2011 Paulding-Putnam Electric Cooperative
Annual Meeting of the Membership
The meeting was held at Paulding High School, Paulding, Ohio. Dr. John Saxton, Board President, called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. President Saxton then led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance. Dr. Saxton then introduced Board Secretary/Treasurer, Gary Hayden.
Mr. Hayden read the Official Notice of Meeting and provided the Certificate of Mailing which stated the Official Notice had been mailed to all members on February 22, 2011. Mr. Hayden then announced that there was a quorum present. There were 304 members registered in person. The Secretary/Treasurer than pointed out that the minutes of the previous meeting had been reprinted in Country Living magazine and also handed out to the members at registration. Mr. Hayden stated that if there were no objections he would dispense with the reading of the minutes. There were no objections. With the permission of the Chairman, he then asked for a motion to approve the minutes as presented. The motion was made, seconded and approved.
Mr. Hayden then gave the Treasurers report. He stated that his written report appeared in the hand-out and a financial report was printed. He further stated that the audited financial report was completed by the local firm of Arend, Laukhuf & Stoller and was available for review at the cooperative’s office. Mr. Hayden stated that the Cooperative had received a “CLEAN” audit, which means the auditing firm found the financial reports accurately reflected the operations of the cooperative. The Secretary/Treasurer then reviewed several financial statistics from the operating reports. He stated that wholesale power costs continue to be the Cooperative’s largest expense. He again stated that the audited financial statements were available for viewing at the Cooperative’s office.
In honor of Paulding Putnam’s 75th anniversary, State Representatives from Indiana and Ohio (Rep. Phyllis Pond and Senator Cliff Hite), presented Commendations to Dr. Saxton as did Paulding County Commissioner, Tony Burkley, and Mr. Greg White, Mayor of the Village of Paulding. It was a day of celebration and recognition for the Cooperative, employees, and members.
In their remarks, both Dr. Saxton, and Mr. Pat O’Loughlin, COO of Buckeye Power, talked about the potential impact of proposed (and approved) environmental legislation on the ability to produce energy and the potential cost to customers. Mr. O’Loughlin called the situation an “EPA Compliance Train Wreck”, which will result in higher rates and less reliability. Dr. Saxton urged members to get involved and share their voices. President Saxton compared board meetings to a statue of Lady Justice where decisions had to be made in balancing member rates and the cost to maintain the electric system.
Mr. Carter shared reflections of the past 75 years. The Cooperative has grown 300% and usage of electricity has increased 40 times since 1936. Paulding Putnam is the most reasonably priced electric utility in Ohio, and remains committed to their core values of Value, Safety, Service, and Reliability for the next 75 years and beyond.
Scholarship winners were announced:
Touchstone Energy Achievement Scholarship:
Alysha Valdez
Paulding H. S.
$300
At-Large:
Emily Osting
Lincolnview H.S.
$500
Third Place:
Austin Germann
Concordia Lutheran H.S.
$500
Katelyn Utendorf
Ottawa Glandorf H.S.
$500
Second Place:
Jared Ross
Paulding H.S.
$600
Ashley Schmenk
Miller City/New Cleveland H.S.
$600
First Place:
Andrew Huntsman
Fort Jennings H.S.
$800
Alaine Wetli
Antwerp H.S.
$800
Ashley Schmenk and Allison Fitzgerald who represented Paulding Putnam on the Youth Tour spoke about their 2010 experiences in Washington D.C and shared their thanks for being selected. The 2011 Youth Tour attendees were announced:
Kelsey Hoehn
Ottawa Glandorf H.S.
April Horstman
Ottoville H.S.
Mr. Carter was called upon to present the Board of Trustee Results: Three (3) districts were up for election and all Members were re-elected by affirmation. Those Members were: District 1 – Mr. Gerald Sorg, District 6 – Dr. John Saxton, District 9 – Mr. Gary Hayden.
In celebration of the 75th Anniversary, door prizes were drawn for $75 to be credited to each winner’s electric account. Twenty (20) winners were announced.
There being no further business to come before the meeting, on a motion duly made and seconded the President declared the meeting adjourned.
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