Application of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority

1952 OK 247, 246 P.2d 327, 206 Okla. 617, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 670
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 2, 1952
Docket35575
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 1952 OK 247 (Application of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Application of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, 1952 OK 247, 246 P.2d 327, 206 Okla. 617, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 670 (Okla. 1952).

Opinion

WELCH, J.

The applicant, hereinafter referred to as the Authority, pursuant to statutory provisions of the Oklahoma Turnpike Act, 69 O. S. 1951 §651 et seq., provided by resolution for the issuance of Turnpike Revenue Bonds in the additional sum of $7,000,-000 to mature August 1, 1990. This application for the approval of such bonds is authorized by statutory provisions of the Act, S. L. 1947, page 490, §18, Title 69 O.S. 1951 §668.

Notice of the hearing on such application was given in the manner provided by the last-cited section, and in due time appearance was fhade and protest against the issuance of the bonds was filed and presented by J. W. Dobson, Jr., and Alva E. Dobson.

Thereupon this court gave precedence to the cause and heard and considered the matters and contentions presented by the applicant and by the protestants in order to properly determine all questions presented and to reach the decision. contemplated by that statute.

We have considered the application filed June 9, 1952, and the protest filed June 23, 1952, and have heard oral presentations by attorneys for the applicant and attorneys for the protestants.

At the' outset we observe that in 1950 the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority presented its initial application for the approval of Turnpike Revenue Bonds in the sum of $31,000,000 to provide funds to build the Turner Turnpike between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. We approved that bond issue. Application of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, 203 Okla. 335, 221 P. 2d 795. In that action various questions were settled as to the creation of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, its authority in the manner of the issuance of bonds and as to the procedure in such matters. In this action there is no question generally as to the power of the applicant to issue additional bonds. The application discloses the necessity and need for additional funds justifying the is *619 suance and sale of additional bonds, and by reason of these facts and of our former decision above cited, we need now only discuss and determine the specific questions presented in connection with this application for the approval of this additional or supplementary bond issue.

Several questions are presented which we number and discuss consecutively for convenience and to meet the method of presentation.

First Question: “Was the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority authorized by the Act to sell the $7,000,000.00 additional turnpike revenue bonds of the Authority at public sale for $6,755,000.00 and accrued interest for bonds bearing interest at the rate of 3 %% per an-num, such price requiring the payment of interest on the money received therefor at less than four per centum (4%) per annum computed with relation to the absolute maturity of the bonds in accordance with the standard table of bond values, excluding from such computation the amount of any premium to be paid on the redemption of any bonds prior to maturity?”

On this point essential facts are that the initial bond issue of $31,000,000, the last maturities thereof being August 1, 1990, and these additional bonds, in the sum of $7,000,000, will all be paid from revenue received from the operation of the Turner Turnpike extending between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

The law provides for additional bonds to be issued if need therefor arises in the construction of the project. 69 O.S. 1951 §659. In the proceedings for the initial bond issue for construction of this project it was provided that additional bonds might be issued if such need therefor should arise and such provision was set out in each of the 31,000 bonds initially issued and sold. As to this additional or supplementary bond issue there is a definite tie-in with the initial bond issue, so that' the bonds of both issues will be paid, principal and interest, through the plan provided by the trust agreement executed in connection with the initial bond issue. That agreement provides in detail for the handling of all revenues from this toll road and for the payments therefrom of interest and principal of all bonds issued for construction of the project.

As to the sale of this additional or supplementary issue of $7,000,000 in bonds, due notice was given but there was only one bid. That bid was made by Shields & Company and associates who were the purchasers, or interested in the purchase, of the initial issue of $31,000,000 in bonds. That bidder offered to buy this issue of $7,000,000 in bonds for .$6,755,000 in cash, the bonds of $7,000,000 to bear interest at the rate of 3.75% per annum. By calculation the applicant observed that the payment of the aforesaid interest rate for the life of these bonds plus the discount of $245,000 would result in the aggregate payment of less than 4% per year of the amount of money presently received, and therefore the applicant desires to accept such bid, and urges that a sale on that plan would be within the statutory provisions.

The protestants urge that such a sale plan is not within the statutory provision and that brings us to a consideration of the statutory provisions for the sale of such bonds. The statute, 69 O.S. 1951 §659, provides:

“The Authority shall sell such bonds at public sale. * * * All bonds shall be sold to the bidder who will bid therefor par and accrued interest, and who shall stipulate in his bid the lowest rate of interest which such bonds shall bear. It is the intent of this Act that the bonds shall be awarded to the bidder bidding rate or rates of interest which will be the lowest interest cost during the life of the bonds.

It is upon this provision that the protestants rely. But in this case there was no bidder who bid par and accrued interest. If there had been such a bidder then this provision of the statute might have application. This contention of the protestants overlooks *620 a subsequent provision in the same section, as follows:

“* * * The bonds need not be issued and sold in series. In no event shall the bonds be sold at a price so low as to require the payment of interest on the money received therefor at more than four per cent (4%) compüted with relation to the absolute maturity of the bonds in accordance with the standard tables of bond values.

This latter provision clearly contemplates that bids might be received at less than par value as in the instant case. The purpose of that latter provision is to prevent the Turnpike Authority, in the case of such a bid, from selling the bonds at a price so low as to result in the payment of interest, or in the payment of such a sum for the use of the money as to result in a payment greater than 4% per an-num “on the money received.”

Protestants urge that it has heretofore been the legislative policy to require public bonds to be sold at not less than par and accrued interest. In that connection our attention is directed to the statute, 62 O.S. 1951 §§351 and 352. Section 351 does require that the bonds therein named must be sold for not less than par with accrued interest added, but that section specifically refers to “bonds issued by a vote of the people,” while section 352 provides penalties for the wrongful sale of such bonds therein referred to. There is no provision in those sections specifically referring to revenue bonds such as the bonds involved in this proceeding.

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1952 OK 247, 246 P.2d 327, 206 Okla. 617, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/application-of-oklahoma-turnpike-authority-okla-1952.