Capital Credits
Cooperative Principle #3
Members' Economic Participation
You are a member/owner of Comanche Electric Cooperative, and one way your ownership is reflected is through capital credits (your share of what's left over after the co-op pays it's expenses). Every month, you pay your bill for electric service, and the co-op pays the expenses incurred in providing that service. Any funds left over at the end of the year, "margins", provide equity for the co-op and you, the member. These funds are called "capital credits".
We retain a portion of these capital credits for two reasons:
1) As working capital to keep the co-op financially sound and to allow for emergencies, such as storm damage, which might require placement of poles and power lines; and
2) To retire debt and build equity in the co-op.
The total amount paid to members in the form of Capital Credits since 1938 is $7,336,978.95. The latest refund was in September of 2015. CECA refunded $712,000 for a portion of 1984 through 2014. This included estate refunds through 2015, in the amount of $2,590,136.86. Equity has remained stable in the last ten years at a rate of 43% in 2014 and 42% in 2015.
If you have any questions about capital credits or any of the operations of the co-op, just give us a call. It's your business.