During Butler Rural Electric Cooperative’s annual meeting April 25, members approved the 2023 annual meeting minutes and the 2025 nominating committee members. The 2025 nominating committee will choose candidates for next year’s board of trustees election.

 

Over 1,280 members vote in board of trustees election

All cooperative elections are conducted by an independent third-party company. This year’s election was completed and certified by Survey and Ballot Systems. Using a third party maintains the integrity of our elections. Cooperative employees and board members do not have contact with ballots or voting results before they are announced. Our attorney receives the election results once the election closes and announces the results at our annual meeting.

 

All members were mailed a ballot along with biographies for each of the five candidates running for the board this year. 1,277 out of 10,377 members voted — that’s over 12% of our members! 640 voted by mail and 648 voted through our election website or through SmartHub.

 

Members could vote for one candidate in each district. Board members represent all members, not just the members in their township or district.

 

Members chose David Evans in District 1, which includes Israel Township in Preble County and Oxford Township in Butler County. 1,107 votes were cast in this district. David Evans ran unopposed. The cooperative’s code of regulations allows candidates to run unopposed for the board of trustees.

 

David is married to his wife, Dawn. They have four children and six grandchildren. Along with his high school diploma, David has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold certification through NRECA.

 

David is the third generation owner and president of Art Evans & Sons, Inc. and is an active member of the Brookville Road Baptist Church. During his free time, David enjoys spending time with family, four-wheeling, and camping.

 

Jim Meador was elected in District 2, which includes Milford Township in Butler County. 1,118 votes were cast in this district. Jim Meador ran unopposed. The cooperative’s code of regulations allows candidates to run unopposed for the board of trustees.

 

Jim has been married to his wife, Karen, for 45 years. They have two sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren. Jim graduated from Talawanda High School and took business courses at Miami University.

 

Jim retired after a 30-year career at Miami University in the steam plant as a stationary engineer. He has been a Butler Rural Electric Cooperative board member for 19 years and has earned the Credential Cooperative Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold certification through NRECA. Jim is a member of the Miami Federal Credit Union Board and is the assistant chief for the Milford Township Fire Department. During his free time, Jim enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with his grandchildren.

 

Members chose Vickie Jo Barger in District 5, which includes Madison and Wayne townships in Butler County. 1,216 votes were cast in this district. Member Mike Wolf also ran for election in District 5.

 

Vickie Jo lives in Wayne Township in Butler County. She is married to Matt Barger and has five children and five grandchildren. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Miami University and maintains treasurer certification in accordance with Ohio Revised Code Section 135.

 

Vickie Jo is the finance director for the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, is the treasurer for AllWealth Federal Credit Union, and volunteers at churches and nonprofit organizations by reconciling and auditing their financial records. She volunteers for the Edgewood Athletic craft show and is an Edgewood Ministerial Association supporter. During her free time, Vickie Jo enjoys spending time with family, watching sports, and going to the theater.

Thank you for being involved in your cooperative!

Thank you to the four members who ran in this year’s election and thank you to the members who voted. Your vote is your voice. By participating, you are part of the process to make the cooperative the best it can be.

 

Board member compensation
We are focused on the cooperative’s governance and remain transparent when reporting board member compensation each year.

 

Our board members receive a per diem for attending meetings and training but do not get paid a salary or receive benefits like health insurance. The average annual compensation is $13,000 per board member, which varies based on office and certification. This is down slightly from $15,700 last year due to fewer meetings and trainings during the first quarter of 2024.

 

The chart below is based on data received from the latest National Director Survey conducted by NRECA. The chart compares our board member compensation to the compensation received by electric cooperative board members nationally, regionally, and from co-ops of the same size.