Spring is o� cially a few weeks away. � is means you will be ready to shut

down the furnace, take down plastic sheeting over windows and schedule an air conditioning checkup for your home. Here at Tri-County Electric, we also have many maintenance projects that begin in spring and continue throughout the year.

Construction Season BeginsImproving the reliability of our distribution system continues to be a priority. � is construction season we plan to replace over 500 poles that have been marked in need of replacement. � is improves the reliability of our distributions system and decreases weak areas that could be prone to failure. By identifying and replacing poles that are damaged or weather worn, it directly reduces our outage numbers.

Vegetation Management Picks UpJust as our line construction and maintenance crews head into their busiest season, a number of crews from our contracted tree services and right-of-way maintenance are doing the same. Tri-County Electric has put a signi� cant investment into an aggressive right-of-way (ROW) program to reduce potential power outages and energy hazards. � is investment is reaping dividends already as our tree related outages have signi� cantly declined from prior years. Clearing ROW is critical to keeping our members’ lights on.

Storm Season ApproachesWhile your Cooperative is investing in reliability and system improvements, some power outages are inevitable, especially as storm season approaches. If you experience

a power outage this summer, or anytime, be sure to report your outage by calling the Cooperative directly. While our outage management systems utilize advanced technology, contacting the Cooperative is still the most e� ective and e� cient way to report an outage. When contacting us, please provide updated contact information. Having accurate information enables us to improve customer service and enhance communications for reporting and repairing outages. I am grateful for a committed team of employees who work alongside me to make sure you have safe and reliable power delivered to your homes and businesses. When outages do occur, I assure you that we are committed to restoring power as quickly and safely as possible.

Update Your Contact InformationHere at Tri-County Electric we rely on data for nearly every aspect of our operations, which is why we need your help. By making sure we have your most accurate and complete contact information, we can continue to provide the high level of service you expect and deserve. While we always do our best to maintain service, we occasionally need to plan an outage in advance to update, repair or replace equipment. In these instances, we can provide advance noti� cation to a� ected members through automated phone messages. In order for these systems to work as intended, it’s imperative we have your updated contact information. Please take a moment to con� rm or update your contact information by calling us at 1-660-457-3733. By doing so, you will help us improve service and e� ciency so we can better serve you.

Move Over For CrewsFinally, I just wanted to remind everyone to exercise caution driving around road construction crews and utility line crews this summer. Reduced speeds and moving over to the far lane not only improves safety, in Missouri, it’s the law.

We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to keep our distribution system in top shape. As springtime approaches I hope you and your family are able to spend some quality time together as we all look for better days ahead, making memories with family and friends.

Michael ScheibCEO/General Manager

In an e� ort to help our members conveniently pay their bill, we’d like to tell you about our upcoming ACH give-a-way. Any member that signs up for ACH in the months of Janu-

ary, February or March, 2021, will receive a $10 energy certi� cate!

If you are a member that is already signed up for ACH, your name will automatically be entered into a $50 energy certi� cate drawing; which will be on Facebook Live on April 1st!

Date: June 24, 2021Location: Tri-County Electric Cooperative HeadquartersTime: Registration - 4:30pm | Meeting - 6:00pm

Nominating Petition Information: Petitions will be available for pick up at the Tri-County o� ce headquarters on March 26, 2021, at 8:00 a.m. Petitions are due back at the Tri-County o� ce headquarters April 26, 2021, at 4:30 p.m. Any questions should be directed to Amy Farris, Manager of Administration and HR.

Districts Up for Election: District 1, Northern Schuyler County (one term expiring) and, District 2, Southern Schuyler County (one term expiring) and, District 4, Western Scotland County (one term expiring). No terms expiring in Adair County.

Directors Up for Re-Election: District 1, Northern Schuyler County: Joseph Sebolt of Lancaster; District 2, Southern Schuyler County: Karen Farnsworth of Downing; District 4, Western Scotland County: Rusty Anders of Downing. 

How to Vote: Tri-County Electric Cooperative has partnered with Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS) to administer the election. Members can vote three di� erent ways: online, by mail or at the Annual Meeting.Online: You can vote online two di� erent ways. First option is to follow the

instructions on your ballot to the link listed. Secondly, if you have provided the cooperative with an active email account you will have received an email from the sender: noreply@directvote.net linking you to the election website. Please check your spam if it does not appear in your inbox. 

At the Annual Meeting: Lastly, you can vote at the Annual Meeting. Boxes will be placed around the event for you place your ballot in. Please vote prior to the start of the meeting to ensure your vote is counted. 

If you have any questions about our Annual Meeting or about our vot-ing process, please call the cooperative at 660-457-3733. We hope to see you at our 82nd Annual Meeting of Members! 

SECTION 1. GENERAL POWERS. � e business and a� airs of the Cooper-ative shall be managed by a board of nine directors which shall exercise all of the powers of the Cooperative except such as are by law, the articles of conversion or these bylaws conferred or reserved to the members.

SECTION 2. ELECTION AND TENURE OF OFFICE. At each Annual Meeting there shall be three (3) directors elected. � e territory in which the Cooperative supplies electrical energy to its members shall be divided into geographical districts for the purpose of equitably distributing the Cooperative’s directors over the district in which its members reside. � e Board shall consist of one board member from each district as follows:District No. 1. District Number One shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Schuyler in the State of Missouri north of Highway 136.District No. 2. District Number Two shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Schuyler in the State of Missouri south of Highway 136.District No. 3. District Number � ree shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Scotland in the State of Missouri east of Highway 15.District No. 4. District Number Four shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Scotland in the State of Missouri west of Highway 15.District No. 5. District Number Five shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Scotland in the State of Missouri.District No. 6. District Number Six shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Putnam in the State of Missouri.District No. 7. District Number Seven shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Adair in the State of Missouri east of Highway 63.District No. 8. District Number Eight shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Adair in the State of Missouri west of Highway 63.District No. 9. District Number Nine shall consist of all that part of the Cooperative’s territory lying within the County of Adair in the State of Missouri. 

Directors shall be elected to serve until the third succeeding annual election of the members therea� er or until their successors shall have been elected and shall have quali� ed. Directors shall be elected by a plurality of the membership voting by mail, absentee or electronic ballot or in person at a membership meeting.

SECTION 3. QUALIFICATIONS. No person shall be eligible to become or remain a director or to hold any position of trust in the Cooperative who:a) Is not a member and bona � de resident in the area served or to be served by the Cooperative;b) Is in any way employed by or � nancially interested in a competing en-terprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the Cooperative, or a business primarily engaged in selling electrical or plumbing appliance, � xtures or supplies to the members of the Cooperative;c) Is the incumbent or candidate for an elective public o� ce in connection with which a salary or compensation in excess of one hundred dollars per annum is paid;d) Is currently employed or during the � ve (5) years prior to becoming a director, have been an employee or a close relative, as de� ned in Section 7 below, of a full-time Tri-County Electric Cooperative employee or director. 

Upon establishment of the fact that a director is holding o� ce in violation of any of the foregoing provisions, the Board of Directors shall remove such director from o� ce. Nothing contained in this section shall a� ect in any manner whatsoever the validity of any action taken at any meeting of the Board of Directors.

SECTION 4. NOMINATIONS. Any � � een (15) or more members acting together may make director nominations by petition not more than ninety (90) days and not less than sixty (60) days prior to the meeting and the Secretary shall post such nominations at the principal o� ce of the Cooper-ative. � e Secretary shall be responsible for the mailing with the notice of the meeting or separately, but at least ten days (10) days before the date of the meeting, a statement of the number of directors to be elected and the names and addresses of the candidates. No member shall sign more than one (1) nominating petition for a candidate seeking election from the same district. � e names of incumbents shall be listed � rst on the o� cial ballot. � e remaining nominees shall be listed on the o� cial ballot in the order of the receipt of the nominating petition.

Nathan Norton is our spotlight employee this month. He is originally from Rose Hill, IA. He graduated high school from Oskaloosa, IA in 1998. He received his AAS in Information Tech-nology Network Administration in 2005 and graduated with Honors. He furthered his advanced technology education at Upper Iowa University in Des Moines, IA. A� er college, he began working at MPA, an IT managed services provider, in Bloom� eld, IA. He began his career with Tri-County Electric Cooperative as a high-level IT shared service with 2 other neighboring cooperatives in our area in 2017. Some of his job duties

include managing multiple networks, � rewall con� guration, server maintenance, disaster re-covery and PCI compliance. Nathan enjoys living on a small farm in rural Bloom� eld, IA. When he is not working, he enjoys mechanical repair,

researching advanced technologies, and work-ing outdoors. He also enjoys spending time with family and friends. If you see Nathan in the o� ce, be sure to say hello.

December 2020 Board ReportAt the December meeting of the Board of Directors’ of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, the board reviewed the following items:• � e board reviewed and approved the proposed agenda.• � e board reviewed and approved the following board meeting minutes Regular Board Meeting (11/23/2020).• � e board reviewed and approved new memberships.• � e board reviewed and approved the estate payouts.• � e board reviewed and amended board policies (E-013, Use of Cooperative Equipment and Tools).• � e board received the following reports from sta� : safety, CEO/General Manager, operations and o� ce, and member services

and communications.• � e board reviewed � nancials and expenditures in detail.• � e board heard reports from NEP and AMEC.• � e next board meeting has been set for January 25, 2020.

Vance Frederick March 8Michael Scheib March 21Dalton Smith March 26

Katelyn Brawner March 2 6 years

Youth Tour Experience

Board of Directors:President - Mark Van DolahVice President - Kenny McNamarSecretary - Kelley ChurchTreasurer - Bill TriplettRusty AndersDoug AylwardHarley HarrelsonJoe SeboltKaren Farnsworth

CEO/General ManagerMichael Scheib

EditorAlicia Doran & Amy Farris

To Report an Outage:Before calling, check your breakers or fuses. Check to see if your neighbors have power.

When calling be sure to have the following:*Your name*Member number*Location*Which account (if you have multiple accounts)

Our Offi ce will be Closed:

Offi ce Information:16894 US Hwy 63PO Box 159Lancaster, MO 63548

Local: (660) 457-3733Toll Free: (888) 457-3734

Visit Us at:facebook.com/tcecmissouri@TCEC_MOtricountyelectric.org

Tri-County Fee Schedule:Late Payment Fee $10.00Meter Test Fee $50.00Returned Check Fee $30.00

Trip Fee for Member’s Side Outage:Offi ce Hours $60.00After Hours $225.00

Reconnect Fee:Offi ce Hours $60.00w/in 12 months $185.00After Hours $120.00

Convenient Payment Options:Automatic Draft Levelized BillingOnline Automatic Payment24-Hour Pay by Phone (Debit/Credit Card, E-Check)

®For over 50 years, teens from across rural America have

been visiting Washington, D.C. for the “trip of a lifetime,” courtesy of their local electric cooperative. Over the years, these delegates have toured some of the � nest museums in the world and visited America’s most historic monuments. � ey have met with their elected o� cials and explored Capitol Hill. In 2020, due to COVID-19, the traditional Youth Tour trip was canceled. In typical 2020 fashion, the trip turned virtual and the delegates from Missouri were able to connect, learn and network via Zoom.

In 2021, the trip is taking a di� erent turn. Delegates from each sponsoring cooperative will participate in the Youth Tour Experience, spending two days at their local electric cooperative and one at the district transmission cooperative. � e delegates from across the state will still join together and conference in with the rest of the Missouri delegates from the comfort of their local co-op. While this event will not look exactly like the traditional Youth Tour, the Youth Tour Experience, or “YT2k21”, will still include much of the learning, networking and fun that the normal Tour provides to students.

High school juniors whose parents or grandparents are members of Tri-County Electric can apply now for the “YT2k21” Youth Tour Experience. In addition, the winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship to further their education. Essay winners are required to participate in the full Youth Tour Experience from June 16-18, 2021, in order to qualify for the scholarship. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2021