Minutes of the 2024 Annual Meeting

March 2025

Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc’s (SVEC) annual business meeting of the members was held on Saturday, April 27, 2024, at the Suwannee County Agricultural Coliseum.

At 10:00 a.m., Executive Vice President and CEO Michael McWaters welcomed consumer-members who were in attendance. Mr. McWaters introduced SVEC’s trustees and asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of Mr. Sidney Lord. Mr. Lord represented members of District 5 for 24 years. Following the moment of silence, Mr. McWaters thanked all veterans and first responders. Mr. McWaters also recognized employees who have achieved ten years and thirty years of service to the cooperative. Dan Hartley, field representative for Congresswoman Cammack, addressed the crowd, after which Mr. McWaters introduced Ella Hancock from Lafayette High School, who was one of the Washington Youth Tour winners. After Ms. Hancock’s comments, Mr. McWaters turned the meeting over to Mr. Jerry Goff, who serves as secretary for the board of trustees.

Mr. Goff gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Goff announced that 626 members had registered for the meeting, thereby constituting a quorum which allowed for the meeting to be convened and business to be transacted. Mr. Goff asked for a motion to dispense with the reading of the Official Notice. A motion was made, seconded, and approved by a majority vote. Mr. Goff announced that the motion to dispense with the reading of the Official Notice had been approved. Mr. Goff asked for a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the 2023 annual meeting. A motion was made, seconded, and approved by a majority vote. Mr. Goff announced that the motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes from the 2023 annual meeting was approved. Mr. Goff introduced Tyler Putnal, president of the board of trustees, to deliver the President’s Address.

After completion of the President’s Address, Mr. Putnal asked Mr. McWaters to make a few comments. At the conclusion of his comments, Mr. McWaters introduced Andy Walker, treasurer of the board of trustees.

Mr. Walker introduced Mr. Woody Trimble, CPA and principal with Jackson Thornton, to present the unaudited financial statements. At the conclusion of Mr. Trimble’s report, Mr. Walker introduced Mr. Josh Crapps, board counsel, to report on district elections. Mr. Crapps reported that meetings of consumer members in Districts 4, 5, and 6 were held for the purpose of nominating official candidates for the position of trustee from those districts. Consumer members were notified by letter in advance of the meetings that were held in their respective districts. The District 4 meeting was held on March 22, 2024, at the Day Community Center; the District 5 meeting was held on March 21, 2024, at the Pine Grove Church of God; and the District 6 meeting was held on March 20, 2024, at the Lebanon Baptist Church. Mr. Crapps stated that Mr. Tyler Putnal (District 4), Mr. Jackson Lord (District 5), and Mr. Andy Walker (District 6) were nominated at the district meetings. Mr. Crapps announced that no additional nominations were made by petition and that, per the cooperative’s bylaws, Mr. Putnal, Mr. Lord, and Mr. Walker were declared and installed as trustees.

Mr. Crapps’s then called Mr. Putnal to the podium to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Putnal asked if there were any objections to the meeting being adjourned. Hearing none, the meeting was adjourned.