For cities & counties

What staff, councils and economic-development authorities need to know when a 308B cooperative applies, partners or seeks support.

• What a 308B cooperative is, for city and county staff

  A 308B cooperative is a business entity chartered by filing articles with the Secretary of State, owned and controlled by its members, run by a board, and shielded from member liability.

• Verify that a cooperative exists and is in good standing

  Look the cooperative up in the Secretary of State's business search, read the status and renewal fields, and know what the statute says happens when a renewal is missed.

• Licensing, zoning and permits when the applicant is a cooperative

  Chapter 308B sets who the cooperative is and what it may do; it does not speak to zoning, licenses or permits, so those questions stay with local law.

• Buying from or contracting with a cooperative

  A cooperative can contract, but municipal procurement rules depend on contract type, value, exceptions and local authority—not merely the vendor's entity form.

• Giving a cooperative a loan, grant or other local assistance

  Local assistance requires program authority and a transaction-specific business-subsidy analysis; chapter 308B separately governs the cooperative's borrowing and authorization.

• Frequently asked questions from city and county staff

  Short answers to what clerks, planners and attorneys most often ask when a 308B cooperative applies for something, with a pointer to the section or page behind each answer.

• Model questions to ask a cooperative applicant

  A checklist of questions staff can put to a cooperative that applies for a license, contract or assistance, each tied to the statute section that makes the answer meaningful.