4-County Annual Meeting Is Thursday

Members of 4-County Electric Power Association are invited to attend the cooperative’s annual membership meeting Thursday, June 4, at the East Mississippi Community College auditorium in Mayhew.

Plans for the day are simple. Sit back, relax and enjoy a day of good food, good fun, good fellowship and good information.

Remember, annual meeting times have changed a little in recent years. Registration and a health fair for members begin at 9 a.m. A catfish lunch with all the fixings for members will also begin at 10:15 a.m. The business portion of the meeting will begin at noon.

Those attending the meeting will have an opportunity to view a variety of displays featuring 4-County programs, services and equipment. A new 4-County Electric Power Association community education tool will be available for members to enjoy. They will have the opportunity to step foot into a customized bucket, similar to those attached to 4-County bucket trucks. The authentic-size bucket, standing a few feet off the ground in a cart, is equipped with controls and other mechanisms found in standard truck buckets.

The community education bucket was donated to 4-County by Altec (a 4-County vendor). 4-County Fleet Management Supervisor Eddie Pennington and Jonathan Edwards, 4-County vehicle mechanic 1, painted the bucket, applied the proper 4-County logos and equipped it with a handle and other parts that simulate actual controls.

“This should really give our members and others a good look at what it’s like to be in the bucket of a 4-County truck. This is just one of the many things that members can participate in at the annual meeting. We’ll provide some good information, elect board of directors and, of course, give away some great door prizes – including a truck,” said 4-County CEO/General Manager Joe Cade.

The bucket display will be used at 4-County annual meetings, schools and other events to educate the public about how linemen operate in buckets. It will also provide a platform for customized photo opportunities. A visitor will be able to climb into the bucket and put on a lineman hard hat, gloves and safety glasses for the photo opportunity. Photos will be e-mailed or mailed through the post office to those who want them. An employee will be on hand to discuss the ins and outs of working in a bucket truck.

Held in conjunction with the annual meeting, the health fair will provide consumers the opportunity to receive a variety of healthcare screenings.

In addition to the pre-meeting health fair, the business session will include financial and management reports along with the election of three directors to the Association’s board of directors.

Three incumbent directors are nominated for re-election to 4-County Electric Power Association’s board of directors. The Association’s nominating committee met March 19 and submitted the names of Jay Gilliland of Mathiston for District 6 (Chickasaw and Choctaw counties), Kenneth Seitz of Starkville for District 2 (Oktibbeha County), and E.H. “Bud” Tumlinson of West Point for District 3 (Clay and Monroe counties).

The candidates’ names have been placed in nomination for re-election to three-year terms on the Association’s board of directors, beginning June 4 at the cooperative’s annual membership meeting at East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle Campus in Mayhew.

Proxy/ballots were mailed by May 5 to all 4-County members. The deadline for returning ballot/proxies is noon, May 30, six days prior to the June 4 annual membership meeting.

Members returning their proxy/ballots, as well as those who attend the meeting, may qualify to win valuable prizes. Those returning their proxy/ballots (by mail, proxy or online voting) qualified to win one of three $1,000 credits for electricity. Those attending the meeting may qualify for the grand prize, a retired 4-County fleet pickup truck. Other attendee prizes include hundreds of dollars in gift cards, flat screen televisions, other home electronics and more.

Employees will be on hand to instruct members on how to participate in a variety of 4-County programs.

For more information on the annual meeting or how to vote in the directors’ election, please call 1-800-431-1544 and ask for the 4-County marketing department.

4-County offices will be closed June 4 for the annual meeting.