Governance and Accountability

ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE

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As a public service organization, SOPEC is governed by organizational Bylaws. The Bylaws are approved by each member community joining the SOPEC Council of Governments. The Bylaws can only be amended with a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the General Assembly. The Bylaws establish two general bodies to provide governance over the programs, policies, and projects of the SOPEC Council of Governments.

The first body is the General Assembly. The General Assembly is comprised of one elected leader from each member community of the SOPEC Council of Governments. The General Assembly meets annually to make material changes to the structure of the organization, such as changing the organizational Bylaws or the Plan of Operation and Governance. The General Assembly also approves the annual operating budget for the organization. And the General Assembly also elects from within itself the members of the SOPEC Board of Directors—the second body established by the Bylaws. The Board of Directors meets bi-monthly to review program performance, approve contracts and expenses, adopt specific policies, and provide general organizational oversight.

PROGRAM ACCOUNTABILITY

The rules and procedures for SOPEC programs are not specified in the organizational Bylaws. Instead, as a governmental energy aggregator, all opt-out aggregation programs are governed by statewide laws under Section 4928.20 of the Ohio Revised Code. In addition, SOPEC opt-out aggregation programs are further regulated by local administrative rules adopted through the SOPEC Plan of Operation and Governance. The Plan of Operation and Governance is approved by each member community joining the SOPEC Council of Governments, and is further reviewed and approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) as a required component of SOPEC’s certificate as a governmental energy aggregator. The Plan of Operation and Governance can only be amended with a majority vote of the members of the General Assembly.

GOVERNING DOCUMENTS

SOPEC publishes updated copies of its governing documents online for public review.

ETHICS

SOPEC embraces a culture of transparent, accountable, and public value-focused programs that improve the welfare of our member communities, political subdivisions, and customers. To achieve such a culture, SOPEC must ensure that its resources and the resources of other public-sector partners are being utilized for the purpose of their public missions and not for unethical purposes.