News for members of Southwest Electric Power Association
Drivers can do more to make 4 Mississippi roadways safer
9 Outdoors Today: Back to Africa
Periodical postage (ISSN 1052 2433)
with fresh 14 Cooking Gulf Coast seafood
MHP Capt. John Poulos
10
Today in Mississippi
June 2018
P.O. Box 5 • 18671 Highway 61 • Lorman, MS 39096 601-437-3611 or toll-free 1-800-287-8564 • Fax: 601-437-8736
Adams • Amite • Claiborne • Copiah • Franklin Hinds • Jefferson • Lincoln • Wilkinson Southwest Electric is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Southwest Electric employees volunteered at the
Hog Wild Family Festival & BBQ Cookoff on Saturday, May 3. This is the fourth year that Southwest Electric employees have volunteered at this Brookhaven event.
Sue Redd won the raffle for the RTIC SoftPak 30. All proceeds were donated to the fire departments.
Employees who volunteered are left to right: Leah Ross, Joseph Nettles, Dusty Matthews, Kevin Bonds, Deb McGee, Les Southerland and Stephanie Knotts.
Southwest Electric wishes you and your family a safe and happy holiday! Our offices will be closed Wednesday, July 4, in observance of
Employees sold drinks and raffle tickets to raise money for the Lincoln County Volunteer Fire Departments.
Independence Day Dispatchers will remain on duty and crews will be on call throughout the holiday. Call 800-287-8564 or use the SmartHub app to report an outage.
Hurricane Season begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30 Start thinking now about the supplies you will need to make it through an extended power outage. • Water – at least one gallon daily per person for 3-7 days • Non-perishable packaged or canned food and juices – enough for each person for 3-7 days • Special food for infants or the elderly • Non-electric can opener • Cooking tools/fuel
• Paper plates/plastic utensils • Blankets/pillows, etc. • Clothing – seasonal, rain gear, sturdy shoes • Toiletries • Full tanks of gas in vehicles • First aid kit complete with prescription drugs • Flashlight/batteries • Radio – Battery operated
NOAA weather radio • Cash – Banks and ATMs may not be open after a storm • Important documents – including insurance, medical records, bank account numbers, Social Security cards, etc. Make sure these items are stored in a water proof container.
Southwest Electric will be closed at noon on Thursday, June 21.
June 2018 Today in Mississippi
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Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association annual meeting The annual meeting of Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association Members will be held in August. The date and location will be announced in the July issue of Today in Mississippi. The meeting is being held for the purpose of electing directors, hearing and passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year and transacting other such business as may come before the meeting.
HINDS COUNTY
CLAIBORNE COUNTY
COPIAH COUNTY
JEFFERSON COUNTY
Bylaws outline meeting procedures Article III, Meetings of Members Section 3.01. Annual Meeting For the purposes of electing directors, hearing and passing upon reports covering the previous fiscal year, and transacting such other business as may properly come before the meeting, the annual meeting of the members shall be held in August each year, at the general office of the Association or at such place in one of the counties of Mississippi within which the Association serves, as the Board of Directors shall order; PROVIDED, that for sufficient cause the Board of Directors may decide to hold the annual meeting in July or September. Failure to hold the annual meeting at the designated time and place shall not work a forfeiture or dissolution of the Association. It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors to make adequate plans and preparation for the annual meeting, and to encourage attendance by the membership at these meetings. Section 3.02. Special Meetings Special meetings of the members may be called by at least four (4) directors or upon written request signed by at least 10% of the members, and it shall thereupon be the duty of the Secretary to cause notice of such meeting to be given as hereinafter provided. Special meetings of the members may be held at any place within one of the counties of Mississippi within which the Association serves, as specified in the notice of the special meeting. Section 3.03. Notice of Members’ Meetings Written or printed notice stating the place, day and hour of the meeting, and in case of a special meeting, the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered not less than seven (7) calendar days nor more than twenty (20) calendar days before the date of the meeting, either personally, electronically, or by mail, by or at the direction of the Secretary, or by the directors or members calling the meeting, to each member. If directors are to be elected at such meeting, the notice of members' meeting shall include a statement of the number of directors to be elected, the districts from which they are to be elected, or that the candidate is at-large, and the names of the candidates nominated by the committee on nominations and of any candidates nominated by petition pursuant to Section 4.04(b). Unless contained with such notice, no matter may be acted upon at that meeting which requires the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the members. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail, addressed to the member as it appears on the records of the Association, with postage thereon prepaid. The failure of any member to receive notice of an annual or special meeting of the members shall not invalidate any action which may be taken by the members at any such meeting. Section 3.04. Quorum 250 members present in person or by valid proxy shall consti-
tute a quorum at a regular or special meeting of the members. If less than a quorum is present at any meeting of members, the presiding officer of the meeting may, without a motion, declare the meeting adjourned and closed, or he or she may hold the meeting open for not longer than thirty minutes to see if a quorum is present within that time; and meeting shall automatically be adjourned and closed if a quorum shall not be present at the end of said thirty-minute period. The members present at the meeting at which a quorum is not present shall not have the power to take any kind of action, including, but not by way of limitations, adjourning said meeting to another time and place. At all meetings of the members, whether a quorum be present or not, the Secretary shall annex to the meeting minutes, or incorporate therein by reference, a list of those members who registered as present in person or who were represented by valid proxies. Section 3.05. Voting Each member who is not in a status of suspension, as provided for in Section 2.01, shall be entitled to only one vote upon each matter submitted to a vote at any meeting of the members at which a quorum is present. A member may vote in person or by proxy. No person not a member, except the spouse of a member, shall be allowed as proxy. At a meeting of the members where directors are to be elected, all members present in person or by proxy may cast one vote for each director to be elected; each member may vote their own vote plus those proxies executed in their favor, pursuant to Section 3.06 of these bylaws. Voting by members other than members who are natural persons shall be allowed upon the presentation to the Association, prior to or upon registration at each member meeting, of satisfactory evidence entitling the person presenting same to vote. At all meetings of the members, all questions shall be decided by a majority of the members voting thereon, except as otherwise provided by law or by the Association's Certificate of Incorporation or these bylaws. Members may not cumulate their votes. Section 3.06. Proxies At a meeting of the members, a member may vote by proxy executed in writing or electronically (when available by the Association) by the member, subject to the provisions hereinafter set forth, provided, however, any member holding and intending to vote a proxy must file the executed proxy at the Association's headquarters, not less than five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting. The proxy must have entered thereon the account number of the member executing the proxy. If one person shall receive electric service through two (2) or more meters at different premises, he or she shall nevertheless be entitled to only one (1) vote at any meeting of the members. No proxy shall be voted at any meeting of the members unless it shall designate the particular meeting at which it is to be voted, and no proxy shall be voted at any meeting other than the one so designated or any adjournment of such meeting. No proxy shall be voted by anyone except a member. No member shall vote as proxy for more than 250 members at any meeting of the members. The presence of a member at a meeting of the members shall revoke
a proxy theretofore executed by that member, and such member shall be entitled to vote at such meeting in the same manner and with the same effect as if the proxy had not been executed. A standard proxy form shall be used which identifies the member by name and account number, in order to assure authenticity and facilitate the tabulation of votes. If the proxy form of a member is lost, stolen, or destroyed, the Association shall furnish the member with a replacement proxy form upon request, provided that the member executes a revocation of the lost, stolen or destroyed form, to be witnessed by an employee of the Association. Blank proxy forms will not be distributed in bulk to any member or other person. Only the proxy form issued by the Association shall be valid. Section 3.07. Representative Voting Legal entity organizations and non-legal entity organizations which are members of the Association may be represented at any meeting of the members and may vote only as follows: (a) any director, officer or general manager duly authorized in writing may represent and cast the one vote of a corporation; (b) a trustee, steward, deacon, clerk, or pastor, duly authorized in writing may represent and cast the one vote of a church; (c) a school trustee, principal or superintendent duly authorized in writing may represent and cast the one vote of the school; (d) and any other association or organization not a legal entity may be represented by and have its one vote cast by any person duly authorized in writing who is a trustee, or manager or part owner, or any officer of such association or organization. Section 3.08. Order of Business The order of business at the annual meeting of the members and, so far as practicable at all other meetings of the members,
LINCOLN COUNTY
FRANKLIN COUNTY
ADAMS COUNTY
AMITE COUNTY
WILKINSON COUNTY
Service area
shall be essentially as follows, except as otherwise determined by any officer of the Association who is presiding at such meeting: 1. Report on the existence of a quorum. 2. Reading of the notice of the meeting and proof of the due publication or mailing thereof, or the waiver or waivers of notice of the meeting. 3. Reading, or the waiver thereof, of unapproved minutes of previous meetings of the members and the taking of necessary action thereon. 4. Presentation and consideration of reports of officers, directors, and committees. 5. (a) Receive report of Committee on Nominations. (b) Secretary to present petitions filed and posted for the nominations of directors. (c) Receive report of Credentials and Elections Committee. (d) Election of Directors. 6. Unfinished Business. 7. New Business. 8. Adjournment.
Nondiscrimination statement Southwest Mississippi Electric Power Association is an equal opportunity provider and employer. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_ filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.