one agency and prob-ably more would have to be created to administer the plan. After all, it is the government.

Those people and processes are not free. Your money col-lected by the tax would go to pay them instead of being returned to you.

Also, once imposed, taxes never go away. However, gov-ernment proceeds—or, in this case, tax rebates—do go away.

How long will it be before politicians declare the carbon tax proceeds are needed for another critically important government purpose, and the rebates are diminished or terminated?

Secretaries Shultz and Baker have not proposed a conservative plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, solve global warming and reduce government bloat. However, their plan is another typical political solution to increase taxes for the political class that will likely result in inflation of consumer goods, increase the size of govern-ment and hurt working-class Americans.

Conservatives can have bad ideas, too. n

Commentary By Gary Smith President and CEO

Gulf Coast

8 M AY 2017

For RentHorse barn with five stalls, paddock and about 4 acres of pasture in Wewahitchka, one block from the old courthouse. Lease by the stall, with discount for multiple horses. (740) 334-0341.

Three-bedroom, two-bath home in Lynn Haven. Great room with open kitchen and a two-car garage. On a large, wooded lot in a quiet neighborhood. $1,245 a month. (850) 271-0289.

Retail/commercial space. Great location in downtown Port St. Joe. Includes utilities. (251) 978-2538.

For SaleMiniature donkeys. Jacks and Jennys, black, brown, gray and paints. All ages. $300 and up. Make great pets. Also standard donkeys. Betty, (850) 899-7424.

Quarter horses. Ride well on trails, gentle, good for lessons. (850) 773-1957.

New trundle bed and mattress. $300. (850) 624-3875.

MiscellaneousHome service installations: child protection devices, pet doors, shelving/organizers, TV mounts and surround sound, surveillance equipment, digital thermostats, whole-house water filters, washer/dryer hook-ups, showerheads, weather-stripping, curtain rods

and blinds. Home maintenance: replace filters, clean A/C coils, flush water heater, clean dryer vent and drains. Lubricate hinges, locks and doors. Inspect fireplace, fire extinguisher, garage door opener/motor, well pump and sprinkler system. Free estimates. (850) 722-4619 or (850) 596-2788 or proactivems@outlook.com.

Real EstateThree-bedroom, one-bath, 888-sq.-ft. home on two lots at 1234 7th Street in Southport. $54,000. (317) 254-1984.

Scotts Ferry 2,700 sq. ft. heated and cooled home on 200-ft.-by-170-ft. lot fronting the Chipola River. 1 bed, 1 bath, kitchen and living room downstairs; 2 bed, 1 bath, kitchen and living room upstairs. Garage, covered glass sunporch and fireplace. $143,000. (850) 933-6150.

FSBO. Two adjacent lots, about 2.5 acres on paved road, 10 miles north of Wewahitchka, 45 minutes from beaches. Borders the Chipola River and Cypress Creek. Cleared and ready to build. Quiet and peaceful; no neighbors. Deeded restrictions. Underground utilities, deep well and many fruit trees. $69,900. (850) 648-4214.

Two-bedroom, two-bath home in Scotts Ferry on 100-ft.-by-100-ft. lot close to the Chipola River. Great room with brick fireplace, study, large wooden porches on front and back of house, covered carport. $99,000. (850) 933-6150.

½-acre corner lot. (850) 639-2220.

Mobile home on 4 acres on the Choctawhatchee River near Ebro. 210 ft. of waterfront. $150,000. (850) 630-2600.

Four Chipola River front lots for sale. High and dry. $90,000. (850) 933-6150.

Two- or three-bedroom cabin. About 1,200 sq. ft. with large screened porch. 150 ft. on West Arm Creek in Meeks subdivision. (850) 271-9040.

Lakefront home near Leisure Lake Greenhead. Wooded lot with sandy beach. Doublewide with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, open floorplan, fireplace, screened porch, new heat and air conditioning. $110,000. Chasdimarco@msn.com for photo. (850) 445-4183.

Trading Post

Gulf Coast

Trading Post is a FREE service to members of Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative. GCEC reserves the right to edit or reject ads. PLEASE PRINT LEGIBLY OR TYPE.

Please circle the category that applies: For Rent For Sale Real Estate Free Miscellaneous Trade Wanted

Items:

Name: Phone:

Address: City/zip:

Mail your ad to: The Trading Post; Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative; P.O. Box 8370; Southport, FL 32409; return with your electric payment; or email ad information to tradingpost@gcec.com.

** Due to press deadlines, please expect up to 60 days from submission for your advertisement to appear.

Gulf Coast Electric offices will be closed Monday, May 29, 2017, in observance of Memorial Day. From all of us at Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

M AY 2017 25

H2O Plus, a program available to you from Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, has the potential to dramatically reduce the demand for electricity. We just need your participation.

Using energy wisely has never been easier. A device is installed on your electric water heater that allows our power supplier to cycle your unit for short periods. By managing energy use when demand is high—when you and your neighbors are using the most electricity—our supplier can reduce demand when electricity is most expen-sive, delaying the need to build facilities to generate more power, alleviating or push-ing those costs out to the future. An added benefit is reducing the amount of green-house gases, thereby helping the environment. You still will have enough hot water for showers and household chores. In fact, you shouldn’t even notice a difference in the amount of hot water available.

For more information, please call GCEC Energy Services Representative Manuela Heyn. She will take down your information and, after ensuring the program is a good fit for your household, schedule an installer to visit your home and install the device at no cost to you. In fact, for your participation, we will make a one-time credit of $25 to your electric bill. We look forward to hearing from you soon. n

According to Chapter 252.355 Florida Statutes, “In order to meet the special needs of persons who would need assis-tance during evacuations and sheltering because of physical, mental, cognitive impairment or sensory disabilities, the division, in coordination with each local emergency management agency in the state, shall maintain a registry of persons with special needs located within the jurisdiction of the local agency.”

This registration helps the local emer-gency management agency identify those in need of assistance and plan for resource allocation to meet those needs.

Persons with special needs may pre-authorize emergency response personnel to enter their homes during search-and-rescue operations, if necessary, to

ensure their safety and welfare following disasters.

This registration must be updated annually. Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative helps local emergency management agen-cies get the word out about this program.

If you or someone you know has a special condition affecting eyesight, hear-ing, speech, walking, breathing or an emotional condition and would need assistance during evacuations and shel-tering, please contact your local emer-gency management agency.

The level of care given in special needs shelters goes above the basic first-aid care available to shelters open to the general population.

All information provided is kept strictly confidential. n

Emergency Management Agencies Serving GCEC’s Six-County Service AreaXX Bay County Phone: (850) 784-4000 Fax: (850) 784-4010

XX Calhoun County Phone: (850) 674-8075 Fax: (850) 674-4667

XX Gulf County Phone: (850) 229-9110 Fax: (850) 229-9115

XX Jackson County Phone: (850) 482-9678 Fax: (850) 482-9683

XX Walton County Phone: (850) 892-8065 Fax: (850) 254-9638

XX Washington County Phone: (850) 638-6203 Fax: (850) 638-6316

Registry is used for resource planning during emergencies

Notify County Agency of Any Special Needs

Help Reduce Demand for Electricity

Office numbers:Southport ...............(850) 265-3631 (800) 568-3667Wewahitchka ..........(850) 639-2216 (800) 333-9392Panama City ............(850) 481-1188

Gulf Coast

26 M AY 2017

Throughout the 2016 presidential cam-paign, Donald Trump pledged to review burdensome federal regulations if and when he became president.

On March 28, President Trump took an important step to follow through on that commitment by signing an executive order promoting energy independence. The order also calls for review of the Clean Power Plan.

“Electric co-ops have two key mis-sions: providing electricity and other ser-vices to more than 42 million consum-ers and empowering the communities they serve,” said Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association—the national service orga-nization for the nation’s 900-plus electric co-ops. “The Clean Power Plan jeopar-dizes co-ops’ ability to accomplish both.

“If implemented, the plan would hit many of our electric cooperatives extremely hard by forcing them to pre-maturely shut down existing power plants. Those co-ops would in essence be charged twice for their electricity—once to continue paying down the loans on the closed power plants and again for the cost of purchasing replacement power.”

Co-ops were so concerned about the economic impacts of the Clean Power Plan they petitioned the courts to review and reject the regulation. The Supreme Court sided with co-ops and imposed a stay of the rule—essentially freezing its implementation. This pause created the Trump administration’s opportunity to review the rule.

Electric co-ops put the interests of their members first when deciding how to best meet their energy needs. The Trump executive order allows co-ops to continue reducing their carbon footprint

while keeping traditional energy resources in the mix. This is critical as co-ops work to preserve both the reliabil-ity and affordability of electricity.

It will take the Trump administration a long time to navigate the maze of admin-istrative, regulatory and legal procedures necessary to review the Clean Power Plan. In the meantime, electric co-ops will keep doing what they do best: deliv-ering a consumer-focused energy future that empowers cooperative members and their communities. n

Clean Power PlanUnder Review

Gulf Coast

Trump’s action promoting energy independence orders examination of Obama’s plan to shut down the nation’s coal power plants

By Dan Riedinger

Above and right, coal is the primary fuel used at the Charles R. Lowman Power Plant, operated by PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which provides electricity to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative.Photos courtesy of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

28 M AY 2017

Right-of-Way Trimming Program Ensures Safety, Service ReliabilityGulf Coast Electric Cooperative will clear rights-of-way in Crystal Lake and Fountain during May.

GCEC has about 2,600 miles of distribution line. If vegetation comes into contact with power lines, it can interfere with your electric service and cause a dangerous situation.

Vegetation must be cleared from power lines to provide reliable electric service and prevent a hazardous condition.

When a person signs up to be a member of the cooperative, there is an agreement between the member and GCEC to allow right-of-way maintenance. The agreement gives GCEC the legal right to remove from the right-of-way anything that could interfere with the cooperative’s ability to ensure safe, reliable electric service for all members.

If the cooperative’s right-of-way clearance were not maintained, tree limbs and other growth coming into contact with power lines would greatly increase the number of power outages experienced by members.

The cooperative tries to work with each landowner to preserve landscaping when maintaining rights-of-way. While most property owners regard trees as an asset, federal law requires GCEC to eliminate hazardous conditions.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to bring you quality, reliable service. n

M AY 2017 29

FL-154

GCEC President’s MessageOffices722 West Highway 22P. O. Box 220Wewahitchka, FL 32465(850) 639-2216 or (800) 333-9392

9434 Highway 77 P. O. Box 8370Southport, FL 32409(850) 265-3631 or (800) 568-3667

6243 East Highway 98Panama City, FL 32404Phone: (850) 481-1188

www.gcec.com

ceO/General ManaGerJohn Bartley

TrusTeesPresident Waylon GrahamVice President Jimmy Black Secretary Eddie JonesTreasurer Rupert BrownDoug BirminghamRobert ByrdGary CoxKinneth DanielsBetty Moore

Trustees normally meet the third Tuesday of each month at 12:30 p.m. CST. The board meets at the Wewahitchka office in even-numbered months (February, April, June, August, October and December) and the Southport office in odd-numbered months (January, March, May, July, September and November).

The mission of GCEC: Fulfilling the changing needs of our membership and communities by providing cost effective, reliable and safe utility services through a dedicated and responsive workforce.

Valued GCEC Member:

It is my pleasure to invite you and your family to our 69th Annual Members’ Meeting on May 6, 2017. Activities begin at 8:15 a.m. Central at our headquarters office in Wewahitchka.

Again this year, we will use mail-in voting before the annual meeting. As a member-owned electric cooperative, it is imperative members vote on changes to improve their cooperative and bring it closer to being the ideal electric utility. Many of our members cannot attend the meeting due to health, and others lack the time to participate. The mail-in process makes voting fair for everyone.

Returning the ballot is a way to guarantee your voice is heard. Please read the material, select your responses, enclose the ballot in the postage-paid envelope and place it in the mail. As you will see, your ballot will be mailed to a third party. It conducts the voting process on behalf of the cooperative so we do not have access to completed ballots. Therefore, please make sure you mail your ballot. We are unable to accept ballots hand-delivered to our offices. The election closes April 26. If the third party does not receive your ballot by this date, it will be rejected. Please be mindful of the deadline.

This year, District II trustees are up for re-election. The incumbents are Waylon Graham, Group 1; Doug Birmingham, Group 2; and Eddie Jones, Group 3. None of the incumbents face opposition. Therefore, following Robert’s Rules of Order, there is no need for a formal vote. The matter is decided by “acclamation” or “unanimous consent.” Because there will be no voting brought before the membership on the day of the event, you will need to check the “acclamation” box for us to install the three trustees. We also need you to check a box in the second section to approve board actions during the past year.

In appreciation of your time, we will credit $5 to your electric bill for your participation in the voting process. The cooperative also will work with the third party to randomly select members to receive prizes. Some will receive $25 gift cards. Ten will receive $100 electric bill credits—for a total of $1,000 of free electricity!

The mail-in voting process in no way replaces your annual meeting. It simply removes the balloting portion to give more members the chance to participate, and replaces members standing in line to register and vote. We will still have children’s activities, free food and beverages, informational booths and live music.

As a bonus, we included a prize ticket with your ballot. If you attend the meeting, make sure you bring this ticket to the event. We will have a place where you can turn in half the ticket to be eligible to win additional prizes at the event. If you do not bring this ticket, you will not be eligible for the prizes we give away at this year’s event, so don’t forget your ticket!

If you have questions about the ballot, please contact us. As always, it is a pleasure to serve you. n

Waylon Graham

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32 M AY 2017