San Miguel Power Association, Inc.

Annual Meeting

Annual Meeting June 5, 2010 Election Results

Members Decide Board Seats, Take Home Big Prizes at SMPA Annual Meeting - San Miguel Power Association, Inc. (SMPA) held its 71st Annual Meeting of Members, Saturday, June 5, 2010. At the meeting, members in districts three and six cast their vote for their director representative. Members were also able to vote by mail-in ballot.

The final election results, tallied Monday June 7 by the Teller Committee of member volunteers, are as follows:

District Three
David K. Alexander

District Six
Marcus Wilson

Alexander is a Norwood native and a third generation rancher. He has been active on the Norwood School Board and the Farmers Water Development Board. Wilson, of Ridgway, has served on the SMPA Board of Directors for eleven years.

SMPA's Annual Meeting is held each year on the first Saturday in June. SMPAâ€™s General Manager and board president report to the members about the co-op's activities over the past year and its plans for the future. Staying true to this year's theme, 'Where tradition meets innovation', SMPA General Manager, Kevin Ritter, focused on SMPA's traditional strengths - stable finances, dedicated employees and reliable service. He also spoke of the co-op's innovative side, citing the many improvements SMPA has made in response to their members.

"SMPA's vision is to be a cooperative model in the areas of energy efficiency, conservation, renewable energy, and sustainability" said Ritter in his address to the membership, as he outlined SMPA's progress in each of these areas. Smart grid, improved communications and new rate structures were all on the list of innovative changes that SMPA has begun in the past year.

SMPA President, Wes Perrin, also reported to the membership highlighting SMPA's most recent activities including evaluating a consolidation with Delta-Montrose Electric Association and working with SunEdison to develop a 2 MW solar facility. Perrin's report featured an interaction portion where members answered questions about SMPAâ€™s energy sources and services.

This year's meeting also included an energy fair. Energy-related businesses from across SMPA's service territory exhibited at the fair, showcasing energy efficient practices and products, electrical safety and renewable energy installations.

All members who attended the business meeting were eligible to win door prizes ranging from $25 to $1,100. The grand prize, a half of beef from Kinikin Heights Natural Foods, went to Karen Guglielmone of Telluride. Kim Wheels of Ophir won a hand-held Garmin GPS unit and David Royer or Norwood took home a $75 Cabela's gift card. Liz McKenzie of Ridgway won a grocery gift card provided by Tri-County Tree Service. John Arnold of Telluride won a Lone Cone Cattlewomen's throw blanket. Western United provided three $25 cash gifts which went to Jim Hubbs of Norwood, Leif Karo of Nucla and Pat Smith of Naturita. Seven bill credits worth $50 each were also awarded.

About our Annual Meeting
San Miguel Power typically holds its Annual Meeting of Members on the first Saturday in June. This is one of the most important events for all SMPA member/owners to attend. It is an opportunity for member/owners of the cooperative to gather and review the activities of the association over the past year. Members will also vote for their Board of Director representatives, voice their questions and suggestions to the Board of Directors and General Manager, and learn about the co-op's goals for the future.

Board members are elected from the membership, by the membership. They are chosen from seven different districts within SMPA's service territory. Each district contains approximately 1,200 members and votes for their specific diretor represetative.

Elections
Any SMPA member is eligible to sit on the Board of Directors. Directors serve four year terms, and each year different districts are up for election. The schedule for nominating yourself or others for the Board of Directors is listed below.

February & March - A Notice of Right to Nominate will be posted at least 90 days before the
election.
April - The Board of Directors will certify Districts at least 60 days before the annual meeting
of members.
April - All nominations by petition must be submitted in writing 45 days prior to the election.
The petition is available from your local SMPA office.
April - Members are notified by mail of upcoming elections not less than 10 days, but no more
than 50 days prior to the meeting.
May - List of nominees is posted in each SMPA office 20 days prior to the election.
May - Mail-in ballots are sent to members 10 days prior to the annual meeting. Ballots must be
received at SMPA offices by 5:30 pm on the last business day before the meeting.
June - Election of Directors is held at the Annual Meeting of Members. Ballots can be cast at
the meeting or members can return their mail-in ballots prior to the election.