I’ve heard that the cells which form moose antlers grow faster than any known tissue. There is one other thing in Cook County that rivals that growth rate…the financial compensation for Arrowhead Electric Cooperative board members.
While many compensation packages in both the private and public sectors have held the line or actually decreased in these hard financial times, the AECI board has recently voted to increase its own per diems by 7.7 percent.
AECI board members now pay themselves $350 for each regular monthly board meeting, typically lasting about three hours. That’s $4,200 annually folks… not bad for a one morning per month part-time job.
Board members also now receive additional $175 per diems for attending meetings related to AECI’s fiber optic endeavors.
An AECI board member is eligible to serve four three-year terms. At the current compensation rate, each board member could earn $50,400 during his/ her tenure for attending only the regular monthly board meetings. Of course, since the board has increased its per diems by
367% during a similar time frame (from $75 to $350), this amount could well be astonishingly higher. While Cook County manages its affairs with just five commissioners on the county board, AECI has a seven-member board handling co-op decisions.
There are no educational or previous work history requirements to run for the Arrowhead Electric Board of Directors. You must only have been an AECI member in good standing for one year in the district you run, not be a close relative of an AECI employee, not have a financial conflict of interest with AECI or be a convicted felon….although considering past board compensation increases, I have to wonder how stringently this last requirement is enforced.
AECI bylaws should be amended to limit the board to two terms, thus discouraging “career” board membership and to introduce fresh ideas. A board member should also be elected only by the people in the district he/she represents, not the membership at large. Capital credits payments should also be eliminated.
Application for the board position in the Hovland/Grand Portage District One is currently open.
Bob LaMettry
Grand Marais, MN
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