Current Lines - February 2020

CURRENT LINES F E B R U A RY 2 0 2 0 THIS MONTH’S NEWS • Contact Information Update, page 1 • Director Retires, page 2 • 1.833.myTCEMC for Outages, page 2 • Power Blinks, Page 3 • Bright Ideas Grants, page 3 • Operation Roundup Grant, page 4 • Scholarships, page 4 • Recipe Box, Page 4

CONTACT INFORMATION UPDATE Communication is important. We want you to contact us when you have a power outage. And we want to contact you if there is an issue with your account, important storm information or survey opportunities. In an effort to obtain updated contact information, we are giving away $500 to a member that has updated phone number(s) and an email address on their Tri-County EMC account.

All members that have an email address on their account by April 1 will be entered to win. The winner will be notified via email and will have 3 days to claim their prize.

And we promise that we will not bother you with daily emails about new products, or robocalls regarding your car warranty. But we will contact you about the important things, like: • A monthly e-newsletter • A phone call if you are pending disconnection • A phone call if there are any issues with your account • Important storm and power outage information • Survey requests for your input (no more than once per year) To update your information, log in to the Customer Portal by visiting www.tri-countyemc.com and clicking “Pay Your Bill”. From there, click on “My Account” and “Account Profile” to update your contact information. You can also update your information on the myTCEMC app or by calling us at 1.866.254.1000.

WANT TO WIN $500?

Update your contact information on your Tri-County EMC Account

by April 1 for a chance to win $500. To be entered, you must have an email address on your account. More details in the above article.

pg. 2 CURRENT

LINES

LONG TIME DIRECTOR RESIGNS, VACANCY TO BE FILLED On December 31, 2019, longtime Director Chester Mercer resigned from the Tri-County EMC Board after 25 years of dedicated service to the cooperative. The Tri-County EMC Board, in accordance with the bylaws, will appoint a replacement to fill Chester Mercer’s District 1 vacant seat. The appointed director will serve until the next director election, which will occur on October 15, 2020.

Tri-County’s nominating committee will convene in June 2020 and will nominate a candidate(s) to complete the one-year remainder of Chester Mercer’s term. The elected candidate will begin service at the next Board meeting after October 15, 2020.

Any member whose primary residence is in Jones County or Bibb County (District 1) interested in being considered to fill the vacancy is encouraged to complete an application by February 28, 2020 at www.tri-countyemc.com/board_interest_form.cms.

Interested members must meet the below qualifications to be eligible to serve on the board of directors. To learn more about the purpose and duties of the board of directors, visit www.tri-countyemc.com/board-of-directors.cms.

• • • • • •

Member candidates cannot be a “close relative” of an incumbent director or an employee of the cooperative. As used in these bylaws, “close relative” means a person who is either a spouse, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, nephew, or niece, by blood or in law, of the principal.

Member candidates must have a permanent residence served by Tri-County EMC in Jones or Bibb County Member candidates must have been a member for at least 2 years prior to the date of the Board election on October 15, 2020.

Member candidates must have the legal capacity to enter into contracts in the State of Georgia Former Tri-County EMC employees are not eligible to serve on the board until two (2) years have passed from the date of last employment.

Member candidates cannot be employed by or have any financial interest in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the cooperative.

If you have any question, please contact Kim Broun at kimb@tri-countyemc.com or 478.986.8126.

POWER OUTAGE? CALL 1.833.MYTCEMC There are many ways to report power outages to Tri-County EMC. You can report them via text message to phone number 85700, through the myTCEMC app, through the outage form on our website and by phone. For members that prefer to call to report an outage, save 1.833.myTCEMC (1.833.698.2362) in your phone to jump to the head of the line. (89304001) By dialing 1.833.MYTCEMC rather than our local number, your call will bypass call menus and go directly to the outage reporting system. There, you can report your outage using the automated system or by talking to a live representative.

EV365- Electric Vehicle Incentive Let 2020 be your year to purchase an electric vehicle with the help of EV365! If you purchase a new car in 2020, you will receive a $30 bill credit each month for a year. And if you install a Level 2 charger in your home, you’ll receive a $250 credit. Visit www.tri-countyemc.com/electricvehicles.cms.

THE TRUTH BEHIND THE BLINK

CURRENT pg. 3 LINES

You just got home from work, you put your bags down and you try to preheat the oven to start dinner. That’s when you see it - the blinking “12:00” on the digital clock. While you, begrudgingly, reset all of the digital clocks in your house before you start dinner, you likely wonder, “Did the power even go out today?”.

Usually the state of the blinking clock is caused by a blink in the electrical system. While blinks can be frustrating, they show that an electrical system is working properly.

Blinks happen when something comes in contact with a power line, like a tree limb or squirrel. To minimize the possibility of damage to the electrical distribution system or your home, a circuit breaker interrupts the flow of electricity for less than a second. If the obstruction remains on the line, the breaker opens and then tries to re-close and restore power. If the obstruction is still on the line after the third try, the breaker opens and does not re-close automatically. This will result in a power outage. A Tri-County EMC lineman will then be dispatched to manually remove the obstruction and reset the breaker to restore power.

Power blinks have always been part of electric service. They just weren’t as noticeable until more sensitive electronics entered the marketplace. So, while blinks can be aggravating, temporarily, they are actually protecting our electrical system and preventing a power outage. There is no need to report these blinks as an outage to Tri-County EMC. (84511001)

BRIGHT IDEAS GRANTS AWARDED TO LOCAL TEACHERS In December, Tri-County EMC surprised 24 teachers in Baldwin, Jasper, Jones and Putnam Counties with educational grants totaling $30,000. Since 2008, Tri-County Electric Membership Cooperative has provided more than $270,000 in grants to local schools. Funded by unclaimed capital credits, the grants help teachers improve education in their classrooms through innovative projects that would otherwise not be funded. Georgia certified public or private school teachers in grades Pre-K through 12 in Baldwin, Jones, Putnam, Twiggs, Jasper and Wilkinson counties qualify to apply. To see photos of all 2019 Bright Ideas Grant winners, visit tri-countyemc.com/bright-ideas.cms.

Applications for 2020 will be due in September.

ACCOUNTNUMBER

Did you find your Tri-County EMC account number? Three random account numbers are hidden in each issue of Current Lines. Find your complete account number inside parentheses in this issue of Current Lines for a $50 bill credit. Call us at 478.986.8126 to claim your credit.

pg. 4 CURRENT

LINES

RECIPE BOX WANDA’S CROCK-POT STROGANOFF INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • • •

1 lb. ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 can condensed mushroom soup 8 oz. sour cream 2 beef bouillon cubes 1-2 cups hot water 8 oz. bag of egg noodles Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Brown the ground beef and onion.

Place the beef, onions, mushroom soup, mushrooms and sour cream in the crockpot. Stir to mix. Add noodles. Stir bouillon cubes into the hot water. Pour the combination over the noodles.

Cook on low for 3-4 hours until noodles are tender.

OPERATION ROUNDUP GRANT APPLICATIONS DUE

Deadline March 1

Do you know of a nonprofit or civic group looking for funding for projects in our service area? An Operation Roundup Grant may be the right fit.

Operation Roundup is a community development program funded by the voluntary contributions of Tri-County EMC’s members to the Tri-County EMC Foundation. Contributions are made to the foundation when participants elect to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the next dollar.

Each quarter, the Tri-County EMC Foundation accepts applications for grant projects that meet needs in the eight-county Tri-County EMC service area. The Tri-County EMC Foundation Board evaluates each application and awards grants based on the worthiness of the application and available funds.

Non-profit and civic groups can apply for a project they are executing or on behalf of individuals residing within the eight county area (Baldwin, Putnam, Jones, Bibb, Jasper, Morgan, Twiggs and Wilkinson). One hundred percent of funds collected are returned to the community through donations from the foundation.

Learn more at www.tri-countyemc.com/operation-round-up.cms or call 478.986.8126. (39788001)

2019 Operation Roundup Grant Application Deadlines: March 1 | June 1 | September 1 | December 1

SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINES

Tri-County EMC will award $10,000 in scholarships to students with a primary residence in our service area this year. To learn more or to apply, visit us at online at tri-countyemc.com/scholarships-overview.cms.

• Operation Roundup Scholarship: Applications Due April 15 • Cooperative Scholarship: Applications Due April 15

Ray Grinberg, CEO

This recipe is courtesy of Fannie Batchelor of Baldwin County. Did you know your recipe is worth $20 if chosen? Send your best recipes to kimb@tri-countyemc.com or mail to P.O. Box 487, Gray, GA 31032.

Owned By Those We Serve P.O. Box 487 Gray, GA 31032 478.986.8100 www.tri-countyemc.com

Board of Directors Brenda P. Green, Chairman Sammy Hall, Vice-Chairman Thomas Noles, Secretary/Treasurer George “Buck” Comer, Dan Greene, Marion Nelson, Cecil Patterson, Mike Rainey

CURRENTLINES

Monthly Publication for Tri-County EMC Members