The 2021 Annual Meeting of the membership of the Kankakee Valley Rural Electric Membership Corporation was held at the Porter County Expo Center in Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana, on the 26th day of August 2021.  A catered meal was served to the members beginning at 4:30 p.m. CST by REMC employees and board members.  The Van Dells played on the outdoor stage beginning at 5:00 p.m.  The business meeting began at 7:30 p.m. CST, pursuant to notice provided to each member of the cooperative.  The business meeting also included the announcement of election results, honorifics for retiring board members, Otto Werner and Sue Bachert, and prizes as awarded.  

A copy of the proof of mailing of the secretary’s Affidavit of Mailing of Notice of Annual Meeting is appended as EXHIBIT A, at the end of these minutes and was included in the member program distributed to each member who appeared and registered at the meeting.  It was also available in the August Indiana Connection magazine and posted to the cooperative website.

The business meeting opened, and the first matter of business was the consideration of the notice of the meeting.  The reading of the Notice of the Meeting to Members as provided in Bylaw Art. III Sec. 3, was waived, and dispensed with after a motion duly made and seconded carried on a unanimous vote. The next item on the agenda was the reading of the minutes of the 2020 Annual Meeting.  On motion duly made and seconded, the membership resolved to waive reading of the minutes.  Then, on motion duly made and seconded the minutes of the 2020 Annual Meeting were approved as printed in the program, on vote.  

This was the third year that the board approved early voting which was available by mail or online.  The amendment to the enabling law provides a person who intended their vote be counted at the annual meeting, are also counted for purposes of a quorum.  The preliminary report, once made available, showed a quorum was reached during the online and vote by mail balloting.  Moreover, 528 member-consumers also appeared in person at the annual meeting.  Bylaw Art. IV Sec. 4(d). 

The membership had been advised during the early voting period and at the Annual Meeting that there were three directors’ seats up for election for terms of three years each or until their successor shall be duly elected and qualified.  The candidates were selected by obtaining nominations by petition pursuant to the bylaws of the cooperative. 

All member-consumers had been given instructions to carry out the membership voting. Voting could be accomplished online, by mail and in person at the Annual Meeting.     

In accordance with Bylaw Art. IV the following candidates were nominated for election by petition in Districts 3 & 5 and At-Large (7).   

District 3

• William Bohling
• Kathy Grott
• Jessica Linscott

District 5

Katrina Harper (unopposed)

At-Large (7)

• Michael Collins
• David Janney
• Jim Polarek

Due to an amendment to Bylaw Art. IV Sec. 4(d), Katrina Harper, by virtue of her being unopposed, was elected by the membership on voice vote.  On motion duly made and seconded, Katrina Harper was duly elected to the position of director of District 5 for the ensuing three years. 

Prior to the start of the business meeting Attorney Krsak called the member-consumers appointed to serve as election inspectors to gather and begin the count of the votes and certify the election. The member-consumers appointed to serve as election inspectors were Edward Marks and Enrique Villalobos.

The election inspectors, aided by KVREMC employees, counted the votes cast for the election for the District 3 position where William Bohling, Kathy Grott and Jessica Linscott were on the ballot by virtue of their nomination.  Ballots were counted and added to the pre-meeting voting and the total results showed: William Bohling with 1,489 votes, Kathy Grott with 600 votes and Jessica Linscott with 293 votes. Thus, Mr. Bohling was duly elected director on the board of directors for District 3 for the ensuing three years or until their successors have been elected and qualified. The election inspectors, aided by KVREMC employees, counted the votes cast for the election for the At-Large (7) position where Michael Collins, David Janney and Jim Polarek were on the ballot by virtue of their nomination.  Ballots were counted and added to the premeeting voting and the total results showed:  Michael Collins with 370 votes, David Janney with 1,358 votes and Jim Polarek with 644 votes. Thus, Mr. Janney was duly elected director on the board of directors for the At-Large District (7) for the ensuing three years or until their successors have been elected and qualified. The results of the election to the board for Districts 3 & 5 and the At-Large District were duly certified by the election inspectors and the prevailing candidates are as reported above. 

The Certificate of Election Inspectors is available to member-consumers upon request at the Kankakee Valley REMC office.

CEO Sears announced prize winners which included anyone whose registration card was selected regardless of whether or not the member was present at the time of the drawing.  

The chairman called for any other business or new business to be brought to the attention of the membership; there being none, the meeting was duly adjourned. 

ATTEST:

William Bohling, Secretary of the Board  

Michael Yankauskas, Board President

The foregoing proceedings were held August 26th, 2021, at the Porter County Expo Center, Valparaiso, IN, Porter County, IN. 

EXHIBIT A

Secretary’s Affidavit of Mailing of the Notice of the 2021 Annual Meeting

State of Indiana, County of LaPorte

I, Susan Bachert, being first duly sworn, upon her oath deposes and says: That I am the duly elected and qualified Secretary of the Kankakee Valley Rural Electric Membership Corporation, hereinafter called the Cooperative.

That on the 23rd day of July 2021, I had mailed to each member-consumer of the Cooperative, to the addresses as they appear on the records of the Cooperative, a notice of the annual meeting of the member-consumers to be held on August 26, 2021, by depositing such notice with postage prepaid thereon and addressed as aforesaid in the United States mail.  The total number of member-consumers receiving notice of annual meeting on said date was 18,699.

Subscribed and sworn to Susan Bachert,
Secretary before me this 12th day of August.

Lori S. Young 
Notary Public County of Resident, LaPorte
My commission expires October 2023.