York Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Elections

We’re in great shape

We had a record number of 4,375 registered members at this year’s annual meeting. Thank you for coming to support your co-op, exercise the value of your membership by voting on your board of directors and bylaws and for helping us celebrate our 80th year. The bylaw amendments passed, and you elected the following candidates to serve on your board of trustees:

District 1: Tom Settlemyre
District 2: E. Jack Cornwell
District 3: Richard M. Roach
District 4: Scott Good
District 5: Carolyn Hicks Boyd
District 8: Tommie Bratton

The amended bylaws can be found online here, along with the new trustee district map.

Here at YEC, we have locals looking out for you. We are committed to providing our members with reliable, safe and affordable energy. Over the past 10 years, we have not increased electric rates and, in 2021, your board of trustees voted to decrease rates. We do not expect an increase for the next two years.

This year marked a record low number of power outages. Part of this record success in reliability is because we now have over half of our distribution lines underground. We also just energized the new Aycock School Substation, which should greatly improve reliability for our members in Bullock Creek, McConnells and southern York County.

As we have previously discussed, we will be partnering with Comporium to offer high-speed internet to more than 5,000 members in western York County and parts of Cherokee County. We have built three miles of fiber so far and will continue working to bring this necessary service to those who are unserved in our territory. Please look for more information in the coming months about how you can sign up.

Together, we will continue working for you to keep rates down, rebate checks large, electric service reliability excellent and quality of life high for our members. Your cooperative is in great shape.

Paul Basha

Sincerely,

Signature

 

 

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

PayGoTry PayGo

For the low cost of $1.50, you can take your statement into several local stores, including 7-Eleven, Dollar General, CVS, Walgreens, Family Dollar or any location displaying the corresponding green ice cream cone logo, to make a payment. Your payment will post immediately to your YEC account. Try our new PayGo feature today!

Learn more about our other payment options here

YEC members will no longer be able to pay at the remote pay station in Comporium’s office on Cherry Road after June 30, 2021.

Members to decide on single member district voting

The South Carolina General Assembly has passed a new law requiring cooperative members to consider single-member voting districts. Members will decide in a referendum at York Electric’s Annual Meeting.

Important Update: 
The York Electric Cooperative Board of Directors voted to suspend the 79th Annual Meeting because of the coronavirus pandemic. Voting on the proposed bylaw changes and single-member district voting will take place at a later date.   

YEC Members to decide on single member district voting

Explanation

York Electric Cooperative is divided into nine (9) districts, and each district is represented by one Trustee on the board. This structure ensures that our entire service territory is represented. Currently, you can vote in every district election, regardless of where you live. However, if the Cooperative adopts single-member voting districts, you would only be allowed to vote for a board candidate who lives in the district where you live. That election would occur every third year.

Question

Would you like to continue to be able to vote every year for every seat on the Board up for election?

____ YES: “I want the opportunity to keep voting for every seat on the Board every year.”

____ NO: “I only want the authority to vote for candidates in my own district every third year.”

Proposed bylaw changes for York Electric

York Electric Cooperative encourages members to review the proposed bylaw changes that will be voted on at the Annual Meeting of Members. The full document showing these material changes, along with some additional typographical corrections, is available for download here.

 

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[PDF] 2020 Proposed bylaw changes

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Quality time with our members

Paul Basha, President & CEO
Paul Basha, President & CEO

We registered 3,208 members in attendance at our 76th Annual Meeting May 13. Thanks to everyone who took the time to attend. The questions and comments folks had while I visited with them show how engaged our members are in their co-op. It’s always a pleasure to spend quality time with you!

In case you couldn’t be there, let me recap a few of the highlights.

  • I had the pleasure to introduce and congratulate our 2017 Washington Youth Tour delegates. This month, Erica Daly from Fort Mill High School and Jae Alexandra LeBrec from Clover High School will join more than 1,700 of America’s best and brightest students for a week in our nation’s capital. We are proud of their accomplishments and know they will represent us well.

 

  • I also congratulated our employees for winning a statewide safety contest again. They have won it eight out of the last 15 years. I appreciate their work and dedication.

 

  • I reported YEC returned $1.3 million, the largest amount of capital credits in our history, to our members in May. And, our service reliability improved even more in 2016.

 

  • I announced that a comprehensive feasibility study is near completion, and your Board of Trustees will consider testing a pilot project which will offer high-speed internet to rural parts of our service area; a decision will be announced soon. And, due to your increased interest in Community Solar, YEC will construct another Community Solar farm, possibly near Northwestern High School. Look for updates on these projects in future issues of your South Carolina Living magazine.

 

  • We introduced our new Beat the Peak program, a free and voluntary effort to help control energy costs for all cooperative members. If you haven’t signed up yet, we encourage you to visit EnergySmartSC.org and do so today.

Thanks again to those who attended. If you couldn’t be there, we hope to see you next May.

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

Election results

Members re-elected three of their peers to York Electric’s Board of Trustees during the 76th Annual Meeting on May 13. Max T. Settlemyre (District 1), E. Jack Cornwell (District 2) and Carolyn Hicks Boyd (District 5) were elected by acclamation. These Board members will serve three-year terms, which began in May.

Left to right: Max T. Settlemyre, District 1; E. Jack Cornwell, District 2; Carolyn Hicks Boyd, District 5
Related Topics:
2017 Annual Meeting Photos 
Washington Youth Tour
Community Solar 
Beat the Peak
EnergySmartSC.org

An Annual Meeting to remember

Paul Basha, YEC President and Chief Executive Officer
Paul Basha, President and Chief Executive Officer

Celebrating 75 years of quality service and commitment.

This year’s annual meeting was very special as we celebrated the 75th Anniversary of York Electric Cooperative on Saturday, May 14. We had a record number of members register, 3,308 to be exact, and if you were among the estimated 10,000 folks in attendance, thank you for making it the great occasion that it was.

Members are always our guests of honor, but we were also pleased to welcome local dignitaries, including Congressman Mick Mulvaney, who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, state Senator Wes Hayes (District 15), who read a resolution approved by the General Assembly which commended your cooperative on reaching its milestone. State Representatives Raye Felder (District 26) who introduced the resolution to the General Assembly and Tommy Pope (District 47), who was featured in our 75th Anniversary video, also took part in the festivities. You can already see why I came away from the meeting with the best feeling!

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YEC CEO Paul Basha with state Sen. Wes Hayes (right).
I was honored to accept a legislative resolution commending YEC on its 75th anniversary from state Sen. Wes Hayes (right). Photo: Walter Allread

There were so many wonderful moments. Here are just a few:

  • A video recounting your cooperative’s history premiered and received a warm reception. If you weren’t able to attend, the video can be viewed here.
  • I thanked those who helped us have a successful High Voltage Heroes initiative, which celebrated 75 years of giving back to the community we serve. Seventy-five individuals who embody the spirit of the cooperative were selected. I was proud to recognize them during the meeting. Visit this page for more about them.
  • This year has been a great year for capital credits. In May, YEC returned $1.2 million, the largest amount in our history, to members.
  • I congratulated our employees for winning a statewide safety contest again. They have won it seven out of the last 14 years. I appreciate their dedication and hard work.
  • I was delighted to share the news that YEC is shining the light for solar energy use by offering our members the opportunity to subscribe to a community solar farm. We are also studying the feasibility of offering high-speed internet to rural parts of our service area. And, our electric rates have slightly decreased this year.
YEC Trustees: (from left) Richard B. Sadler (District 9); Marion Comer (District 7) and William Roy "Will" Mitchell (District 6).
Congratulations to three directors elected to serve three-year terms on your Board of Trustees: (from left) Richard B. Sadler (District 9); Marion Comer (District 7), both incumbents re-elected by acclamation, and William Roy “Will” Mitchell, who won the election for District 6. Photo: Joyce Baker

 

There have been many changes since the creation of YEC in 1941, but one thing that has not changed is our commitment to serve in the best interests of our membership and our community. Once again, thank you for your continued trust and confidence in us. By maintaining our commitment to integrity, accountability, innovation and community commitment, YEC is positioned well to serve you in the years to come.

We are always looking out for you!

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

Related Topics:
75th Anniversary Video 
High Voltage Heroes 
Capital Credits 
Community Solar Farm 

Quality time with 2,967 special guests

Jane Barrett Burrell & Paul BashaOur members are always the guests of honor at any Annual Meeting, and we really appreciate the 2,967 who were registered in attendance at this year’s event May 9. Along with hundreds of other guests, they made it a special day indeed.

We took time to recognize a dear member who was sorely missed—the late Charles R. (Dick) Burrell, who served on York Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees from 1998 until his untimely passing earlier this year. I was pleased to present his widow, Jane Barrett Burrell, with a framed board resolution (above) in appreciation of his service to his fellow YEC members, including almost four years as our chairman. We were pleased that many of Mr. Dick’s family members also could be present.

Melvin B. McKeownAnother special recognition was made for the co-op’s attorney, Melvin B. McKeown, who has given York Electric Cooperative an incredible 50 years of service. Mr. Melvin jokes that he started practicing law when he was 10 years old, but, on a serious note, I know that we could not have asked for wiser counsel. We’re going to miss him, but Mr. Melvin (left) promises we can call him back any time we need him.

 

YEC Directors Richard M. Roach, Tommie Bratton and Paul D. Poston.
Members re-elected three incumbents to their Board of Trustees at the meeting. Directors (from left) Richard M. Roach (District 3), Tommie Bratton (District 8) and Paul D. Poston (District 4) were all unopposed. Photo: Walter Allread

 

Finally, two points I made in my report with unreserved pleasure are worth repeating here: I thanked our employees for best-in-the-nation customer service rating and our board for helping us hold YEC’s electric rates down: Ours remain the lowest rates of any co-op in the state. We’ll continue to protect your pocketbook in 2015 and beyond.

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We hope to see you next spring at our 75th Annual Meeting—if not sooner!

 

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer