How the cooperative shares its yearly savings

(a) At least once a year the members, the directors, or both, as the articles or bylaws provide, shall apportion the net savings of the association to one or more of the following categories; except that not less than ten per cent shall be placed in a surplus fund until such time as the fund shall equal at least fifty per cent of the paid-up share or membership capital: (1) Interest-dividends, within the limitations of section 421C-19 may be paid upon share or membership capital; (2) A portion of the net savings as determined by the articles or bylaws, may be allocated to an educational fund to be used to further the understanding of the practices and principles of cooperation; (3) The association may also choose to pay a patronage refund from net savings and this shall be allocated at the same uniform rate to either the members or to all patrons of the association in proportion to their individual patronage, and according to the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended; provided that: (A) In the case of a member patron, the patron's proportionate amount of patronage refund shall be distributed to the patron; (B) In the case of nonmember patrons, their proportionate amount of patronage refund, as the articles or bylaws may provide, may be distributed to them or, if requested by them, credited to their account until the amount of share or membership capital subscribed for has been fully paid. (4) The association may also choose to retain some or all its net savings and allocate it in the manner in which it will benefit the general welfare of all the members of the association. (b) The surplus fund established in subsection (a) may be expended for capital improvements or emergencies upon a two-thirds majority vote of the directors, or may be expended under section 421C-22, 421C-23, or 421C-24, by majority vote of the directors.