What is a “cooperative” and how does it differ from other electric utilities?
Cooperatives have been around for hundreds of years and are still being formed today. Cooperatives are entities of many different types formed by those who use its services. In our case, the rural residents of our service area in 1938 needed electricity and those who were providing it in area towns had no desire to bear the expense of providing it to the rural areas. They preferred the more densely populated areas that towns and cities offered – they yielded much quicker returns on their investments! The “cooperative” way requires one to join by taking out a membership (a one-time $5 membership for life), saying you will follow the by-laws and policies of the Cooperative. This membership fee is not refundable and as such, would allow you to return and receive service at a future date should you return to the service area. Because we are a cooperative, our rates reflect actual operating costs and any funds in excess of those operating costs are returned to all members who purchased elec
Related Questions
- Is a nonprofit entity formed under a special statute—such as an electric cooperative formed under the Texas Utilities Code—required to file a periodic report?
- What is a "cooperative" and how does it differ from other electric utilities?
- How is NORA Electric Cooperative different from investor owned utilities?
