Sec. 32-80b. Energy improvement districts funding and revenue. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 32-80b. Energy improvement districts funding and revenue. (a) An energy improvement district board may, from time to time, issue bonds subject to the approval of the legislative body in the municipality in which the energy improvement district is located for the purpose of paying all or any part of the cost of acquiring, purchasing, constructing, reconstructing, improving or extending any energy improvement district distributed resources project and acquiring necessary land and equipment thereof or for any other authorized purpose of the board. The board may issue such types of bonds as it may determine, including, but not limited to, bonds payable as to principal and interest: (1) From its revenues generally; (2) exclusively from the income and revenues of a particular project; or (3) exclusively from the income and revenues of certain designated projects, whether or not they are financed in whole or in part from the proceeds of such bonds. Any such bonds may be additionally secured by a pledge of any grant or contribution from a participating municipality, the state or any political subdivision, agency or instrumentality thereof, any federal agency or any private corporation, copartnership, association or individual, or a pledge of any income or revenues of the board, or a mortgage on any project or other property of the board, provided such pledge shall not create any liability on the entity making such grant or contribution beyond the amount of such grant or contribution. Whenever and for so long as any board has issued and has outstanding bonds, the board shall fix, charge and collect rates, rents, fees and other charges in accordance with subsections (j) and (k) of this section. Neither the members of the board nor any person executing the bonds shall be liable personally on the bonds by reason of the issuance thereof. The bonds and other obligations shall so state on their face that they shall not be a debt of the state or any political subdivision thereof, except when the board or a participating municipality, in accordance with subsection (f) of section 32-80c, has guaranteed payment of principal and of interest on the same, and no person other than the board or such a public body shall be liable thereon, nor shall such bonds or obligations be payable out of any funds or properties other than those of the board or such a participating municipality. Such bonds shall not constitute an indebtedness within the meaning of any statutory limitation on the indebtedness of any participating municipality. Bonds of the board are declared to be issued for an essential public and governmental purpose. In anticipation of the sale of such revenue bonds, the board may issue negotiable bond anticipation notes and may renew the same from time to time. The maximum maturity of any such note, including renewals thereof, shall not exceed five years from the date of original issue. Such notes shall be paid from any revenues of the board available therefor and not otherwise pledged or from the proceeds of sale of the revenue bonds of the energy improvement district board in anticipation of which they were issued. The board shall issue the notes in the same manner as the revenue bonds. Such notes and the resolution or resolutions authorizing the same may contain any provisions, conditions or limitations that a bond resolution of the board may contain.

      (b) An energy improvement district board may issue bonds as serial bonds, as term bonds or as both. Bonds shall be authorized by resolution of the members of the authority and shall bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, not exceeding twenty years from their respective dates, bear interest at such rate or rates, or have provisions for the manner of determining such rate or rates, payable at such time or times, be in such denominations, be in such form, either coupon or registered, carry such registration privileges, be executed in such manner, be payable in lawful money of the United States of America at such place or places, and be subject to such terms of redemption, as such resolution or resolutions may provide. The revenue bonds or notes may be sold at public or private sale for such price or prices as the energy improvement district board shall determine. Pending preparation of the definitive bonds, the energy improvement district board may issue interim receipts or certificates that shall be exchanged for such definitive bonds.

      (c) Any resolution or resolutions authorizing any revenue bonds or any issue of revenue bonds may contain provisions, which shall be part of the contract with the holders of the revenue bonds to be authorized, as to: (1) Pledging all or any part of the revenues of a project or any revenue-producing contract or contracts made by the energy improvement district board with any individual, partnership, corporation or association or other body, public or private, to secure the payment of the revenue bonds or of any particular issue of revenue bonds, subject to such agreements with bondholders as may then exist; (2) the rentals, fees and other charges to be charged, the amounts to be raised in each year thereby and the use and disposition of the revenues; (3) the setting aside of reserves or sinking funds or other funds or accounts as the board may establish and the regulation and disposition thereof, including requirements that any such funds and accounts be held separate from or not be commingled with other funds of the board; (4) limitations on the right of the board or its agent to restrict and regulate the use of the project; (5) limitations on the purpose to which the proceeds of sale of any issue of revenue bonds then or thereafter to be issued may be applied and pledging such proceeds to secure the payment of the revenue bonds or any issue of the revenue bonds; (6) limitations on the issuance of additional bonds, the terms upon which additional bonds may be issued and secured and the refunding of outstanding bonds; (7) the procedure, if any, by which the terms of any contract with bondholders may be amended or abrogated, the amount of bonds the holders of which must consent thereto and the manner in which such consent may be given; (8) limitations on the amount of moneys derived from the project to be expended for operating, administrative or other expenses of the board; (9) defining the acts or omissions to act that shall constitute a default in the duties of the board to holders of its obligations and providing the rights and remedies of such holders in the event of a default; (10) the mortgaging of a project and the site thereof for the purpose of securing the bondholder; and (11) provisions for the execution of reimbursement agreements or similar agreements in connection with credit facilities, including, but not limited to, letters of credit or policies of bond insurance, remarketing agreements and agreements for the purpose of moderating interest rate fluctuations.

      (d) If any member whose signature or a facsimile of whose signature appears on any bonds or coupons ceases to be such member before delivery of such bonds, such signature or such facsimile shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes as if he had remained in office until such delivery. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 32-80a to 32-80c, inclusive, or any recitals in any bonds issued pursuant to subsections (a) to (h), inclusive, of this section, all such bonds shall be deemed to be negotiable instruments under the provisions of the general statutes.

      (e) Unless otherwise provided by the ordinance creating the energy improvement district board, the board may issue bonds pursuant to subsections (a) to (h), inclusive, of this section, without obtaining the consent of the state or of any political subdivision thereof and without any other proceedings or conditions specifically required by sections 32-80a to 32-80c, inclusive.

      (f) An energy improvement district board may, within available funds, purchase its bonds or notes. The energy improvement district board may hold, pledge, cancel or resell such bonds, subject to and in accordance with agreements with bondholders.

      (g) An energy improvement district board shall cause a copy of any bond resolutions adopted by it to be filed for public inspection in its office and in the office of the clerk of each participating municipality and may thereupon cause to be published at least once, in a newspaper published or circulating in each participating municipality, a notice stating the fact and date of such adoption and the places where such bond resolution has been so filed for public inspection and the date of the first publication of such notice and also stating that any action or proceeding of any kind or nature in any court questioning the validity or proper authorization of bonds provided for by the bond resolution, or the validity of any covenants, agreements or contracts provided for by the bond resolution, shall be commenced not later than twenty days after the first publication of such notice. If any such notice is published and if no action or proceeding questions the validity or proper authorization of bonds provided for by the bond resolution referred to in such notice or the validity of any covenants, agreements or contracts provided for by the bond resolution is commenced or instituted not later than twenty days after the first publication of said notice, then all residents and taxpayers and owners of property in each participating municipality and all other persons shall be forever barred and foreclosed from instituting or commencing any action or proceeding in any court or from pleading any defense to any action or proceeding questioning the validity or proper authorization of such bonds or the validity of such covenants, agreements or contracts, and said bonds, covenants, agreements and contracts shall be conclusively deemed to be valid and binding obligations in accordance with their terms and tenor.

      (h) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, (1) the state shall not have any liability or responsibility with regard to any obligation issued by the board, and (2) no political subdivision of the state shall have any liability or responsibility with regard to any obligation issued by the board except as expressly provided by sections 32-80a to 32-80c, inclusive.

      (i) An energy improvement district board may secure any bonds issued pursuant to subsection (b) of section 32-80a by a trust indenture by way of conveyance, deed of trust or mortgage of any project or any other property of the board, whether or not financed in whole or in part from the proceeds of such bonds, or by a trust agreement by and between the board and a corporate trustee, which may be any trust company or bank having the powers of a trust company within or without the state or by both such conveyance, deed of trust or mortgage and indenture or trust agreement. Such trust indenture or agreement may pledge or assign any or all fees, rents and other charges to be received or proceeds of any contract or contracts pledged, and may convey or mortgage any property of the board. Such trust indenture or agreement may contain such provisions for protecting and enforcing the right and remedies of the bondholders as may be reasonable and proper and not in violation of law, including provisions that have been specifically authorized to be included in any resolution or resolutions of the board authorizing the issue of bonds. Any bank or trust company incorporated under the laws of the state may act as depository of the proceeds of such bonds or of revenues or other moneys and may furnish such indemnifying bonds or pledge such securities as may be required by the board. Such trust indenture may set forth rights and remedies of the bondholders and of the trustee and may restrict the individual right of action by bondholders. In addition, such trust indenture or agreement may contain such other provisions as the board may deem reasonable and proper for the security of the bondholders. All expenses incurred in carrying out the provisions of such trust indenture or agreement may be treated as part of the cost of a project.

      (j) An energy improvement district board may fix, revise, charge and collect rates, rents, fees and charges for the use of and for the services furnished or to be furnished by each project and to contract with any person, partnership, association or corporation, or other body, public or private, in respect thereof. Such rates, rents, fees and charges shall be fixed and adjusted in respect of the aggregate of rates, rents, fees and charges from such project so as to provide funds sufficient with other revenues, if any, to (1) pay the cost of maintaining, repairing and operating the project and each and every portion thereof, to the extent that the payment of such cost has not otherwise been adequately provided for, (2) pay the principal and interest of outstanding revenue bonds of the board issued in respect of such project as the same shall become due and payable, and (3) create and maintain reserves required or provided for in any resolution authorizing, or trust agreement securing, such revenue bonds of the board. Such rates, rents, fees and charges shall not be subject to supervision or regulation by any department, commission, board, body, bureau or agency of this state other than the board. A sufficient amount of the revenues derived in respect of a project, except such part of such revenues as may be necessary to pay the cost of maintenance, repair and operation and to provide reserves and for renewals, replacements, extensions, enlargements and improvements as may be provided for in the resolution authorizing the issuance of any revenue bonds of the board or in the trust agreement securing the same, shall be set aside at such regular intervals as may be provided in such resolution or trust agreement in a sinking or other similar fund which is hereby pledged to, and charged with, the payment of the principal of and the interest on such revenue bonds as the same shall become due, and the redemption price or the purchase price of bonds retired by call or purchase as therein provided. Such pledge shall be valid and binding from the time when the pledge is made; the rates, rents, fees and charges and other revenues or other moneys so pledged and thereafter received by the board shall immediately be subject to the lien of any such pledge, without any physical delivery thereof or further act, and the lien of any such pledge shall be 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. Neither the resolution nor any trust indenture or agreement by which a pledge is created need be filed or recorded except in the records of the board. The use and disposition of moneys to the credit of such sinking or other similar fund shall be subject to the provisions of the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or of such trust agreement. Except as may otherwise be provided in such resolution or such trust indenture or agreement, such sinking or other similar fund shall be a fund for all revenue bonds issued to finance a project of such board without distinction or priority of one over another.

      (k) All moneys received by the board pursuant to sections 32-80a to 32-80c, inclusive, whether as proceeds from the sale of bonds or as revenues, shall be deemed to be trust funds to be held and applied solely as provided pursuant to this subsection and subsection (j) of this section.

      (l) Any holder of bonds, notes, certificates or other evidences of borrowing issued pursuant to subsection (b) of section 32-80a or of any of the coupons appertaining thereto and the trustee under any trust indenture or agreement, except to the extent the right may be restricted by such trust indenture or agreement, may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, injunction, mandamus or other proceedings, protect and enforce any and all rights under the provisions of the general statutes or granted by sections 32-80a to 32-80c, inclusive, or under such trust indenture or agreement or the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds, notes or certificates, and may enforce and compel the performance of all duties required by said sections or by such trust indenture or agreement or solution to be performed by the energy improvement district board or by any officer or agent thereof, including the fixing, charging and collection of fees, rents and other charges.

      (P.A. 07-242, S. 24-27.)

      History: P.A. 07-242 effective June 4, 2007.