NEC has one director per district. The directors serve for a three-year term and ALL NEC directors are elected by ALL NEC members.
Director Election Process
NEC prides itself on its director elections. The election process
reflects one of the Seven Cooperative Principles - democratic member
control: one member, one vote. Nueces Electric Cooperative is
member-owned and is governed by a ten (10) person, member-elected board
of directors. These directors represent the ten member directorate
districts of the cooperative. A portion of the co-op directorships stand
for election each year - usually three districts. The board of
directors determines the method for voting in the director election. For
many years, the method of voting has been an in-person or proxy voting
process which takes place in conjunction with the annual membership
meeting. Relevant information about this meeting and the annual report
appear in the Texas Co-op Power magazine. It is up to you, the members,
to elect the directors best qualified to run your cooperative. There is
no term limit for an NEC director but he/she must complete the
nomination process every three years and be re-elected by the members.
Nominating Process
NEC's director nomination process begins each June as members in the
districts up for election are invited, through the Texas Co-op Power
magazine, to request petition packets to become candidates on the annual
meeting director election ballot in accordance with the bylaws. Any NEC
member in a district up for election may seek to become a candidate.
Those members interested in becoming candidates may request and sign for
an official petition form and instruction sheet. At least twenty (15)
signatures of qualified members within the voting district, received at
the co-op by the designated deadline, are required to nominate a member
from a district for the Board. If more than two candidates are nominated
for a directorship, a primary election will be held in the district to
select two candidates who will appear on the election ballot. At the
annual membership meeting all members of NEC may vote to elect the new
directors in the districts up for election. All members will receive a
ballot by mail or attached to the Texas Coop Power Magazine. If members
cannot attend the meeting, they may cast their vote by mailing in the
ballot.
Director Responsibilities
Directors are tasked with the development of governance policies and
monitoring the financial health of the cooperative. In addition, they
are charged with keeping up-to-date on industry trends, legislative
actions, and other pertinent issues affecting cooperatives as well as
representing the membership at cooperative related functions.
Director Compensation
Section 8. Compensation; Expenses.
(a) Directors shall not receive a salary for their services as such. However,
subject to subsection (b) below and as determined by policy adopted by
the Board, directors may receive a fee, which may include insurance
benefits, for each day during which they attend meetings or otherwise
perform duties on behalf of the Cooperative. Fees for otherwise
performing their duties need not be the same as for attending meetings
of the Board.
(b) For
attending meetings and otherwise performing duties pursuant to
authorization thereof by the Board, directors shall be advanced or
reimbursed their related expenses actually and reasonably incurred and
expended by them, in accordance with the same policy established by the
board for advancement or reimbursement of expenses for Cooperative
employees, except that the policy may be different as it relates to uses
of personal automobile.
(c) No
director shall receive compensation for serving the Cooperative in any
other capacity, nor shall any close relative of a director receive
compensation for serving the Cooperative, except that (1) a director who
is also an officer of the Cooperative, or a director, officer or
committee member of or a delegate to an organization of which the
Cooperative is a member or stockholder, and who as such performs
substantial additional duties on behalf of the Cooperative, may be paid
such compensation therefor, on a per diem basis, as is authorized by the
remaining directors, and (2) a director or close relative of a director
may be paid such compensation as is authorized by the Board upon its
certification of such as a temporary emergency measure.
Each
year NEC files IRS Form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt from Income
Tax). NEC is a 501(c) (12) organization under the IRS code. Form 990 has
financial information for the cooperative in addition to a list of
directors and the executive manager along with their annual
compensation. This document is public information. The IRS regulations,
which became effective on June 8, 1999, state that every organization
required to file Form 990 annually is obligated to immediately provide
copies of its three most recent 990s to anyone requesting them in
person, or send out copies within 30 days to any written request. You
may request copies from NEC, download them via the link at left or Form
990s are also available from the IRS upon request at the district office
where the forms would have been filed.
Tommy Ermis
| District 6- Agua Dulce |
|
| Bill Hartman | District 7- Orange Grove | Vice-President |
Rumaldo Juarez
| District 1- Wood River |
|
| David Rosse | District 3-Kingsville | Secretary-Treasurer |
| Maxine Stewart | District 5- Freer |
|
| Gregg Truesdale | District 2-Robstown |
|
| Johnny Alvarado | District 9-Riviera |
|
| Donald Wayne Herrmann | District 4- Robstown |
|
| Brian Menking | District 8- Alice | President |
| Gladys Lippincot
| Retail |
|