♦ 2017-2018 Member Voices (MV) worked with PVEC staff to draft a notification and opt-out policy for herbicide spraying, including special notification to beekeepers.
♦ Spring 2018 Based on MV recommendations, PVEC improved its website to provide more information to members, such as a district map and contact information for our board representatives.
♦ Summer 2018 MV submits draft Open Meetings Amendment to Board of Directors, Board responds by opening Board meetings to member-owners. Now any member of the co-op can sit in on the meetings and see changes to co-op policy that may be taking place. Members must still submit an application to speak; nevertheless, this opportunity to get information straight from the source is critical!
♦ Autumn 2018 Three member-owners run for seats on the Board of directors thus increasing participation and turnout at our annual meeting. MV members went door to door in several areas to invite co-op members to come to the Annual Meeting and to vote for the three candidates. Voting members doubled from 528 voters in 2017 to 1,254 voters in 2018.
♦ 2018-present MV hosts community-based meetings (Electric co-op 101, Speaker Series, Community Forums and a Webinar) in the PVEC service area.
MV members attend monthly Board meetings. Although minutes of the meetings are not made available to members, PVEC Member Voices keeps notes that are available to members.
MV members held tabling events at Claiborne County Fair, Lee County Fair, Duffield Daze and several events in Sneedville.
♦ Autumn 2018 MV introduced a bylaw amendment at Annual Meeting to open board meetings to members, provide notification of meetings, provide access to meeting minutes and allow video recording. When Member Voices presented the Open Meetings bylaws amendment at the annual meeting in September 2019, there was major confusion and lack of respect for member-owners. Promises made by the board (for discussion and presence of a parliamentarian) were broken. The board created a new policy on the spot that contradicted their stated (unwritten) policy for the process. As a result Member Voices submitted several written options to the board for a bylaws amendment procedure. To our knowledge, no action has been taken to create a written policy.
♦ Summer 2020 Member Voices sent a survey and response postcard to more than 700 member-owners to determine what issues are important to them in relation to our cooperative. The mailing was sponsored, in part, by a grant from the Unitarian Universalist Fund for a Just Society. See the results.
♦ Fall 2020 Member Voices approached PVEC staff to assist in efforts to promote PVEC Fiber, PVEC’s internet service. PVEC members set up a booth at the 12 mile yard sale in Clinch Valley and drove up and down the valley stopping at homes distributing information about PVEC Fiber and answering questions about broadband.
Member Voices held a Community Forum in Sharps Chapel to present information about high speed internet, available from PVEC Fiber. A PVEC staff person and one staff person from Scott Telephone Cooperative attended and responded to attendee’s questions. The meeting was well attended. This was a major success in terms of working together with PVEC staff.
♦ January 2021 A Member Voices member met with PVEC CEO and staff to discuss the extremely high rates being charged to members who want to install solar power in their homes. Hopefully PVEC will lower its rates for initial hookup and monthly meter charges for those installing solar power.
Get involved in our work by joining PVEC Member Voices!