Looking out for you...

Looking out for you...

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York Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Events

Celebrating 80 years of service

Service with a smile at your co-op. Whether we are discussing the work we do to provide electricity to your home or the help we aim to provide others, we give it 100%. We try to do the right things for the right reasons, to improve constantly and to be the light, both in your kitchen and in the community. We want our service to go beyond reliable, affordable and safe energy in your home. We strive to make a difference, lead with courage, integrity and honesty and be a neighbor you can count on.

We’ve been your friend for 80 years, working for you to continue making your life better and easier. In 1941, that meant bringing electricity into local, rural homes and farms. Today, that means providing innovative member-driven programs to help keep rates low and more money in your pocket, increasing reliability of our system through technology and, most recently, working to deliver high speed internet access to approximately 5,000 members who are unserved in Western York and parts of Cherokee counties.

Despite the virus, we’ve continued to work hard for you, aiming to deliver the exceptional service you expect and deserve as members of YEC. We invite you to join us in celebrating our 80th year at our first complete drive-thru annual meeting on Friday, May 7, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 8, from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Although it is still unsafe for us to gather and enjoy the food and entertainment historically found at our annual meeting, our new experience will keep folks safe and be even more convenient for you. Members who attend the annual meeting will receive a $20 power bill credit, a pack of two LED light bulbs and will be entered to win door prizes and one of three grand prizes: a pickup truck and two $500 power bill credits! We also will have an important election this year where members who provide proper identification will be eligible to vote on bylaw amendments and board members. Please find the candidates for election on the next page and reference either last month’s magazine for the proposed bylaw amendments or download them online at yorkelectric.net.

We look forward to serving you May 7 and 8 and continuing to be at your service, improving your quality of life for years to come. See you next month.

Paul Basha

Sincerely,

Signature

 

 

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

2021 YEC Annual Meeting registration card sampleImportant mail will arrive at your house in a few days!

Bring your registration card and valid photo ID when you attend our drive-thru annual meeting May 7, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m., or May 8, from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. This card and your ID are required to vote, receive your registration gift and be entered into our prize drawings. We’ll see you then!

A commitment to our members

Keeping a promise for 80 years seems like a long time, but I can assure you that York Electric Cooperative has always and will always look out for you. I hope we continue to prove that we are not just an electric company, but something impactful and promising in your life. As an electric cooperative, we are committed to living the cooperative difference, improving the quality of life in the communities we serve and providing affordable, reliable and safe electricity. More than that, YEC’s employees always have been local folks who take pride in what they do, and in serving others. Just like your co-op, they are ready to answer the call to work hard for you.

“Looking out for you” is something we say a lot. To exemplify this, we do our best to listen so we can better serve our members. You can call us anytime and we’ll have someone in our office answering by the second ring, ready to help. We heard about the need for internet in many of the rural areas of our service territory, so we’re teaming up to deliver this service to those who have been unserved. We sympathize with those who have been affected by COVID-19, from job loss to changes in daily life. Know we are here to help. We continue to support growth and economic development, bringing industry and quality jobs to our area. Not only does this increase our tax base and help keep your electric rates low, but it provides more opportunities for you, our neighbors.

Although these aren’t new ideas, they have helped YEC represent our promise in your life. With new energy technologies, we continue to adopt new programs to serve our diverse membership. From incentivizing you to save energy through programs like our smart thermostat program and our special electric vehicle rate, to helping you shop for solar, we’re here for you.

YEC's 1968 Annual Meeting
John Skinner, Mabelle Beamguard, Pat Mellon and Mary Traylor register members at YEC’s 1968 annual meeting.

As we approach our first completely drive-thru Annual Meeting set for Friday, May 7 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 8 from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m., we also want to showcase our proposed bylaw amendments. Our management team and board feel these changes better serve you and protect your rights as members. Join us for our drive-thru registration and voting at this year’s Annual Meeting to cast your ballot on the information presented in the March edition of South Carolina Living magazine, which can also be found here online. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we’d like to end with an invitation to enjoy several iconic co-op moments where our promise was brought to life.

Paul Basha

Sincerely,

Signature

 

 

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

More news, proposed YEC district map, bylaw updates

Minnie Buice smiling and patting Bill Chambers on the shoulder
Bill Chambers presents a prize to Minnie Buice, the oldest member attending YEC’s annual meeting.

Be sure to read pages 16A–16H in this month’s South Carolina Living magazine. On Page 16A, we share some recent accomplishments we’re celebrating and announce our annual coloring and design contests for kids. On Page 16B, you can review the proposed York single-member voting district map. YEC is recommending going from nine voting districts to three larger voting districts. Beginning on Page 16C, we encourage you to review the proposed bylaw updates that will be voted on at the Annual Meeting of Members.

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[PDF] 2021 Proposed Bylaw Revisions

457 KB 193 downloads

Help YEC celebrate 80 years!

Save the date for Saturday, May 8, 2021, to help your co-op celebrate 80 years of providing affordable, safe reliable service for you—our valuable members! Look for more information about our Annual Meeting in upcoming issues of South Carolina Living.

2019 Financial Statement

Financial health is important at YEC. Download our 2019 audited financial statement or contact our member services department at (803) 684-4248.

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[PDF] 2019 Financial Report

1 MB 57 downloads

 

Bylaw excerpt–Article IV Trustees, Section 4.06 Nominations

Not less than ninety (90) days prior to the meeting, nominations may be made by twenty-five (25) or more Members of the Cooperative in writing over their signatures on an explicit petition document listing their nominee(s) in like manner. This document must be obtained from the Cooperative no more than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to the Annual Meeting and must be specific to each Trustee District. In addition to the required petition, candidates must attend a Board-developed educational program on Cooperative history, operations and governance not less than sixty (60) days prior to the next Annual Meeting, or have a minimum of three (3) years of service as an electric cooperative Trustee. The educational requirement will be offered at the Cooperative on two (2) specified dates prior to the Annual Meeting. The Secretary shall mail to the Members with the notice of the meeting, or separately, but at least thirty (30) days, but not more than forty-five (45) days prior to the date of the meeting, a complete statement of the names and addresses of all nominees for each Trustee District from or with respect to which one (1)or more Trustees must be elected, showing clearly those who have completed the educational requirement and those who have completed a minimum of three (3) years of service as an electric cooperative Trustee. The Secretary shall post in like manner such nominations at the Cooperative offices at least forty-five (45) days prior to the next Annual Meeting.

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[PDF] YEC Bylaws

340 KB 729 downloads

 

Statement of Nondiscrimination

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 here 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. . This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

You’re the MVP

For nearly ten years, York Electric has been able to keep rates flat for members. We’ve worked hard to invest wisely in the future of your cooperative, maintaining financial stability so that outside factors don’t impact your monthly rates. We consider this success a joint effort because you’ve also played an integral role in keeping power affordable with programs like Beat The Peak.

Since we started Beat The Peak in 2018, South Carolina cooperative members have collectively helped their co-ops save $618,195 in power costs. This effort not only helps reduce the need to build additional power generation facilities, but also helps maintain low rates. When electricity’s demand is the highest, or when the most people are using the most power, generation of electricity costs more. Think about driving your car. Putting your car in motion from a stoplight or going uphill requires more power from your engine, which uses more gas. Helping your co-op offset the predicted peak times is like coasting downhill, increasing your miles per gallon and saving your co-op money. Just by simply receiving an alert when YEC predicts a peak in demand to occur and offsetting your power use by adjusting your thermostat or waiting to do household chores really makes a difference.

Choose When You Use Electricity


 
To date, York Electric has 6,535 members signed up for Beat The Peak alerts, resulting in an overall savings of $105,325 just for our co-op. The more members who are consciously shifting their electric use, the more impact we can have on keeping power costs low. Similarly, we have 292 members participating in our new smart thermostat program. As an addition to the Beat The Peak program, members who sign up and install an ecobee smart thermostat will automatically have their thermostat adjusted to accommodate for predicted peak energy use times. The best part is, we automatically pre-cool your house in the summer and pre-warm your house in the winter so that you don’t feel any discomfort.

With the help of technology, we’re looking out for you and keeping your bottom line a priority. Sign up for peak alerts at BeatthePeak.com and purchase a smart thermostat from YEC here. Together, we can be the winning team. Thanks for being the most valuable players and holding down power costs.

Sincerely,

Paul Basha, CEO, York Electric Cooperative

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

York Electric Cooperative cancels Annual Meeting

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the York Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and management team has decided to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting of Members. Please save the date for our 2021 Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 8.

To continue prioritizing the health and safety of our members and employees, York Electric Cooperative also will not host the following community events:

  • Member Appreciation Shred Day
  • Member Advisory Committee Meeting

Additionally, we will modify our annual Veterans Day Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Look for details regarding this event in the November/December edition of South Carolina Living magazine.

Doing well by doing good

Although our board of directors deemed it unsafe to host our annual meeting this month, I still have positive updates to share. As we continue monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, we will communicate plans for our annual meeting to all of you, including voting on your trustees, bylaw amendments and single-member districts. For now, I bring you the good news in print until it is safe to be together in person.

Asplundh tree crews
Asplundh tree crews continue to maintain right of way across YEC’s territory. Keeping trees and brush clear from the line not only improves your reliability, but it also helps crews reach equipment during an outage for quick repairs. ERIN POWELL

Your co-op is in great shape

We were able to retire the largest amount of capital credits at one time in our history to you in April 2020. Members received refunds totaling $2 million and, hopefully, this money came at a time when extra cash was needed most. The co-ops of South Carolina are working together to make sure the Santee Cooper deal is the best it can be for our members. We will not have a rate increase in 2020, and we do not plan to see one within the next two years.

New services provide benefits

As promised, we have continued working to find a way to bring high-speed internet to the unserved and underserved areas of our territory. We know this is key to keeping everyone connected to the world, and we want to do our part to help. We’ve also rolled out new energy services programs, offering technology at a lower cost for you. Learn more about the benefits of our whole house generator program and ecobee smart thermostat programs. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we are always looking out for you and researching new ways to enrich our communities and improve the quality of life in our area. Because of you, we have been able to give $3 million back to help those in need through our Operation Round Up program. We have also continued to be a vital part of economic development efforts in our area so that our members have more job opportunities.

YEC's CEO, Paul Basha
Paul Basha

I say all of this with gratitude for our membership, our communities and our employees. Local men and women here at YEC care about you and your families. Their dedication and determination to serve you is why we were able to respond to 99.75% of outages in 2019 within an hour of the first report, no matter the weather conditions or time of day.

These are just a few ways YEC continues to prove that we have your back and will always set the bar high to deliver reliable, affordable electricity to you. Thank you for another great year!

Sincerely,

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

We’re suspending your annual meeting

A hearty handshake. A slap on the shoulder. Maybe even a warm hug. You don’t usually associate these types of behaviors with a business meeting. That is, unless you’re talking about York Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting. It’s what makes us different bringing members, employees, trustees and our community together to engage with one another and participate in the business of their cooperative. Having such an event has always been an important part of serving you and thanking you for your membership.

YEC Staff at Annual Meeting
When it comes to Annual Meetings, the YEC team is one well-rehearsed ensemble. Porter Gable

Unfortunately, right now, the very things that make our annual meeting so special create an even greater risk to the communities we serve. York Electric’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Members is suspended to prevent further spreading of the coronavirus.

Although unprecedented, this decision by your board of trustees is consistent with York Electric always putting safety first. The trustee election, bylaw changes and cooperative business that needed to be done on May 9, 2020 can be accomplished at a time when it’s safer for us to be together again.

As you may know, these annual meetings are part of cooperatives’ DNA and are required to happen as written into our bylaws. But a pandemic has no use for bylaws. Statutes and regulations don’t make sense if following them is harmful for the people those rules are meant to protect. For example, YEC has limited personal contact with members, suspended account disconnections, increased social distancing for meetings, and increased employee communications detailing the signs of COVID-19 and guidelines to help prevent spreading germs in the office.

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[PDF] 2020 Proposed bylaw changes

5 MB 66 downloads

 

Although it has not been necessary yet, York Electric may adjust its office hours or even temporarily close. We strongly encourage you to visit this webpage, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or just simply call our member services team at (803) 684-4248 to receive the latest information on how our services have changed.

In the meantime, we’re doing everything we can to prevent the spread of the virus. Our offices are routinely cleaned and disinfected. Our employees, especially those who interact with the public, adhere to strict personal hygiene guidelines and have been instructed to stay home if they are feverish or do not feel well.

As you practice social distancing or self-isolation, let me remind you of our remote account management services. With YEC’s Member Portal, you can pay your bill, create a payment arrangement, request service orders, or report an outage on your desktop computer or using our mobile app. Our free YEC Mobile App also provides these services, along with our opt-in texting at 352667. If you haven’t already, now is a good time to take advantage of them. Please call us if you need assistance.

YEC's CEO, Paul BashaYEC is always looking out for you, so I remind you all to stay in safe spaces, practice healthy habits and stay informed. We want to help you and our community stay well.

Sincerely,

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer