2020 Annual Meeting to be canceled

An ancient Greek philosopher once said the only thing constant in life is change.

Our lives over the last couple of months seem to have proven that adage true. Here at Lynches River Electric Cooperative, we’ve had to change a lot to protect you and our employees during the pandemic. We’ve increased cleaning measures, temporarily shut down our lobby, and altered some of our policies in an effort to keep you and our staff safe from COVID-19. But, there is one other constant in our new normal. We will continue to do our best to serve you.

The health and safety of our members and employees is, and always will be, our number one priority at Lynches River. It is with this mindset and a heavy heart that we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting.

The Board of Trustees and myself unanimously decided to not have the annual meeting this year after carefully considering the safety recommendations issued by expert health officials and trusted advisory groups like the CDC. After lengthy considerations, we agreed that none of us wants to put any of our valued community members at even a slight risk of getting sick.

One of the most important parts of being a cooperative is holding an annual meeting. It’s one of the best ways that we get to engage with our members. It is a special time for co-op members to gather, hear from co-op leadership and, perhaps most importantly, vote to elect your new board members.

Although our annual meeting has been canceled this year, it does not change the fact that Lynches River Electric is run by a democratically elected board. At this year’s meeting, the trustees representing District 2, District 4 and District 5 were up for election. As of the August 18 board member nomination deadline, no member filed to run against the incumbent board members. Since all three trustee seats are uncontested, we do not need to hold an election this year.

Eligible LREC members will still receive capital credit refunds via check or bill credit. Members should look for our annual financial report and an update on the status of the co-op in the Though this year is different than any other, I sincerely hope you will stay connected with your cooperative.

Finally, I encourage you all to stay safe, practice healthy habits and stay informed.