Deposit Requirements

The Cooperative shall determine the creditworthiness of an applicant or customer in an equitable and nondiscriminatory method and shall determine the creditworthiness solely upon the credit risk of the applicant or customer.

Temporary Service
The fee for a temporary service at a construction site is $20.00 plus deposit. Please call our office to discuss your temporary service.

New Member
Each new applicant for residential utility service or general utility service shall pay a deposit of one sixth (1/6) of the projected annual billing for the account or give consent for the Cooperative to request a credit check for the customer from a credit reporting service utilized by the Cooperative.

If a new applicant is required to provide a deposit as a result of the credit check, the amount of the deposit shall be based on the credit check and the resulting deposit may range from a minimum of $70 to a maximum of one sixth (1/6) of the projected annual billing for the account.

If an applicant is requesting a new service at a location with no billing history and a deposit is required, then the deposit shall be from a minimum of $70 up to $200. When a new service location has been established for twelve months, the deposit shall be adjusted based upon one sixth (1/6) of the annual billing for the location.

If a new applicant satisfies the criteria and no deposit is required but said applicant becomes delinquent on any amount owed the Cooperative within six (6) months after service to applicant commences, the Cooperative may require payment of a deposit within ten (10) days or service may thereafter be disconnected, upon five (5) days’ notice, until said deposit and the outstanding delinquency are paid.

In the event a deposit is required that is greater than $70, the Cooperative shall advise the applicant at the time a demand is made for the deposit that the applicant may pay such deposit in equal installment payments over a period of no more than sixty (60) days and that service will be connected upon receipt of the first such payment.

Current Member
If the applicant has been a member of the Cooperative in the past twelve (12) months with a satisfactory payment history, the applicant shall be deemed creditworthy and shall not be required to make a cash deposit as a condition of receiving service if the applicant does not have an outstanding delinquency owed the Cooperative.

The Cooperative may require a present customer to make a cash deposit if the customer has been delinquent for two (2) consecutive months or any three (3) months within the preceding twelve (12) month period, if the customer is delinquent for at least sixty (60) days on any amount due the Cooperative, or when the service has been disconnected pursuant to the rules for non-payment.

The amount of such deposit shall be at least one sixth (1/6) of the estimated annual billings for the customer at the address at which service is rendered.

The Cooperative may require payment of a deposit as described and such deposit shall be shown on the next monthly bill.  If the deposit exceeds $70, one-half of the total deposit shall be shown on the next monthly statement and the final one-half shall be shown on the next monthly statement. Failure to pay any portion of the required deposit as scheduled will result in service thereafter being disconnected upon five (5) days notice until said deposit and any outstanding delinquency are paid.

If the applicant is an existing customer and has any outstanding delinquency owed the Cooperative or fails to establish that he/she is creditworthy pursuant to the criteria, the applicant may be required to make a cash deposit.  Such deposit shall be at least $70 or 1/6 of the estimated annual billings to be rendered to the applicant, whichever is greater. Service shall be connected upon receipt of the deposit or, if service is already connected when an application is made and applicant fails to meet the foregoing criteria, service may promptly be disconnected, without notice, until the Cooperative receives the requisite deposit.  Also, if an applicant has any outstanding delinquency owed the Cooperative; such delinquency must be fully paid before service will be rendered or if already on, continued.  Absent said payment, service may be immediately disconnected.

If the Cooperative denies or disconnects service or requires a cash deposit as a condition of providing service, it will promptly advise the applicant of the facts upon which it based its decision and provide the applicant with an opportunity to rebut such facts and show other facts demonstrating his/her creditworthiness.

Interest On Deposits
Deposits held more than twelve (12) months shall earn interest from date of deposit at a rate of one and a half percent (1.5%) simple annual interest to be paid at the time of refund. The deposit shall not earn interest after the date the deposit is credited to the customer.

Refunds
Any deposit or accrued interest shall be refunded along with a statement accounting for each transaction involving the deposit and interest, upon satisfactory payment by the customer for a period of twelve consecutive months or upon the customer demonstrating his/her creditworthiness by any other means.  Such accounts with deposits shall be reviewed within the first quarter following the end of the calendar year or upon the request of the customer.
Following customer-requested termination of service:

• The Cooperative shall apply the deposit plus accrued interest to the final bill, or

• Upon specific request from the customer, the Cooperative shall refund the deposit plus accrued interest within thirty (30) days after payment in full of all amounts due the Cooperative through the final bill.

A deposit may be used by the Cooperative to cover any unpaid balance following disconnection of service or applied toward any delinquency billed by the Cooperative; provided, however that any surplus be returned to the customer.