Albemarle Soundsis published monthly by

Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 69Hertford, NC 27944

(252) 426-5735

Gary Ray, General ManagerChris Powell, Editor

Website and member portal:www.aemc.coop

Outages:1-800-274-2072

24-hour payments: (252) 426-4419

Albemarle EMC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

We are members of NC 811. Call 811 or

1-800-632-4949 three business days before you

plan to dig.

Plan to Attend Annual MeetingThe Albemarle EMC Annual Meeting

is set for Saturday, Sept. 28 at Perquimans County High School, in Hertford.

Member registration will begin at 12:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be served from 12:30 to 1:30, and entertainment will be available in the auditorium, beginning at 1:15. The meeting will begin promptly at 2 p.m.

For the past several years, your annual report has been attached to the September issue of Carolina Country magazine. We ask that you detach the annual report, which includes your registration and proxy card. Please bring the registration card to the Annual Meeting. The barcode on the card will speed up registration.

In the event you will not be able to attend, we suggest that you execute your proxy card to allow another person to vote on your behalf at the meeting. Follow the instructions on the proxy card and mail the card in or bring it to our office. The co-op must receive the proxies on or before Sept. 25. This gives the co-op time to validate the proxies. No altered cards will be accepted.

Members must register before 2 p.m. Each member will receive a $2 bill and a gift prior to the meeting. The co-op will conduct a special drawing for those members who are seated in the auditorium between 1:15 and 2 p.m., when the singer is performing. When entering the auditorium, each person will receive a program with a number on it. During the performance, a number will be called out, and the person with the program with that number will receive a prize. Please note that we will also hold drawings at the end of the meeting.

If Albemarle EMC has a contested election, members may cast their votes prior to the beginning of the meeting or during the business meeting. A locked ballot box will be available.

During the meeting, you will elect three directors. Incumbent directors up for re-election this year are Garry Meiggs, Camden; Aubrey Tynch, Chowan; and Chad Mathews, Perquimans.

Members who would like to ask a question during the business meeting are required to submit the question in writing to the cooperative by Sept. 18. This gives co-op employees time to research the question and provide an informed answer.

The audience stands as colors are rendered at the 2018 Annual Meeting.

Phone App Available

Accessing your account has never been easier, using a smart phone. Simply visit the Apple App store for iPhones, or Google Play for Android phones and search for AEMC Member Access. You should see the AEMC Member Access icon, then just download the app.

August 2019 Proudly serving the members of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

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Section 3.01 Annual MeetingFor the purposes of electing Directors,

hearing and passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year, and transacting such other business as may properly come before the Members, an annual meeting of the Members shall be held during September or October of each year, at such place in one of the North Carolina counties served by the Cooperative, and beginning at such hour, as the Board of Directors shall from year to year fix. Failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time and place shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Cooperative.

Section 3.03 Notice of Member Meetings (Excerpts)

Written or printed notice of the place, day, and hour of a Member meeting, and, in the case of a special Member meeting or of an annual Member meeting at which business requiring special notice is to be transacted, the purpose or purposes of the meeting, shall, except as provided otherwise by these Bylaws, be delivered by mail to each Member entitled to vote not less than fifteen (15) nor more than forty calendar days (40) before the date of the meeting.

If a written notice or report is part of a newsletter, magazine, or other publication regularly sent to Members and addressed or delivered to the addresses shown in the Cooperative’s Membership List, such notice or report constitutes written notice sufficient to fulfill the notice required hereby.

Any member who desires to ask

a question during the annual meeting must submit their inquiry in writing at the Cooperative’s office, located at 125 Cooperative Way, Hertford, no later than 10 days prior to the published annual meeting date.Section 3.06 Credentials and Election

CommitteeThe Board of Directors shall, at least

thirty (30) days before any meeting of the Members, appoint a Credentials and Election Committee consisting of an uneven number of Members, not less than four (4) nor more than eleven (11), who are not Directors, Cooperative employees, Close Relatives (as that term is defined in Section 11.01 of these Bylaws), Members of the same household of existing Directors, Cooperative employees, or known candidates for Directorships to be voted upon at such meeting. In appointing the Committee, the Board shall have regard for equitable representation of the five (5) Directorate Districts served by the Cooperative.

It shall be the responsibility of the Credentials and Election Committee to:

(a.) Elect its own Chairperson and Secretary prior to the Member meeting;

(b.) Decide issues arising hereunder with respect to Director qualifications;

(c.) Establish or approve the manner of conducting Member registration and any voting;

(d.) Pass upon all questions that may arise with respect to the registration of Members in person or by proxy;

(e.) Count, or supervise the counting of, all ballots cast in any election or in

any other ballot vote taken;(f.) Rule upon the effect of any ballots

or votes irregularly or indecisively marked; and

(g.) Pass upon any protest or objection filed with respect to any election or to conduct affecting the results of any election or voting.

In the event of a protest or objection concerning any vote taken, such protest or objection must be filed in writing before 5:00 p.m. on the third (3rd) business day following the adjournment of the Member meeting at which the voting was conducted. The Committee shall thereupon be reconvened upon notice from its Chairperson not less than seven (7) days after such protest or objection is filed. The Committee shall hear such reasonable evidence as is presented by the protestor(s) or objector(s), who may be heard in person, by counsel, or both. The Committee, by a vote of a majority of those present and voting, shall, within a reasonable time but not later than thirty (30) days after such hearing, render its decision, which may be either to affirm or change the results of the voting or to set aside such voting or election. The Committee’s decision (as reflected by a majority of those actually present and voting) on all such matters shall be final. The failure of the Cooperative or Credentials and Elections Committee to act as required by this Section shall not, by itself, affect any vote, Director Election, or other action taken at a Member meeting.

Bylaws Regarding Albemarle EMC’s Annual Meeting

Early Bird Deadline Nears

Teachers who apply for a Bright Ideas grant before Wednesday, Aug. 15 will be entered into an early bird drawing for a Visa gift card.

To apply, visit www.NCBrightideas.com. Teachers can apply individually or as a team. Each year, Albemarle EMC awards more than $12,000 in grants. Grants are awarded to

fund innovative classroom projects that, otherwise, would lack funding.

The deadline to apply for a grant is Sept. 23.

AEMC Lineman Competes at State Level

Lineman Matt Byrum recently represented Albemarle EMC at the Statewide Pole Top Rescue Competition, held in Raleigh.

Byrum competed against linemen from across the state and was able to turn in a time of 2 minutes, 7

seconds, earning him an 11th-place finish out of a field of 22 competitors.

The competition simulates the rescue of an injured linemen from atop a pole. Linemen must radio for help, don their climbing and safety gear, climb 20 feet up a pole, then rig a rope to lower a 105-pound mannequin and begin CPR.

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How Albemarle EMC works to provide its members with the highest-quality service possible.

Albemarle EMC is at Your Service

We Advocate for YouEach year representatives from Albemarle EMC visit

with state and federal legislators to have conversations about issues important to electric cooperatives. In addition the N.C. Association of Electric Cooperatives have registered lobbyists on staff that maintain a presence at the N.C. General Assembly. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association also have full-time lobbyists that monitor legislation on Capitol Hill.

Cooperatives have had considerable success being politically proactive and nonpartisan. Albemarle EMC is able to use Political Action Committee (PAC) funds, solely donated by its employees. This year Albemarle EMC employees contributed $1,727 to the Rural Electric Action Program PAC and $1,175 to the Action Committee for Rural Electrification PAC. These two PACs help fund the campaigns of mostly incumbent legislators.

Campaign contribution amounts are decided by a committee of co-op employees and directors. PAC contributions are distributed based on a legislator’s friendliness towards co-ops and their influence. For

example, a legislator who consistently votes for co-op issues and sits on an important

committee will receive more PAC funds than a legislator who has voted against co-ops.

Electric cooperatives’ team of lobbyists are like an invisible security system that functions to protect members’ wallets. Co-op lobbying efforts often are in opposition to legislation that would unnecessarily increase the cost of power.

This year the co-ops worked to change a federal tax law that jeopardized co-ops’ nonprofit status. A recent change to the Internal Revenue Code created an unintended consequence that has the potential to negatively affect co-ops. As community-focused, member-owned organizations, electric cooperatives must derive no more than 15 percent of their income from

nonmember sources. The tax law was changed so that contributions to a cooperative, such as a grant or reimbursement, are now considered nonmember income. Because of this tax law change, a cooperative that is reimbursed for storm damages from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, could be considered to have exceeded the 15-percent limit for nonmember income. Representatives from Albemarle EMC, the N.C. Electric Membership Corporation and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association have been working with members of Congress to have this oversight corrected.

In the N.C. General Assembly this year, co-ops supported legislation that would encourage growth of the electric vehicle charging network while also protecting consumers. Electric vehicles are becoming a more accessible transportation option for many North Carolinians, as battery technology becomes more advanced and costs decrease. House Bill 329 allows a third party to install an electric vehicle charging station and resell electricity as long as several conditions are met. • Electricity to be resold must be procured from an electric utility.• The resold electricity must be exclusively for the charging of electric vehicles.• The electric vehicle charging station must be immobile.• The reseller of the electricity must adhere to the incumbent utility’s applicable terms and conditions.

This bill would make it easier for a person, such as a small business owner, to install a charging station on their premises. Electric cooperatives are currently expanding a network of charging stations across North Carolina to promote the use of electric vehicles in rural areas. These charging stations hold the potential to put downward pressure on rates because many vehicles would be charged at night when power grids have excess capacity and power cost is lowest. Charging stations also would bring economic benefits such as increased tourism by enabling electric vehicle owners to access our area.

Electric cooperatives’ connection to government is inherent. We were born out of a New Deal program to electrify rural America. By maintaining a prominent seat at the table as legislation is crafted, your cooperative is able to look out for your best interest. Politics is a rough and tumble business. However, members can be assured they have a strong advocate in their corner.

U.S. Senators Richard Burr (right) and Tom Tillis address the audience of North Carolina electric co-op representatives.

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