Registration lines for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Members opened at noon on May 10 and, by 12:17 p.m., 25% of the co-op’s quorum requirement had been met. “The quorum requirement is 5% of the co-op’s total membership,” explains James P. “Pat” Howle, executive vice president and CEO of the Cooperative. This year, that number was 3,026. “We achieved that number by 2:10 p.m.,” says Howle.
Registration continued until 7 p.m. and the final count of registered members at the 2016 Annual Meeting was 6,369. Horry Electric’s all-time attendance record was set in 2013 with 7,571 registered members.
Elaine Gore (District 1), Ronald Floyd (District 5) and Ashley Anderson (District 7) all ran unopposed in the trustee election. All three were re-elected for three-year terms by acclamation during the business meeting. Members also considered and voted on an amendment to the bylaws related to patronage capital. The additional language applies directly to bankruptcies and gives the Cooperative the ‘Right of Recoupment’. It protects the Cooperative and its members against the risk of losing capital in bankruptcy situations where orders are granted that eliminate debts, liens, etc.
A prize drawing followed the business meeting. The 2016 Annual Meeting of Members-WINNERS list can be downloaded and printed or viewed on Horry Electric’s Facebook page in the album titled 2016 Annual Meeting of Members Prize Winners