Any cooperative corporation to be formed under this chapter shall be either a general cooperative corporation or a local cooperative corporation.

1. (a) A general cooperative corporation is one formed under this chapter for the purpose of furnishing engineering, financial accounting, or educational services to its members or to persons expecting to form a local cooperative corporation, and having for its members only its incorporators or local cooperative corporations. It shall not render communications service and the commission shall not allocate to it any territory for such purpose.
2. (b) A general cooperative corporation may be formed to have as members, and serve, local cooperative corporations in all, or certain named, counties of this state, not including any county previously named as part of the territory to be served by another general cooperative corporation then organized and existing, unless such other general cooperative corporation duly consents in writing, filed with the commission, to such inclusion.

3. (c) A general cooperative corporation, before obtaining the approval of its articles of incorporation, must prove to the commission that it has written consent to its incorporation signed by or on behalf of:

   1. (1) the local cooperative corporations then existing and contemplated to be members of the general cooperative corporation; and

   2. (2) the incorporated agricultural association or associations, including in its or their members at least one-third (1/3) of the members residing in the territory in which the general cooperative proposes to operate and reasonably anticipated to become members of local cooperative corporations which will become members of such general cooperative corporation.

      Such signatures of said local cooperative corporations and of such agricultural associations shall be made by their respective presidents or vice presidents, and secretaries or assistant secretaries, and shall be supported by certified copies of resolutions authorizing the same and duly adopted by their boards of directors, respectively.

As amended by P.L.59-1984, SEC.77; P.L.97-1993, SEC.6; P.L.136-2018, SEC.74; P.L.81-2020, SEC.10.