Each year, an electric membership cooperative (EMC) generates revenue from the sale of energy. In the same year, the cooperative pays for all expenses such as wholesale power costs, salaries, materials, etc. The cooperative is required by its lenders to have revenue in excess of expenses. Any difference between revenue and expenses is known as margins. At the end of each year, these margins are allocated to the members who generated revenue for the Cooperative by using power and paying for power that year. This allocation of margins to members is then termed as “Capital Credits.”

Cooperatives, that are typically not-for-profit, retain these margins for a specified period of time. The margins are utilized to help maintain the financial health of the cooperative. At the end of a specific period of time, these margins that have been allocated to EMC members as Capital Credits are returned to those members in the form of a check.

According to Colquitt EMC policy, the Cooperative has maintained a 20-year rotation for refunding Capital Credits, and each year Colquitt EMC returns Capital Credits to its members.

Deceased Member

Upon the death of any member who was a natural person, the legal representative of the estate (as established by Georgia Code O.C.G.A. 53-2-1), or the Executor, shall request, in writing, to have the operating capital credits patronage fully retired provided the following conditions are met:

• The member’s account must be inactive no later than December 31^st of the year prior to the application.
• Any membership fee or deposit must be fully refunded to account
• Any balance due must be paid on the member’s account

If all criteria are met, the legal representative may call any Colquitt EMC office beginning the first business day in February to be included on the mailing list for all eligible deceased member applications. The deadline to be included on the mailing list is the second Monday in April. Applications will be mailed by April 30 each year with a deadline of May 31 to have the application returned to CEMC along with a death certificate (a legible photocopy is acceptable). Checks are cut and mailed by July 1 each year.

A full annotation of Colquitt EMC’s bylaws referencing capital credits can be found here.