Section 3-60A-23.1 - Tax increment bonds. - New Mexico Statutes

3-60A-23.1. Tax increment bonds.

A.     For the purpose of financing metropolitan redevelopment projects, in whole or in part, a municipality may issue tax increment bonds or tax increment bond anticipation notes that are payable from and secured by real property taxes, in whole or in part, allocated to the metropolitan redevelopment fund pursuant to the provisions of Sections 3-60A-21 and 3-60A-23 NMSA 1978. The principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the bonds or notes shall be payable from and secured by a pledge of such revenues, and the municipality shall irrevocably pledge all or part of such revenues to the payment of the bonds or notes. The revenues deposited in the metropolitan redevelopment fund or the designated part thereof may thereafter be used only for the payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the bonds or notes, and a holder of the bonds or notes shall have a first lien against the revenues deposited in the metropolitan redevelopment fund or the designated part thereof for the payment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such bonds or notes. To increase the security and marketability of the tax increment bonds or notes, the municipality may:   

(1)     create a lien for the benefit of the bondholders on any public improvements or public works used solely by the metropolitan redevelopment project or portion of a project financed by the bonds or notes, or on the revenues of such improvements or works;   

(2)     provide that the proceeds from the sale of real and personal property acquired with the proceeds from the sale of bonds or notes issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law [3-60A-19 NMSA 1978] shall be deposited in the metropolitan redevelopment fund and used for the purposes of repayment of principal of, premium, if any, and interest on such bonds or notes; and   

(3)     make covenants and do any and all acts not inconsistent with law as may be necessary, convenient or desirable in order to additionally secure the bonds or notes or make the bonds or notes more marketable in the exercise of the discretion of the local governing body.   

B.     Bonds and notes issued pursuant to this section shall not constitute an indebtedness within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory debt limitation or restriction, shall not be general obligations of the municipality, shall be collectible only from the proper pledged revenues and shall not be subject to the provisions of any other law or charter relating to the authorization, issuance or sale of tax increment bonds or tax increment bond anticipation notes. Bonds and notes issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law [3-60A-19 NMSA 1978] are declared to be issued for an essential public and governmental purpose and, together with interest thereon, shall be exempted from all taxes by the state.   

C.     The bonds or notes shall be authorized by an ordinance of the municipality; shall be in such denominations, bear such date and mature, in the case of bonds, at such time not exceeding twenty years from their date, and in the case of notes, not exceeding five years from the date of the original note; bear interest at a rate or have appreciated principal value not exceeding the maximum net effective interest rate permitted by the Public Securities Act [6-14-1 NMSA 1978]; and be in such form, carry such registration privileges, be executed in such manner, be payable in such place within or without the state, be payable at intervals or at maturity and be subject to such terms of redemption as the authorizing ordinance or supplemental resolution or resolutions of the municipality may provide.   

D.     The bonds or notes may be sold in one or more series at, below or above par, at public or private sale, in such manner and for such price as the municipality, in its discretion, shall determine; provided that the price at which the bonds or notes are sold shall not result in a net effective interest rate that exceeds the maximum permitted by the Public Securities Act. As an incidental expense of a metropolitan redevelopment project or portion thereof financed with the bonds or notes, the municipality in its discretion may employ financial and legal consultants with regard to the financing of the project.   

E.     In case any of the public officials of the municipality whose signatures appear on any bonds or notes issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law [3-60A-19 NMSA 1978] shall cease to be public officials before the delivery of the bonds or notes, the signatures shall, nevertheless, be valid and sufficient for all purposes, the same as if the officials had remained in office until delivery. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, any bonds or notes issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law shall be fully negotiable.   

F.     In any suit, action or proceeding involving the validity or enforceability of any bond or note issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law or the security therefor, any bond or note reciting in substance that it has been issued by the municipality in connection with a metropolitan redevelopment project shall be conclusively deemed to have been issued for such purpose and the project shall be conclusively deemed to have been planned, located and carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code [3-60A-1 NMSA 1978].   

G.     The proceedings under which tax increment bonds or tax increment bond anticipation notes are authorized to be issued and any mortgage, deed of trust, trust indenture or other lien or security device on real and personal property given to secure the same may contain provisions customarily contained in instruments securing bonds and notes and constituting a covenant with the bondholders.   

H.     A municipality may issue bonds or notes pursuant to this section with the proceeds from the bonds or notes to be used as other money is authorized to be used in the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code.   

I.     The municipality shall have the power to issue renewal notes, to issue bonds to pay notes and whenever it deems refunding expedient, to refund any bonds by the issuance of new bonds, whether the bonds to be refunded have or have not matured, and to issue bonds partly to refund bonds then outstanding and partly for other purposes in connection with financing metropolitan redevelopment projects, in whole or in part. Refunding bonds issued pursuant to the Tax Increment Law to refund outstanding tax increment bonds shall be payable from real property tax revenues, out of which the bonds to be refunded thereby are payable or from other lawfully available revenues.   

J.     The proceeds from the sale of any bonds or notes shall be applied only for the purpose for which the bonds or notes were issued and if, for any reason, any portion of the proceeds are not needed for the purpose for which the bonds or notes were issued, the unneeded portion of the proceeds shall be applied to the payment of the principal of or the interest on the bonds or notes.   

K.     The cost of financing a metropolitan redevelopment project shall be deemed to include the actual cost of acquiring a site and the cost of the construction of any part of a project, including architects' and engineers' fees, the purchase price of any part of a project that may be acquired by purchase and all expenses in connection with the authorization, sale and issuance of the bonds or notes to finance the acquisition, and any related costs incurred by the municipality.   

L.     No action shall be brought questioning the legality of any contract, mortgage, deed of trust, trust indenture or other lien or security device, proceeding or bonds or notes executed in connection with any project authorized by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Code on and after thirty days from the effective date of the ordinance authorizing the issuance of such bonds or notes.