Golden Valley Electric Association Inc

“Gvea is an electric cooperative owned by its members.”

“The board's directors are elected by members and serve three-year terms.”

“Changes to the association's bylaws and articles of incorporation are subject to approval by the membership. In addition, some dispositions of assets and mergers and consolidations are also subject to approval of the membership as outlined in the bylaws, article ix.”

“Board committees do not have authority to act on behalf of the governing body; however, board committees do make recommendations to the board as a whole for approval during board meetings.”

“Form 990 and 990t are drafted by bdo and then reviewed by the executive and financial officers, and submitted to the association's tax firm for finalization.”

“Directors are required to submit annual conflict of interest disclosures, which are reviewed by the board as a whole. In 2010, the employee conflict of interest policy was amended to require disclosures from the president and vice-presidents. These disclosures are retained by the association attorney. The association is not required to make the conflict of interest disclosures available to the public.”

“The compensation of the chief executive officer is determined by the board of directors as a whole, and is established in a written contract. Compensation is based on data provided by an outside consultant specializing in utility cooperatives. The board meets in executive session to discuss this contract, but votes in an open board meeting to approve the contract. Compensation of officers and key employees are determined by the chief executive officer (ceo) utilizing the following process: all non-bargaining positions within the association other than that of the ceo are compensated within specific wage groups which have predetermined pay ranges. The wage group mid-points are adjusted annually and the wage groups themselves are reviewed and adjusted every five years. Both the mid-point and wage group adjustments are based on recommendations facilitated by an outside consultant specializing in utility cooperatives. The mid-point adjustments and the company wide compensation are reviewed by the board of directors as a whole as part of the budget approval process. Individual compensation within the appropriate range is determined by the employees' supervisor based on documented performance reviews, and are effective the first of each year.”

“The association's bylaws are available on its website. An annual report of the cooperative is also available on the web which includes an abbreviated summary of the balance sheet and statement of income and expenses. The association is not required to make the conflict of interest policies and financial statements available to the public; however, they are available upon request by a member.”

“Patronage dividends result from the payment of interest from cooperative banks and the purchase of supplies and services from other cooperative organizations. The expenses associated with purchases from and payments to such cooperative organizations are a direct component of cost of the electric service provided by the cooperative to its members.”

“GVEA is committed to safely delivering reliable electricity, quality service, and innovative energy solutions at fair prices, recognizing GVEA's importance to the economic, environmental, and social viability of our communities.”

“GVEA is committed to safely delivering reliable electricity, quality service, and innovative energy solutions at fair prices, recognizing GVEA's importance to the economic, environmental, and social viability of our communities.”

“Pursuant to the form 990 instructions, the amount of patronage dividends paid to the members (hereinafter referred to as "patrons") should be reported on part ix, line 4. The phrase "patronage dividends paid" refers to the process, subsequent to year-end, by which the cooperative allocates patronage capital to and, therefore, operates at cost with its patrons. The cooperative's tax exempt purpose is to provide electricity to its patrons and to do so on a cooperative basis. Tax law defines "operating on a cooperative basis" as subordination of capital, democratic control, and operation at cost. The cooperative operates at cost through the allocation of true patronage dividends (also referred to as allocations of patronage capital) to its patrons. Patronage dividends are considered paid if the allocation is made (1) pursuant to a pre-existing obligation,(2) from the margins produced from the transactions done with or for patrons, and (3) in a fair and equitable manner on the basis of patronage (i.e. Purchases). Additionally, the allocation of patronage dividends should be made within a reasonable time period after the close of the cooperative's year-end of december 31. Each one of these requirements for a true patronage dividend is provided for in the cooperative's by-law article viii - not-for-profit operation. The amount reported on part ix, line 4 represents the amount of patronage capital that is either allocated or to be allocated to the patrons resulting from their purchase of electricity from the cooperative for the 2023 calendar year. Because patronage dividends are the process by which the cooperative operates at cost with its patrons and thereby a key component to accomplishing its exempt purpose, the cooperative has reported such amounts as an expense for form 990 reporting. However, patronage dividends are not an expense for financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.”

“COST OF OPERATION - DETAILED LISTING: Cost of power and production 209,613,098 Distribution - Maintenance 17,668,551 Distribution - Operations 7,012,419 Transmission - Maintenance 3,104,260 Transmission - Operations 2,284,147 Consumer Accounts 5,356,700 Consumer Services & Information Expense 1,085,811 Adminstrative, General & Other Interest 7,858,602 Other Deductions 365,355 Salaries, Wages, Benefits and Taxes, Line 5-10 (47,811,280) FORM 990, PART IX, LINE 24A Total 206,537,663”

“OTHER CHANGES IN NET ASSETS OR FUND BALANCES: CHANGE IN OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME $4,582,260 PATRONAGE CAPITAL RETIRED - TOTAL (4,817,854) PATRONAGE CAPITAL RETIRED - DISCOUNT 735,741 CHANGE IN SCHOLARSHIP INVESTMENT (57,003) PATRONAGE EXP (FORM 990,PART IX, LINE 4) NOT F/S EXP 774,349 PRECONVERSION ADJUSTMENT 677,822 Form 990, Part XI, Line 9 TOTAL 1,895,315”

“Form 990 and the association's financial statements are prepared on an accrual basis utilizing the rural utilities service (rus) uniform system of accounts 7 cfr part 1767. However, expensed wages and salaries are itemized for better disclosure.”

“Election to capitalize section 266 costs - consistent with past practice, golden valley electric association elects to capitalize all carrying charges pursuant to section 266 of the internal revenue code of 1986, as amended, and the provisions of treasury regulation section 1.266-1 there under.”