IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Effective 1/1/2012 a new law passed by the House Bill 268 will require a person claiming a sales tax exemption on electricity used in the production of agricultural and timber products to obtain an exemption registration number from the Texas Comptroller.  WCEC will require a registration number from each member who is claiming agricultural tax exemption or sales tax exemption for non-residential accounts.

 

All exemption certificates on file with Wharton County Electric Cooperative are good through the end of 2011.  A new exemption certificate showing the Ag/Timber number must be on file with WCEC before or on January 1, 2012 to claim an exemption.  If WCEC does not receive an updated sales tax Exemption Certificate by January 1, 2012, your non-residential accounts will be coded as taxable.  These accounts will not be coded as tax exempt until the registration number is provided to WCEC.

 

Please complete the Texas Agricultural Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certification on the backside of this letter and return to WCEC on or before January 1, 2012.  Wharton County Electric Cooperative cannot accept an exemption certificate without a Texas Ag/Timber registration number.  If you are eligible for a Texas Agricultural and Timber Exemption Registration number and have not applied, please do so at your earliest convenience.

 

For any questions or concerns please contact Wharton County Electric Cooperative at 979-543-6271.  Thank you for giving this matter your immediate attention.

If you would like to apply online, use this link and follow the instructions:

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/agriculture/get_ready_texas.html

The exemption form can be found here:

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/taxforms/01-924.pdf

 

More information about the changes can be found here:

http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/agriculture/

 

 

 

Trees are beautiful, and we all love to have them around. They can actually help reduce utility bills in some cases, when planted in the correct spots. But when they are too close to power lines, they can become a costly problem.

People who want to buffer the summer heat from their homes can plant deciduous trees—those that shed their leaves in the winter—on the south and west sides of their dwellings. The green leaves can help block the afternoon sun, keeping home interiors more comfortable and reducing some of the demand on their air conditioners.

In the winter, when those trees lose their leaves, the bare branches allow more sun to hit the roof, walls and windows, adding heat to the living space, perhaps allowing a lower heating system setting, thereby reducing the utility bill.

But care should be taken when choosing the type of trees to plant and deciding where to plant them. Too close to the home, the limbs could damage the roof if there’s a storm. Trees that grow too large can reduce the benefit of the shade and can become a maintenance issue.

In addition, if big trees are planted too close to power lines, they can interfere with the reliable delivery of electricity and drive up costs for everyone.

At Wharton County Electric Cooperative, delivering a reliable supply of electricity while keeping prices in check is our chief mission. One way we can accomplish both is keeping cooperative electricity lines free from tree limbs and the rights-of-way clear from overgrown vegetation.

Standards dictate that a tree’s reach extend no closer than 10 feet from power lines. That allows for a tree to sway in the wind without possibly touching lines or causing an arc of electricity. If a tree’s branches are actually in contact with lines, that can siphon power off our grid, adding to the problem of line loss (power that’s generated and paid for but is lost in transmission). Not to mention that this can be a safety hazard.

By planting your trees with attention to their distance from power lines, you can reduce tree trimming that becomes necessary when limbs grow close enough to pose a hazard.