§ 22-16-5 — Solid waste management board empowered to issue solid waste closure revenue bonds, renewal notes and refunding bonds; requirements and manner of such issuance

The solid waste management board is hereby empowered to issue, from time to time, solid waste closure revenue bonds and notes of the state in such principal amounts as the board deems necessary to pay the cost of or finance, in whole or in part, the closure of solid waste landfills by the division pursuant to the provisions of this article, but the aggregate amount of all issues of bonds and notes outstanding at one time for all projects authorized hereunder shall not exceed that amount capable of being serviced by revenues pledged for the payment of bonds and notes issued pursuant to this section, and shall not exceed in the aggregate the sum of $150,000,000.

The board may, from time to time, issue renewal notes, issue bonds to pay such notes and whenever it deems refunding expedient, refund any bonds by the issuance of solid waste closure revenue refunding bonds of the state. Except as may otherwise be expressly provided in this article or by the board, every issue of its bonds or notes are obligations of the board payable out of the revenues and reserves created for such purposes by the board, which are pledged for such payment, without preference or priority of the first bonds issued, subject only to any agreements with the holders of particular bonds or notes pledging any particular revenues. Such pledge is valid and binding from the time the pledge is made and the revenue so pledged and thereafter received by the board is immediately subject to the lien of such pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act and the lien of any such pledge is valid and binding as against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract or otherwise against the board irrespective of whether such parties have notice thereof. All such bonds and notes shall have all the qualities of negotiable instruments.

The bonds and notes shall be authorized by resolution of the board, shall bear such dates and shall mature at such times, in the case of any such note or any renewals thereof not exceeding five years from the date of issue of such original note, and in the case of any such bond not exceeding fifty years from the date of issue, as such resolution may provide. The bonds and notes shall bear interest at such rate, be in such denominations, be in such form, either coupon or registered, carry such registration privileges, be payable in such medium of payment, at such place and be subject to such terms of redemption as the board may authorize. The board may sell such bonds and notes at public or private sale, at the price the board determines. The bonds and notes shall be executed by the chair and vice chair of the board, both of whom may use facsimile signatures. The official seal of the board or a facsimile thereof shall be affixed thereto or printed thereon and attested, manually or by facsimile signature, by the secretary-treasurer of the board, and any coupons attached thereto shall bear the signature or facsimile signature of the chair of the board. In case any officer whose signature, or a facsimile of whose signature, appears on any bonds, notes or coupons ceases to be such officer before delivery of such bonds or notes, such signature or facsimile is nevertheless sufficient for all purposes the same as if he or she had remained in office until such delivery and, in case the seal of the board has been changed after a facsimile has been imprinted on such bonds or notes, such facsimile seal will continue to be sufficient for all purposes.

Any resolution authorizing any bonds or notes or any issue thereof may contain provisions (subject to such agreements with bondholders or noteholders as may then exist, which provisions shall be a part of the contract with the holders thereof) as to pledging all or any part of the revenues of the board to secure the payment of the bonds or notes or of any issue thereof; the use and disposition of revenues of the board; a covenant to fix, alter and collect rentals, fees, service charges and other charges so that pledged revenues will be sufficient to pay the cost of projects as provided in this article, related to closure activities, pay principal of and interest on bonds or notes secured by the pledge of such revenues and provide such reserves as may be required by the applicable resolution; the setting aside of reserve funds, sinking funds or replacement and improvement funds and the regulation and disposition thereof; the crediting of the proceeds of the sale of bonds or notes to and among the funds referred to or provided for in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds or notes; the use, lease, sale or other disposition of any solid waste disposal project or any other assets of the board; limitations on the purpose to which the proceeds of sale of bonds or notes may be applied and pledging such proceeds to secure the payment of the bonds or notes or of any issue thereof; agreement of the board to do all things necessary for the authorization, issuance and sale of bonds in such amounts as may be necessary for the timely retirement of notes issued in anticipation of the issuance of bonds; limitations on the issuance of additional bonds or notes; the terms upon which additional bonds or notes may be issued and secured; the refunding of outstanding bonds or notes; the procedure, if any, by which the terms of any contract with bondholders or noteholders may be amended or abrogated, the holders of which must consent thereto, and the manner in which such consent may be given; limitations on the amount of moneys to be expended by the board for operating, administrative or other expenses of the board; and any other matters, of like or different character, which in any way affect the security or protection of the bonds or notes.

In the event that the sum of all reserves pledged to the payment of such bonds or notes are less than the minimum reserve requirements established in any resolution or resolutions authorizing the issuance of such bonds or notes, the chair of the board shall certify, on or before December 1, of each year, the amount of such deficiency to the Governor of the state, for inclusion, if the Governor shall so elect, of the amount of such deficiency in the budget to be submitted to the next session of the Legislature for appropriation to the board to be pledged for payment of such bonds or notes: Provided, That the Legislature is not required to make any appropriation so requested, and the amount of such deficiencies does not constitute a debt or liability of the state.

Neither the members of the board nor any person executing the bonds or notes are liable personally on the bonds or notes or be subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of the issuance thereof.

Legislative History

1994 Reg. Sess., HB4065