Ballots will not be mailed to members this year; in-person ballots will be cast at the annual meeting on April 18, 2018

It’s time for United Power’s Annual Meeting, and all members are invited to attend. As a member, you aren’t just a customer receiving electricity from a utility, you’re an owner of a not-for-profit organization – and you have a say in the operation. During the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 you can connect with your cooperative, enjoy the company of your fellow cooperative members and have the chance to win one of several door prizes. The 2018 Annual Meeting will be held at the Adams County Fairgrounds/Regional Park located at 9755 Henderson Road, Brighton, CO 80601.

The Director Election will be conducted differently this year.
Only the four incumbent directors whose seats were up for election this year have submitted petitions indicating their interest in retaining their positions for another term. Due to the lack of challengers for these positions, the United Power Board made a decision to cancel the distribution of mail ballots, and will instead hold balloting among those members in attendance at the annual meeting. This simplified process will result in a substantial cost savings for the membership. Profiles of the 2018 candidates are included in the March issue of the United Newsline, and we will also be holding four “Meet the Candidates” forums in March.

Member registration will be open from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and those who register for the meeting will be issued a ballot and be able to cast their votes for the Director election. After members have cast their ballot, they can enjoy a barbecue dinner with us, visit the educational exhibit booths and be entertained by musician Dave Connelly.

The official business meeting of the members will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include reports from the President of the Board and the Board Treasurer, and a cooperative update from Chief Executive Officer John Parker. Election results will be announced prior to adjournment and door prize drawings will conclude the meeting. To learn more about the Annual Meeting, or the candidates running for a seat on the cooperative’s board of directors, keep reading this issue, or visit www.unitedpower.com.

United Power will hold its 2018 Annual Meeting and Director Election on Wednesday, April 18th at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton. Ballots will be mailed to all members at the end of March. Mail ballots must be received at the Survey and Ballot Systems post office box no later than Monday, April 16, 2018. Members may also drop ballots in a ballot drop-box located at each of United Power’s offices by 2 p.m. on April 18, or vote in person at the Annual Meeting starting at 4:30 p.m.

All United Power members are invited to attend the annual business meeting of the not-for-profit electric cooperative and cast their ballots in the annual director election. Registration opens at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

United Power will host four free Meet the Candidate events so members can learn more about each candidate. More information about dates and times can be found here. Profiles provided by each candidate and detailed voting instructions are included in the ballot packets that will be mailed to members. For more information, visit www.unitedpower.com/annualmeeting or call United Power at 303-659-0551.

Directors run in geographic districts in order to accurately represent United Power members, but they are elected to the board at-large. Members are reminded to vote for one candidate in each of the cooperative’s four director districts.

Have you ever received a notification from United Power informing you of a “planned outage?” You may have wondered, “What is a planned outage?” and “Why does my electric utility need to perform one?” Occasionally, the equipment we use to bring power to your home needs to be replaced, repaired, or updated. When this happens, as a way to keep our crews and you safe, we plan an interruption to electric service.

We do our best to plan these outages during times when members will be the least inconvenienced. We also try to avoid planning these outages during winter or summer months. We understand these are peak times of the year when you depend on running your heating and cooling units the most.

While they may sound slightly inconvenient, planned outages are actually beneficial to you. Regular system upgrades are necessary for optimal performance, and they increase reliability. Repairing and upgrading our equipment is also critical to maintaining public safety. If older lines need to be replaced, we plan for it, repair or replace it, and that keeps everyone safe.

Planned outages also allow us to keep you informed of when and how long you will be without power. In most cases, we will notify you in advance, by telephone, before an outage, so you can be prepared.

We will also keep you aware of when line crews will be working in your area. Here at United Power, we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep you safe and to keep our system running smoothly. So the next time you hear about a planned outage, know that it is one of the best ways we can provide you with quality electric service.