AUTHORIZING THE TOWN OF EAST GREENWICH TO ISSUE NOT MORE THAN $12,500,000 BONDS AND NOTES TO FINANCE EXTENSION OF SEWER LINES AND THE UPGRADING OF THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT OF THE TOWN AND ALL ATTENDANT EXPENSES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ENGINEERING COSTS
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Introduced
By: Representatives Watson, and George |
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Date
Introduced: January 15, 2002 |
It is enacted
by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. The Town of East Greenwich is hereby empowered, in
addition to authority previously granted, to issue bonds to an amount not
exceeding twelve million five hundred thousand dollars ($12,500,000) from time
to time under its corporate name and seal.
The bonds of each issue may be issued in the form of serial bonds or
term bonds or a combination thereof and shall be payable either by maturity of
principal in the case of serial bonds or by mandatory serial redemption in the
case of term bonds, in annual installments of principal, the first installment
to be not later than five (5) years and the last installment not later than
thirty (30) years after the date of the bonds. All such bonds of a particular
issue may be issued in the form of zero coupon bonds, capital appreciation
bonds, serial bonds or term bonds or a combination thereof. Annual installments of principal may be
provided for by maturity of principal in the case of serial bonds or by
mandatory serial redemption in the case of term bonds. The amount of principal
appreciation each year on any bonds, after the date of original issuance, shall
not be considered to be principal indebtedness for the purposes of any
constitutional or statutory debt limit or any other limitation. The appreciation of principal after the date
of original issue shall be considered interest. Only the original principal
amount shall be counted in determining the principal amount so issued and any
interest component shall be disregarded.
SECTION
2. The bonds shall be signed by the manual or
facsimile signatures of the town treasurer and the town council president and
shall be issued and sold in such amounts as the town council may authorize by
resolution. The manner of sale, denominations, maturities, interest rates and
other terms, conditions and details of any bonds or notes issued under this act
may be fixed by proceedings of the town council authorizing the issue or by separate
resolution of the town council or, to the extent provisions for these matters
are not so made, they may be fixed by the officers authorized to sign the bonds
or notes. Interest coupons (if any) shall bear the manual or facsimile
signature of the town treasurer.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this act, the town may enter into
financing agreements with the Rhode Island clean water finance agency pursuant
to title 46, chapter 12.2 of the general laws, and with respect to notes or
bonds issued in connection with such financing agreements, if any, the town may
determine to have the provisions of title 46, chapter 12.2 of the general laws
apply to the issuance of the bonds or notes issued hereunder to the extent the
provisions of title 46, chapter 12.2 of the general laws are inconsistent
herewith. This determination may be
fixed by the proceedings of the town council authorizing such issuance or by
separate resolution of the town council or, to the extent provisions for these
matters are not so made, they may be fixed by the officers authorized to sign
the bonds or notes. The proceeds
derived from the sale of the bonds shall be delivered to the town treasurer,
and such proceeds, exclusive of premiums and accrued interest, shall be
expended (a) to finance extension of sewer lines and the upgrading of the
sewage treatment plant of the town and all attendant expenses, including but
not limited to engineering costs, (b) in payment of the principal of or
interest on temporary notes issued under section three (3), (c) in repayment of
advances under section four (4), (d) in payment of costs of issuance associated
with the issuance of the bonds or notes hereunder, and/or (e) to finance
capitalized interest on the project. No
purchaser of any bonds or notes under this act shall be in any way responsible
for the proper application of the proceeds derived from the sale thereof. The project shall be carried out and all
contracts made therefore on behalf of the town by the town council. The proceeds of bonds or notes issued under
this act, any applicable federal or state assistance and the other moneys
referred to in sections six and nine shall be deemed appropriated for the
purposes of this without further action than that required by this act. The bond issue authorized by this act may be
consolidated for the purposes of issuance and sale with any other bond issue of
the town heretofore or hereafter authorized, provided that, notwithstanding any
such consolidation, the proceeds from the sale of the bonds authorized by this
act shall be expended for the purposes set forth above. The town treasurer and
town council president, on behalf of the town, are hereby authorized to execute
such instruments, documents or other papers as either of them deem necessary or
desirable to carry out the intent of this act and are also authorized to take
all actions and execute all documents or agreements necessary to comply with
federal tax and securities laws, which documents or agreements may have a term
coextensive with the maturity of the bonds authorized hereby, including rule
15c2-12 of the securities and exchange commission and to execute and deliver a
continuing disclosure agreement or certificate in connection with the bonds or
notes.
SECTION
3. The town council may by resolution authorize the
issuance from time to time of interest bearing or discounted notes in
anticipation of the issuance of bonds or in anticipation of the receipt of
federal or state aid for the purposes of this act. The amount of original notes issued in anticipation of bonds may
not exceed the amount of bonds which may be issued under this act and the
amount of original notes issued in anticipation of federal or state aid may not
exceed the amount of available federal or state aid as estimated by the town treasurer.
Temporary notes issued hereunder shall be signed by the manual or facsimile
signatures of the town treasurer and the town council president and shall be
payable within five (5) years from their respective dates, but the principal of
and interest on notes issued for a shorter period may be renewed or paid from
time to time by the issuance of other notes hereunder, provided the period from
the date of an original note to the maturity of any note issued to renew or pay
the same debt or the interest thereon shall not exceed five (5) years. Any
temporary notes in anticipation of bonds issued under this section may be
refunded prior to the maturity of the notes by the issuance of additional
temporary notes, provided that no such refunding shall result in any amount of
such temporary notes outstanding at any one time in excess of two hundred
percent (200%) of the amount of bonds
which may be issued under this act, and provided further that if the issuance
of any such refunding notes results in any amount of such temporary notes
outstanding at any one time in excess
of the amount of bonds which may be issued under this act, the proceeds of such
refunding notes shall be deposited in a separate fund established with the bank
which is the paying agent for the notes being refunded. Pending their use to pay the notes being
refunded, moneys in the fund shall be invested for the benefit of the town by
the paying agent at the direction of the town treasurer in any investment
permitted under section five. The moneys in the fund and any investments held
as a part of the fund shall be held in trust and shall be applied by the paying
agent solely to the payment or prepayment of the principal of and interest on
the notes being refunded. Upon payment
of all principal of and interest on the notes, any excess moneys in the fund
shall be distributed to the town. The
town may pay the principal of and interest on notes in full from other than the
issuance of refunding notes prior to the issuance of bonds pursuant to Section
1 hereof. In such case, the town's
authority to issue bonds or notes in anticipation of bonds under this act shall
continue provided that (1) the town council passes a resolution evidencing the
town's intent to pay off the notes without extinguishing the authority to issue
bonds or notes and (2) that the period from the date of an original note to the
maturity date of any other note shall not exceed five (5) years.
SECTION
4. Pending
any authorization or issue of bonds hereunder or pending or in lieu of any
authorization or issue of notes hereunder, the town treasurer, with the
approval of the town council, may, to the extent that bonds or notes may be
issued hereunder, apply funds in the treasury of the town to the purposes
specified in section two, such advances to be repaid without interest from the
proceeds of bonds or notes subsequently issued or from the proceeds of
applicable federal or state assistance or from other available funds.
SECTION
5. Any proceeds of bonds or notes issued hereunder or
of any applicable federal or state assistance, pending their expenditure, may
be deposited or invested by the town treasurer in demand deposits, time
deposits, or savings deposits in banks which are members of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation or in obligations issued or guaranteed by the United
States of America or by any agency or instrumentality thereof or as may be
provided in any other applicable law of the state of Rhode Island or resolution
of the town council or pursuant to an investment policy of the town.
SECTION
6. Any accrued interest received upon the sale of
bonds or notes hereunder shall be applied to the payment of the first interest
due thereon. Any premium arising from the sale of bonds or notes hereunder
shall, in the discretion of the town treasurer, be applied to the cost of
preparing, issuing and marketing bonds or notes hereunder to the extent not
otherwise provided, to the payment of project costs, to the payment of the
principal of or interest on bonds or notes issued hereunder or to any one (1)
or more of the foregoing. The cost of
preparing, issuing and marketing bonds or notes hereunder may also, in the
discretion of the town treasurer, be met from bond or note proceeds exclusive
of premium and accrued interest or from other moneys available therefor. Any balance of bond or note proceeds
remaining after payment of the cost of the project and the cost of preparing,
issuing and marketing bonds or notes hereunder shall be applied to the payment
of the principal of or interest on bonds or notes issued hereunder. To the extent permitted by applicable
federal laws, any earnings or net profit realized from the deposit or
investment of funds hereunder may, upon receipt, be added to and dealt with as
part of the revenues of the town from property taxes. In exercising any discretion under this section, the town
treasurer shall be governed by any instructions adopted by resolution of the
town council.
SECTION
7. All bonds
and notes issued under this act and the debts evidenced thereby shall be
obligatory on the town in the same manner and to the same extent as other debts
lawfully contracted by it and shall be excepted from the operation of section
45-12-2 of the general laws. No such obligation shall at any time be included
in the debt of the town for the purpose of ascertaining its borrowing
capacity. The town shall annually
appropriate a sum sufficient to pay the principal and interest coming due
within the year on bonds and notes issued hereunder to the extent that moneys
therefor are not otherwise provided. If such sum is not appropriated, it shall
nevertheless be added to the annual tax levy. In order to provide such sum in
each year and notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, all taxable
property in the town shall be subject to ad valorem taxation by the town
without limitation as to rate or amount.
SECTION
8. Any bonds or notes issued under the provisions of
this act, and coupons, if any, if properly executed by officers of the town in
office on the date of execution, shall be valid and binding according to their
terms notwithstanding that before the delivery thereof and payment therefor any
or all of such officers shall for any reason have ceased to hold office.
SECTION
9. The town,
acting by resolution of its town council, is authorized to apply for, contract
for and expend any federal or state advances or other grants of assistance
which may be available for the purposes of this act, and any such expenditures
may be in addition to the moneys provided in this act. To the extent of any inconsistency between
any law of this state and any applicable federal law or regulation, the latter
shall prevail. Federal and state
advances, with interest where applicable, whether contracted for prior to or
after the effective date of this act, may be repaid as project costs under
section two.
SECTION
10. Bonds and
notes may be issued under this act without obtaining approval of any
governmental agency or the taking of any proceedings or the happening of any
conditions except as specifically required by this act for such issue. In carrying out any project financed in
whole or in part under this act, including where applicable the condemnation of
any land or interest in land, and in the levy and collection of assessments or
other charges permitted by law on account of any such project, all action shall
be taken which is necessary to meet constitutional requirements whether or not
such action is otherwise required by statute, but the validity of bonds and
notes issued hereunder shall in no way depend upon the validity or occurrence
of such action.
SECTION
11. All or
any portion of the authorized but unissued authority to issue bonds and notes
under this act may be extinguished by ordinance of the town council, without
further action by the general assembly, seven (7) years after the effective
date of this act.
SECTION
12. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary including Chapter 123
of the Public Laws of 1966, the Town Manager, under the supervision of the Town
Council, shall exercise all the functions, duties, and authority previously
granted to the Commissioner of public works with regard to the Town's entire
sewerage disposal system.
SECTION
13. This act
is intended to authorize the issuance of bonds as approved by resolutions of
the East Greenwich financial town meeting adopted on June 10, 1998 and June 9,
1999 in the aggregate principal amount of $12,500,000 and to permit proceeds of
the bonds to be expended for the upgrading of the sewage treatment plant of the
town, as well as for extending sewer lines, and all attendant expenses
including, but not limited to, engineering costs.
SECTION
14. This act shall take effect upon passage without
further voter approval notwithstanding section 1440 of the town charter.