2025 Bylaw Revisions

Members To Vote on Proposed Changes

The Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees has proposed several changes to the cooperative’s bylaws in 2025, and the Annual Meeting packet sent to members will include a booklet on proposed bylaw revisions. The changes fall into three categories: membership, modernization of communication, and trustee eligibility. Here is a summary of proposed changes:

Article I, Membership

Section 1, Requirements of Membership

Removes language that memberships are to be approved by the Board of Trustees or the members. It clarifies that members cannot hold more than one membership, that memberships are not transferable, and can be reviewed and revoked by the Board of Trustees.

Also clears up the time frame of meetings regarding membership applications that have not been accepted or have been rejected by the Board of Trustees.

Article III, Meetings of Members

Section 3, Notice of Members’ Meetings

While meeting notices are already allowed by electronic delivery, this change specifies that notices for meetings can be made by email and text.

Section 5, Voting & Section 6, Mail Voting

Retitles Section 5 to “Number of Votes Per Member,” which is addressed in this section. Then, Section 6 will be retitled to “Voting” rather than “Mail Voting.” Proposed changes in Section 6 specify that voting may be done by mail or electronically.

Article IV, Trustees

Section 1, General Powers

When a meeting to elect trustees is held, the Board of Trustees reviews those specific districts for any inequalities in representation that need to be corrected. This review currently takes place no less than 60 days before the meeting. The proposed change extends that to no less than 90 days.

Section 2, Qualifications and Tenure

Specifies that only an individual person can serve as a trustee and that no business, firm, association, corporation, political organization, or church can qualify.

Article V, Meeting of Trustees

Section 1, Regular Meetings

Adds language to allow for regular meetings of the Board of Trustees to be held by telephone or videoconference in addition to being held in person.

Section 3, Notice to Trustees’ Meetings

Adds language allowing for trustees to be notified of special meetings no less than two days prior, “either personally or by mail, email, text, or other method approved by the Trustees.” Currently, trustees are to be notified in writing no less than five days prior.

Section 5, Board Action by Written Consent

This new section details when the Board of Trustees may act without gathering for a board meeting.

Under the proposal, the board can act by written consent in lieu of a meeting as long as the action is taken by all trustees and the written consent describes the action taken, is signed by each trustee, delivered to the cooperative, and included in the board meeting minutes.

Unless specified, actions taken by written consent are effective once the last trustee signs the Trustee Written Consent. The written consent has the same effect as a board meeting vote and action.