AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF WARWICK TO ISSUE BONDS AND NOTES IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $7,500,000 FOR PUBLIC SAFETY PROJECTS
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Introduced
By: Representatives Sherlock, Aiken, Ginaitt, McNamara, and Trillo |
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Date
Introduced: May 09, 2002 |
It is enacted
by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION
1. The City of Warwick is hereby empowered, in
addition to authority previously granted, to issue bonds to an amount not
exceeding Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($7,500,000) from time to
time under its corporate name and seal or a facsimile of such 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
sinking fund redemption in the case of term bonds, in annual installments of
principal, the first installment to be not later than three years and the last
installment not later than twenty years after the date of the bonds. For each issue the amounts payable in
several years for principal and interest combined shall be as nearly equal as
it is practicable to make them in the opinion of the officers authorized to
issue the bonds, or in the alternative, in accordance with a schedule providing
a more rapid amortization of principal.
SECTION
2. The bonds
shall be signed by the manual or facsimile signatures of the city treasurer and
the mayor and shall be issued and sold at not less than par and accrued
interest in such amounts as the city council may authorize by resolution. Article VII and sections 2-19 and 6-14 of
the city charter shall not apply to the authorization or issue of bonds and
notes hereunder or to the execution of the projects for which the bonds or
notes are issued. 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 the
proceedings of the city council authorizing the issue or by separate resolution
of the city 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
facsimile signature of the city treasurer.
The proceeds derived from the sale of the bonds shall be delivered to
the city treasurer, and such proceeds exclusive of premiums and accrued
interest shall be expended (a) for public safety projects, including
construction and renovation of the existing police station, construction of a
new fire station and the acquisition of fire engines and other public safety
equipment: (b) in payment of the principal of or interest on temporary notes
issued under section three; or (c) in repayment of advances under section four.
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 proceeds of bonds or notes issued under
this act, any applicable federal or state assistance and the other moneys
referred to in section six shall be deemed appropriated for the purposes of
this act without further action than that required by this act.
SECTION
3. The city
council may by resolution authorize the issue from time to time of interest
bearing or discounted notes in anticipation of the issue of bonds under section
two 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 city treasurer. Temporary notes issued hereunder shall be
signed by the city treasurer and by the mayor 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 issue 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 of the amount of bonds which may be issued
under this act, and provided further that if 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 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 city by the paying agent at the direction of the city 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 city.
SECTION
4. Pending
any authorization or issue of bonds hereunder or pending or in lieu of any authorization
or issue of notes hereunder, the city treasurer, with the approval of the city
council, may, to the extent that the bonds or notes may be issued hereunder,
apply funds in the treasury of the city 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 city treasurer in demand deposits, time deposits or saving 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 and by ordinance or resolution of the city.
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 premiums arising from the sale of bonds
or notes hereunder shall, in the discretion of the city director of finance, be
applied to the cost of preparing, issuing and marketing bonds or notes
hereunder to the extent not otherwise provided, to the payment of the costs of
the projects, 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 city
director of finance, be met from bond or note proceeds exclusive of issuing and
marketing bonds or notes hereunder shall upon receipt be applied to the payment
of the principal of or interest on bonds or noted issued hereunder. Any earnings or net profit realized from the
deposit or investment of funds hereunder, shall upon receipt be added to and
dealt with as part of the revenues of the city from property taxes. In exercising any discretion under this
section, the city director of finance shall be governed by any instructions
adopted by resolution of the city council.
SECTION
7. All Bonds
and notes issued under this act and the debts evidenced thereby shall be
obligatory on the city 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 include in the debt of the city for the purpose
of ascertaining its borrowing capacity.
The city 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 city shall be
subject to ad valorem taxation by the city without limitation as to rate or
amount.
SECTION
8. Any bonds
or notes issued under the provisions of this act, and coupons, if any, on any
bonds, if properly executed by officers of the city 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 city,
acting by resolution of its city council, is authorized to apply for, contract
for and expend any federal or state advances or other grants or assistance
which may be available for the purposes of this act, and any such expenditures
may be in addition to other 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 cost under section two.
SECTION
10. Bonds and
notes issued under this act and the use of proceeds of such bonds and notes
shall, unless otherwise specifically excepted under this act, be in accordance
with title 45, chapter 12 and title 35, chapter 11 of the general laws. Bonds and notes may be issued under this act
without obtaining the approval of any governmental agency or the taking of any
proceeding or the happening of any conditions except as specifically required
by this act for such issue. In carrying
out any projects financed in whole or in part under this act, including where
applicable the condemnation of any land or interest in land and in levying of
assessments or other charges permitted by law on account of any such projects,
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. The
question of the approval of this act shall be submitted to the electors of the
city at the general election to be held on November 5, 2002. The questions shall be submitted in
substantially the following form:
"Shall an Act, passed at the 2002 session of the General Assembly
entitled 'An Act Authorizing the City of Warwick to Issue Bonds and Notes in an
Amount Not to Exceed $7,500,000 for Public Safety Projects be approved?' and
the warning for the election shall contain the question to be submitted. From the time the election is warned and
until it is held, it shall be the duty of the city clerk to keep a copy of the
act available at the city clerk's office for public inspection, but the
validity of the election shall not be affected by this or any other public
posting requirement.
SECTION
12. This
section and the foregoing section shall take effect upon the passage of this
act. The remainder of this act shall
take effect upon the approval of this act by a majority of those voting on the
question at the election prescribed by the foregoing section.