§ 11-135-1

Any 2 or more municipalities, except cities of 500,000 or more inhabitants, may acquire either by purchase or construction a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, and may operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, and improve and extend the same, as provided in this Division 135. The corporate authorities of the specified municipalities desiring to avail themselves of the provisions of this Division 135 shall adopt a resolution or ordinance determining and electing to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be. Such resolution or ordinance may be rescinded at any time prior to the issuance and sale of revenue bonds and after the rescinding municipality has no outstanding obligation to pay a proportionate share of the costs of development, construction, or operation. Any municipality adopting a resolution or ordinance to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Division 135, is authorized from time to time to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself to the Commission, to bear a proportionate share of the development costs of any project proposed by the Commission, including plans, feasibility reports, and engineering, even though the project is never constructed or water is never supplied by the Commission to such municipality. Whenever any municipality determines to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself for its proportionate share of development costs as above provided, it shall adopt an ordinance declaring its intention to do so, fix the maximum amount of its share of the cost it proposes to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself for, and the period over which it proposes to pay its obligation (not exceeding 5 years) and the maximum amount to be paid annually, if such obligation is to be paid in installments. The time of payment of any such installment obligation may be extended for a period of not exceeding five years from the final maturity date of the original obligation. From and after such ordinance becomes effective, it shall be the duty of the municipality to include an amount sufficient to pay the annual installments of its obligation each year in the next succeeding appropriation ordinances. No prior appropriation shall be required for a municipality to authorize the payments, advances, or obligations herein provided for. Whenever any municipality has obligated itself for development costs as herein provided and after the effective date of the ordinance under which it obligated itself for a specific amount for development costs of a project and after approval of such obligation by the Commission, the Commission is authorized to borrow funds temporarily for payment of such development costs in advance of permanent financing. The Commission may from time to time and pursuant to an appropriate resolution borrow money and issue its interim notes to evidence borrowings for such purpose, including all necessary and incidental expenses in connection therewith. Any resolution authorizing the issuance of such notes shall describe the project and the development costs to be undertaken, specify the principal amount, rate of interest as authorized under Section 2 of the Bond Authorization Act, and the maturity date which shall coincide with the due date of the obligations or the installments thereof incurred by the respective municipalities pursuant to this Section not, however, to exceed 5 years from date. Contemporaneously with the issuance as provided by this Division of revenue bonds, all outstanding interim notes issued for development costs of a project though they have not then matured shall be paid, both principal and interest to date of payment, from funds derived from the sale of revenue bonds for the permanent financing of any such project for which interim notes may have been issued and such interim notes shall be surrendered and cancelled. Any municipality adopting a resolution or ordinance to acquire and operate jointly a waterworks system or a common source of supply of water, or both, as the case may be, under the provisions of this Division 135 is further authorized from time to time, to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself to the Commission to bear a proportionate share of the construction and operating costs of any project proposed by the Commission. Whenever a municipality determines to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself for its proportionate share of construction or operating costs as above provided, it shall adopt an ordinance declaring its intention to do so, fix the maximum amount of its share of the cost it proposes to pay, to advance, or to obligate itself for, and the period over which it proposes to pay its obligation and the maximum amount to be paid annually, if such obligation is to be paid in installments. From and after such ordinance becomes effective, it shall be the duty of the municipality to include an amount sufficient to pay the annual installments of its obligation each year in the next succeeding appropriation ordinances. No prior appropriation shall be required for a municipality to authorize the payments, advances, or obligations herein provided for. Whenever any municipality has paid, advanced, or obligated itself for development, construction, or operating costs as herein provided, the Commission is authorized to contract with such municipality, on such terms as may be agreed, for the repayment to such municipality by the Commission of any payment or advance made by such municipality to the Commission to charge, in addition to all other charges and rates authorized under the provisions of this Division, such rates and charges for water sold by the Commission as shall be necessary to provide for such repayment. In addition, any payment or advance of such costs made by a municipality pursuant to this Section may be repaid by the Commission to the municipality from the proceeds of revenue bonds authorized to be issued by the Commission pursuant to this Division 135.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-417, eff. 8-15-25.)