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Members of Northern Lights, Inc., our electric non-profit cooperative, are circulating petitions to change two sections of NLI’s bylaws. The petitions are necessary to correct deficiencies that the NLI board has refused to change.

The first petition changes the directors’ compensation to not include health insurance. Directors have awarded themselves health insurance coverage as if they are NLI employees. They then awarded themselves the option of taking the cash value of the health insurance instead. Because the insurance premiums are $27,942/year this means that each director is paid approximately $800 per hour to attend the three-hour monthly director meeting, in addition to any per diem they receive for performing NLI business. Directors are not employees but elected “volunteer” trustees who should be negotiating to keep member bills low. Recently NLI’s monthly minimum charge was raised to $30/month. By comparison, Avista’s rate is only $5.75/month. ‘At a recent public meeting, NLI Director Jim Woodward, a Republican candidate for Idaho Senate, admitted taking the cash in lieu of health insurance, saying he guessed he couldn’t turn it down.’

The second petition seeks to give members the right to purchase their own analog meter due to either privacy concerns or health issues with the current digital meters. Over the last five years, NLI’s analog meters have been swapped for digital meters, without member knowledge or consent.

The petitions are available for NLI members to sign at the Army Surplus Store, the Long Bridge Conoco (Sandpoint) and the Beacon office in Priest River.

ANNE WILDER CHAMBERLAIN

Priest River