Electric Co-op's annual meeting set for April 23

Flathead Electric Co-op's annual meeting is slated for a return to an in-person gathering this year.

This month, the co-op's members are invited to the meeting on Saturday, April 23, at Canvas Church.

Registration and breakfast begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by entertainment with local 1950s rock’n’roll band the Fabulous Bel Aires. The business meeting commences at 9:45 a.m. The meeting will adjourn around 11:30 a.m. Childcare is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Members in attendance will learn about the Co-op's financials and continued focus on power supply, rates and emerging technologies, a press release from the Co-op stated. They will also hear about their Co-op's response to the growth seen in the service area. In addition, a presentation about the proposed removal of the lower Snake River dams will be given.

There will be prize drawings for those in attendance, including the grand prize, a $500 energy bill credit. Five $500 scholarships will be awarded to area high school seniors planning to enroll at an accredited Montana university or college. To be eligible, the student’s parent or guardian must be a Flathead Electric Co-op member, and the student must be present at the meeting. There is no application process; names will be drawn from those high school seniors in attendance.

Meeting registration cards and the Annual Review were mailed to members on March 31. Members are asked to bring their registration card to the meeting to expedite the registration process, but replacements can be issued should the card be lost or forgotten.

At the meeting, members will hear from the three Board of Trustees seats up for election:

District 1 (Columbia Falls to Essex), Trustee Stacey Schnebel

District 4 (Helena Flats – Columbia Falls Stage), Trustee Steve Streich

District 7 (Kalispell, south of Highway 2), Trustee Gary Boe

All seats are running unopposed and there are no bylaw amendments on this year’s ballot. A bylaw change passed last year by members now allows electronic voting.

Unless a member opted out of receiving a paper ballot prior to March 31 they will receive a paper ballot in the mail the week of April 25, after the annual meeting. Paper ballots will also provide the member instructions to vote electronically if they prefer.

For members who choose to vote electronically, the electronic election opens April 25 at 8 a.m. Members who have an email on file with the Co-op will receive an emailed ballot on April 25. Members can also vote via their online account or the Co-op's website.

Although members have options in casting their ballot, each member can vote only once. The Co-op's independent election vendor has controls in place such that if a member submits multiple votes, only one will be counted.

The Flathead Electric Cooperative election closes on May 20. Paper ballots must be received by the election vendor by this date and electronic voting closes at 11 a.m. on that day.