Category: News

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.

Claiborne Electric has a current opening for a Plant Accountant.

A Bachelor’s degree in accounting and 2 years cost accounting experience preferred.

Anyone interested in applying for this position should email their resume to Kathy Tanner at kathy@our.coop no later than December 8, 2021.

Please see job posting here.

Claiborne Electric General Manager & CEO Mark Brown has issued an update on the Co-op’s Fiber-to-the-Home Internet project.

In his statement, Brown explains the Co-op’s inability to update members until now due to an agreement that kept involved parties from publicly discussing the project.

He explains the Co-op’s participation in the Federal Communications Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Auction, the results of the auction, and what it means for the Co-op and its members moving forward.

The entire statement can be read here.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

FOR PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

Claiborne Electric Cooperative, Inc. is soliciting proposals from experienced firms to provide Disaster Recovery Project Management Consultant Services in the event of named disasters affecting its service area and Claiborne Electric’s management declaring that additional assistance would be needed.

The initial term of the contract resulting from this RFP will be for a period of one year with the option of renewal for two additional one-year terms. The contracted company will support Claiborne Electric Cooperative, Inc. with disaster recovery efforts upon issuance of a contract task order issued in response to a declared disaster.

A Request for Proposal can be obtained by calling Kathy Tanner, CFO, at (318) 927-3504 or emailing kathy@our.coop.  The deadline for submission of proposals is September 17, 2021.

Minority businesses, women’s business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms are highly encouraged to submit a proposal in response to this RFP.

**An addendum has been issued to change the Proposal Due Date to 3:00 PM CT on September 24, 2021  and to allow submissions to be submitted via email in addition to hard copy.**