Cooperative refunding $1,028,535 in capital credits

Christmas comes early to cooperative members again this year. Recently, the board of trustees approved payment of capital credits totaling $1,028,535 to approximately 4,100 members and former members, who received electric service from Darke Rural Electric Cooperative in 1994.

Some of you may wonder, what exactly is a capital credit? As an owner in your electric utility, a capital credit is your share of ownership. Since Darke Rural Electric is a not-for-profit cooperative, any profit left over, after expenses, is allocated back to the members based on their electric use that year.

Until the board votes to refund capital credits to the members, the money is used by the cooperative for upgrading equipment and rebuilding power lines. This allows the cooperative to provide more reliable service to its members.

With this year’s refund, the total amount of capital credits that has been returned to members is more than $11.4 million. It really does pay to be a cooperative member!

Checks will be mailed out the first week of December. If you do not receive your check by mid-December, please call the cooperative office.