Why provide nearest living relative information?
As a cooperative, Capital Electric allocates our yearly margins (revenues less expenses) back to our members based on each member’s electric service during that year. Called capital credits, these allocated monies are tracked by member and become equity in the cooperative but are not immediately available to the member. Instead this equity is used as working capital for the cooperative to continue its normal operation. As time goes by, enough of this working capital (Capital Credits) have built up so that the cooperative no longer needs a particular year’s equity for working capital. At that time, per the board of directors, a retirement takes place and the capital credits are returned to the original members that earned them. It is not uncommon for 15 to 20 years to pass before these capital credits are returned. One of the most difficult tasks that Capital Electric has is maintaining the correct contact/address information for past members that have left our lines but still have unre
