The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 30 V.S.A. § 3030)
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§ 3030. Revenues; use of
Revenues of a cooperative for a fiscal year in excess of the amount thereof necessary:
(1) To defray the expenses of the operation and maintenance of the facilities of the cooperative
during such fiscal year.
(2) To pay interest and principal obligations of the cooperative coming due in such fiscal
year.
(3) To 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) To provide a reasonable reserve for working capital.
(5) To provide a reserve for the payment of indebtedness of the cooperative in an amount
not less than the total of the interest and principal payments in respect thereof
required to be made during the next following fiscal year.
(6) To provide a fund, designated as the “cooperative education fund,” for education in
cooperation and for the dissemination of information concerning the effective use
of energy and other services, goods, or products made available by the cooperative,
shall, unless otherwise determined by a vote of the members, be distributed by the
cooperative to its members and to other persons to whom the cooperative supplies energy
or other services, goods, or products made available through its electric distribution
facilities, as patronage refunds prorated in accordance with the patronage of the
cooperative by the respective members and other persons, paid for during such fiscal
year; provided, however, a distribution shall not be made to a person until that person
becomes a member of the cooperative. If that person does not become a member of the
cooperative within one year after the amount of that person’s distributive share or
accumulated distributive shares equals the membership fee required by the bylaws of
the cooperative, or, if no membership fee is required, within two years after the
declaration of the patronage refund, that person shall cease to be entitled to a share
or shares, which shall, in such case, be paid into the cooperative education fund.
The cooperative shall make such additional provision, in the bylaws or otherwise,
relative to the disposition of the revenues of the cooperative as may be necessary
and appropriate to establish and maintain the nonprofit character of the cooperative.
Nothing contained in this section 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. (Amended 1999, No. 143 (Adj. Sess.), § 20; 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 426, eff. July 1, 2024.)