Category: News

Claiborne Electric recently received an important notice from our wholesale power provider, and we feel it is important to pass this information on to our valued Cooperative members. The power provider has notified us of a temporary increase to our wholesale power costs. The cost is attributed to critically low water levels in the Mississippi River. The river levels are currently dramatically limiting coal shipments, resulting in significantly higher transportation costs for coal. The result will be a higher Power Cost Adjustment factor used in calculating member bills, which will lead to a modest bill increase.

We want members to know that we have worked diligently to develop a strategy to minimize the impact on our members. We will spread these incurred costs over 12 months instead of passing them along in full monthly. This is a temporary situation, and our hope is that we will soon see enough precipitation to return the Mississippi River to normal levels. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please know that we are continually working on behalf of our members.

If you have questions about your billing, please contact us at (318) 927-3504 or (318)368-3011.

Nominations for directors in three of Claiborne Electric’s districts will be open during the month of January 2024.

Members in Districts One, Six, and Nine may nominate a member from that district to stand for election at the 2024 Annual Meeting. Nominations will be open for the entire month of January. A sample nomination form is available here.

Hez Elkins of Farmerville currently represents District 1.
Rand Killgore of Haynesville currently represents District 6.
Jody Woodard of Heflin currently represents District 9.

Article IV, section 4 of Claiborne Electric’s bylaws reads as follows:

“Nomination
Any three (3) members of record living within a district and acting together, may make a nomination for the Director from that district in writing during the month of January. Nominations will be due by close of business on the last business day of January. The Secretary shall post such nominations at the principal office of the Cooperative in both Union and Claiborne Parishes. If only one nomination is submitted, the Board of Directors will declare the nominated candidate as the winner and shall not hold an election for that district. If no nominations are submitted, the seat will be considered a vacancy and will be handled according to Article IV, Section 6 of these bylaws.”

For specific information on districts or election rules, please reference Claiborne Electric’s bylaws. Bylaws pertaining to districts and director elections can be found in Article IV of the bylaws.

Claiborne Electric would like to invite anyone near the Homer office to stop by and allow a Co-op representative to take a picture in our outdoor Christmas photo scene.

The scene includes a sleigh and a life-size Nice List, which children may sign with a provided dry erase marker. Photos are available any business day in December from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Participants are asked to come inside the office before visiting the photo scene.

Kids (and kids-at-heart) can take a photo in the sleigh, sign Santa’s Nice List with a dry erase marker, and receive an official Nice List certificate!

Participants have the option to have their photo posted on Claiborne Electric’s Facebook page. The photo with the most likes after Christmas will receive a prize!

Merry Christmas from your friends and neighbors at Claiborne Electric.

With Claiborne Electric’s 2023 Annual Meeting around the corner, members are asked to bring the official registration card they will receive in mid-May with them to the meeting.

Bringing the registration card helps the registration process to flow smoothly, and members who bring their card will be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card.

The drive-through meeting will be held on June 10, 2023, from 9 a.m. until noon. Members will need a valid ID to register for the meeting.

The Co-op will host the meeting between two sites:

• Claiborne Electric’s headquarters office (12525 Hwy. 9, Homer)
• D’Arbonne Woods Charter School (9560 Hwy. 33, Farmerville)

All members who participate in the meeting will receive a gift from the Co-op and be entered for several cash and gift card prizes. Prizes will include:

• $5,000 cash grand prize
• $4,000 cash prize
• $3,000 cash prize
• $2,000 cash prize
• $1,000 cash prize
• 50 $100 gift cards

Watch the newsletter and www.our.coop for more information as the date approaches!

Nominations for directors in three of Claiborne Electric’s districts will be open during the month of January.

Members in Districts Three, Seven, and Eight may nominate a member from that district to stand for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Nominations will be open for the entire month of January.

Scott Jones of Marion currently represents District 3. Phillip Fincher of Homer currently represents District 7. Lane Davidson of Minden currently represents District 8.

Article IV, section 4 of Claiborne Electric’s bylaws reads as follows:

“Nomination

Any three (3) members of record living within a district and acting together, may make a nomination for the Director from that district in writing during the month of January. Nominations will be due by close of business on the last business day of January. The Secretary shall post such nominations at the principal office of the Cooperative in both Union and Claiborne Parishes. If only one nomination is submitted, the Board of Directors will declare the nominated candidate as the winner and shall not hold an election for that district. If no nominations are submitted, the seat will be considered a vacancy and will be handled according to Article IV, Section 6 of these bylaws.”

For specific information on districts or election rules, please reference Claiborne Electric’s bylaws, which can be read at www.our.coop, or at either of the Co-op’s offices. Bylaws pertaining to districts and director elections can be found in Article IV of the bylaws.

We would like to thank our members for participating in the 2022 Annual Meeting.

1,104 members attended the meeting to register and vote. The proposed bylaw amendments passed with a nearly 97% approval. Amendment tabulation and prize drawings were observed and certified by Richard Ray, Attorney with Kitchens Law Firm (Claiborne Electric’s corporate counsel).

Prize Winners were randomly selected after the meeting. Winners will be contacted directly during the week of June 13 to arrange for prize pick-up.

Winners are as follows:

Claiborne Electric will host a drive-through Annual Meeting on June 11.

The Co-op will have two sites available for members to register– one at Claiborne Electric’s headquarters office (12525 Hwy. 9 in Homer), and one at D’Arbonne Woods Charter School (9560 Hwy. 33 in Farmerville). On June 11, members can drive through a multi-lane site in either location to register for the meeting, be entered for all prize drawings, and cast a ballot for the proposed bylaw amendments. Drive-through registration will take place from 9 a.m. until noon.

At each location, members will drive in and remain in their vehicles through the registration process. Claiborne Electric employee will be directing members to lanes. After members are finished registering and voting, they will be directed to the exit.

“After the overwhelmingly positive response we received from members after our 2021 drive-through meeting, we decided to use this format again,” said Claiborne Electric CEO and General Manager Mark Brown.

Members will vote on two proposed Bylaw amendments that would allow the Co-op’s Annual Meeting to be held in any format the Board of Directors deems appropriate or necessary.

In May, members will receive an official registration card by mail. For the registration process to flow smoothly, members are asked to bring their registration card to the meeting. All members who bring their registration card will be entered into a drawing for a $500 gift card.

Several cash prizes will be awarded after the conclusion of the meeting. Members who participate will be eligible for cash prizes of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, and a grand prize of $5,000. Names will also be drawn for 50 $100 gift cards. All prizes will be drawn after the conclusion of the meeting, and winners will be posted online and contacted directly.
Brown said that as members arrive to the drive-through sites, they should try to have their registration card and photo ID ready to present.
The primary member on the account must be the one to register and present identification. If a spouse will attend the meeting without the primary member, both spouses must visit a Claiborne Electric office before the Annual Meeting to form a Joint Membership. With a Joint Membership, either spouse can present I.D. and represent that membership at the meeting. A joint membership is still one membership – spouses will need to determine jointly how they wish to cast their one vote.

An organization that is a member of the Co-op may designate a person to attend the meeting to register on behalf of the organization and cast a ballot. At registration, that person will need to present a letter on the organization’s letterhead and signed by the leader of the organization naming them as the representative for the organization.

“Please make plans to join us for a few minutes to participate in the 2022 Annual Meeting,” Brown said. “We look forward to seeing our members on June 11!”

Nominations for directors in three of Claiborne Electric’s districts open January 3 and close January 31.

Members in Districts Two, Four, and Five may nominate a member from that district to stand for election at the 2022 Annual Meeting. Nominations will be open for the entire month of January.

Willie Sensley, Jr. of Farmerville currently represents District 2. Leroy Perritt of Arcadia currently represents District 4. Ben Abshire of Homer currently represents District 5.

Article IV, section 4 of Claiborne Electric’s bylaws reads as follows:

“Nomination

Any three (3) members of record living within a district and acting together, may make a nomination for the Director from that district in writing during the month of January. Nominations will be due by close of business on the last business day of January. The Secretary shall post such nominations at the principal office of the Cooperative in both Union and Claiborne Parishes. If only one nomination is submitted, the Board of Directors will declare the nominated candidate as the winner and shall not hold an election for that district. If no nominations are submitted, the seat will be considered a vacancy and will be handled according to Article IV, Section 6 of these bylaws.”

A sample nomination form can be found here.