Walton EMC is a cooperative (also known as co-op). The difference between Walton EMC and other power companies is that we are owned and democratically controlled by those we serve. Each person who receives service from this non-profit, customer-owned electric utility is a member – and an owner.
Rural electric cooperatives began back in 1935 when the Rural Electric Administration (REA) was created with the help of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The REA’s goal was to provide electricity to rural areas and jobs during hard times.
Walton EMC started in 1936 to supply electricity to rural consumers whom investor-owned utilities refused to serve.
All co-ops operate by a few basic principles. Cooperatives trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England, in 1844.
Members have a direct voice in the way Walton EMC operates. Each year on the third Saturday in June, the co-op holds an annual meeting to take care of necessary business. The meeting is held at the Walton County Agricultural Education Center on Criswell Road in Monroe, Georgia.
Besides business, the meeting also features entertainment, door prizes and children’s activities. Many years, exhibits such as health screenings are also scheduled.
Walton EMC is financed by the Cooperative Finance Corporation (CFC). CFC is not affiliated with the government or Rural Utilities Service, thus Walton EMC does not receive government loans.
As a cooperative, Walton EMC operates on a not-for-profit basis – we’re not in business to make money, but to provide a service to our customer-owners. A cooperative is a business that is owned by those it serves (members) and operates on their behalf. Capital credits are your share of the earnings of Walton EMC.
Capital credits are based solely on how much business you do with the cooperative. Electric rates are set so the co-op charges slightly more than the actual cost of providing electric power. The extra (called margins) are used to pay for capital investments including poles, wire and equipment. By borrowing from its members instead of lending institutions, your cooperative is able to reduce its cost of doing business.
Your share of excess revenues is credited back to your capital credits account. Each year, the board of directors, whom you elect, determines when some portion of your capital credits may be refunded. These refunds are returned as a credit on your power bill.
Call (770) 267.2505 to speak to a Customer Care Representative from Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.