A cooperative must use yearly revenues in a specified priority order, distribute excess revenues to members as patronage refunds unless the board votes otherwise, and follow special steps for unclaimed capital credits and utility deposits.
§420. Refunds to members A. Revenues of a cooperative for any fiscal year shall first be used to: (1) Defray expenses of the cooperative and of the operation and maintenance of its facilities during such fiscal year; (2) Pay interest and principal obligations of the cooperative coming due in such fiscal year; (3) Finance, or to provide a reserve for the financing of, the construction or acquisition by the cooperative of additional facilities to the extent determined by the board of directors; (4) Provide a reasonable reserve for working capital; (5) Provide a reserve for the payment of indebtedness of the cooperative maturing more than one (1) year after the date of the incurrence of such indebtedness in an amount not less than the total of the interest and payments in respect thereof required to be made during the next following fiscal year; and (6) Provide a fund for education in cooperation and for the dissemination of information concerning the effective use of electric energy and other services made available by the cooperative. B. Revenues for any fiscal year in excess of the amount necessary to provide for the items listed in Sub-section A shall, unless otherwise determined by a vote of the board of directors, be distributed by the cooperative to its members as patronage refunds prorated in accordance with the patronage of the cooperative by the respective members paid for during such fiscal year. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to prohibit the payment by a cooperative of all or any part of its indebtedness prior to the date when the same shall become due. C.(1) An electric cooperative is hereby authorized to donate capital credits due and payable by the cooperative to its members or former members when unclaimed by its members or former members for a period of two years from the date due and payable. A cooperative is hereby authorized to donate utility deposits due and payable by it to its members or former members when unclaimed by its members or former members for a period of two years from the date due and payable. (2) Prior to the donation of such unclaimed capital credits and unclaimed utility deposits, an electric cooperative shall file a report in accordance with R.S. 9:168. (3) The cooperative shall transfer these unclaimed capital credit funds and unclaimed utility deposit funds to an educational fund which shall be used for scholarships to be awarded only to persons who were active members of the cooperative, or the children of such persons, for at least one year as of January 31, 1995. These scholarships shall be donated to a qualified applicant or applicants selected by the board of directors of the cooperative based on qualifications and criteria set by the board and shall be made available only to persons attending an institution of higher education in the state of Louisiana. (4) If a member or former member, after the expiration of the two-year period, makes a valid claim to capital credits or utility deposits which would have been due to him from the cooperative then the cooperative shall deduct from the fund available for scholarships each year the amount claimed and pay that amount to the member or former member who made the claim. (5) Any other provision of law or special act governing a specific electric cooperative shall supersede this Subsection if this Subsection is in conflict therewith. Renumbered from R.S.1950, §12:320 by Acts 1968, No. 105, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 1969; Acts 1995, No. 498, §1.