Co-op considers public meeting
Is an information meeting for member-owners of the Socorro Electric Cooperative necessary in advance of this Spring’s annual meeting?
Donald Wolberg, one of three newly elected members of the SEC board of trustees, thinks it is.
Sitting in on his first board of trustees meeting as a member of the board, Wolberg advocated for the idea — one he noted was first brought up by the former board, which still retains eight of its members.
The SEC board of trustees has been under scrutiny by the public and the media since 2008, when it came to light that the board members were compensated a total of $275,000 in 2006, or about $25,000 each. Those totals were considerably more than any of the other 18 rural electric cooperatives that operate in the state.
An SEC reform group was formed by member-owners and the relationship between the board and member-owners has been contentious since then.
Wolberg said an information meeting between now and the annual meeting, to be held in either April or May, could go a long way toward bridging the gap between the SEC board of trustees and its member-owners.
“It’s a wonderful window of opportunity to get us back on track. We have to be sure we remember what the membership wants,” he said.
Paul Bustamante, president of the SEC board, said no date had been set for such a meeting, but it should be done as soon as possible.
The suggestion to hold an information meeting came after a bevy of reform-related resolutions were passed at district meetings held last October. Wolberg, Luis Aguilar and Precilla Mauldin unseated incumbents in District 3 in Socorro. That same day, several resolutions were passed to be brought to the general membership at the annual meeting.
A week later, Charlie Wagner, an outspoken proponent of reform during his first four-year term on the board, won re-election at the meeting in Magdalena and District 5 members overwhelmingly supported more resolutions calling for change.
Most all of the resolutions focused on the board of trustees — reducing the costs it incurs and the way it goes about conducting business.
Among the resolutions are:
• Reduce the number of districts — and, therefore, the number of board members — from 11 to five.
• Redefine districts to make for as equal member populations as possible.
• Limit trustees to serving no more than two consecutive terms.
• Limit the amount of compensation a trustee can receive to $10,000 per year.
• Reduce the number of board meetings per month from two to one.
• Allow for a public comment period at each meeting of the board of trustees.
• Require the board of trustees to adhere to the New Mexico Open Meetings Act.
• Require that meetings be advertised in monthly bills and local newspapers.
• Allow members open access to SEC books, records and audits.
• Arrange for a third party accounting firm to conduct elections and allow for voting to be conducted by mail.
“We need to address resolutions that were passed at district meetings. (The members) can adopt them, modify them or find alternatives,” Wolberg said. “There’s no downside, only upside.”
Some downside was identified, however: cost.
Trustee Milton Ulibarri asked SEC General Manager Polo Pineda how much it would cost to hold an information meeting. Pineda said, considering they’d have to pay employees and advertise it to members, the cost could be between $10,000 and $15,000.
The suggestion was made that the meeting could be advertised to members in billing statements. Pineda said he needed 10 days advance notice to get an advertisement sent with the bills.
The co-op’s new attorney, Dennis Francish, who was also sitting in on his first meeting since being hired last month, also mentioned cost. Additionally, he said the SEC wasn’t obligated, either in the bylaws or by state law, to hold an information meeting.
Wolberg said the co-op’s obligation was to keep its members informed.
“This is something that has to be done as a coherent entity,” he said. “What we’re about is trying to save the Co-op and turn it around.”
Contact T.S. Last