As an electric cooperative, Beltrami Electric is guided by an elected Board of Directors who represent its members’ best interest when making important decisions. Being a member of the co-op’s Board is an incredibly important position in our community. A director’s decisions will impact issues, such as service rates, rights of way and work plans. This position holds great responsibility and requires men and women who understand their community’s needs and serve the cooperative members’ best interest.
It is important for us to elect strong directors to our Board. We must have a pool of strong candidates, which is why we encourage members to run in our Board elections. Fresh ideas and new perspectives help us to enact policies that could potentially keep our community competitive. We need to encourage individuals we think will act in the best interest of our co-op community to run for the board and encourage members to vote.
Our Board is a democratically elected body nominated by members of the cooperative’s service territory and voted into position by any member who chooses to participate in the cooperative’s open election. Nominations for director positions will be accepted at district meetings in March. Beltrami Electric Cooperative is divided into nine districts, each represented by a director. Any co-op member (in good standing) is welcome to run for an open position on the Board within the district the member’s primary residence is located.
Members seeking to run for the Board of Directors shall, not less than five (5) business days prior to the district meeting in which there is a director election, submit to the corporate office a completed candidate packet, as provided by the Cooperative, by which the Cooperative will verify said member's qualifications to be an eligible candidate for the director position. The top two candidates as determined by popular vote will have their names on the general election ballot. At Beltrami Electric Cooperative we hold director elections in three out of the nine total districts each year.
Board meetings are held the last Wednesday of each month beginning at 8:30 a.m. and typically last between four to seven hours. There are also educational opportunities for directors throughout the year and directors are encouraged to become educated on topics that will serve our membership, including legislative issues, finance, capital credits, governance, technology, etc. The time commitment for serving on the board is on average two full days per month and up to 10-20 additional days per year depending on individual director’s level of engagement and training opportunities. Directors are expected to be available to our members and communicate with them on cooperative issues. Diverse life and work experience is desired, as is a strong commitment to our communities and our membership. Directors are compensated at the rate of $150 per month, and $250-$400 per regular monthly meeting day, plus expenses for their service.
Directors matter. Let’s make a difference together. Please contact Beltrami Electric Cooperative CEO Jared Echternach at 444-2540 with any questions regarding qualifications or responsibilities of board member.
