[Added 1-22-2019 by Bill
No. 18-8]
(a)
Recitals.
(1)
Pursuant to Sections 19-501 to 19-510, inclusive, of the Local Government
Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, as amended (the "Act"),
County Commissioners of Worcester County, Maryland (the "County")
may borrow money for any public purpose and may evidence the borrowing
by the issuance and sale of its general obligation bonds.
(2)
By and through Resolution No. 19-1, adopted by the Board of County
Commissioners of Worcester County (the "Board") on January 8, 2019,
the County has approved and adopted the Worcester County Five Year
Capital Improvement Plan - FY 2020 to FY 2024 which includes construction
and equipping of a new Showell Elementary School.
(3)
The Board, based upon the findings and determinations and subject
to the conditions set forth below, has determined to borrow money
in an aggregate principal amount of not more than $38,000,000 and
to evidence such borrowing by the issuance, sale and delivery of its
general obligation bonds (the "Bonds") pursuant to the provisions
of the Act, and to apply the proceeds of the Bonds to finance construction
and equipping of a new Showell Elementary School, including (without
limitation) payment of all related costs and the costs of issuance
of the Bonds, all subject to the terms and conditions of this Local
Law.
(b)
The Board, acting pursuant to the Act, hereby determines and declares
that:
(1)
There is a public need for construction and equipping of a new Showell
Elementary School.
(2)
The estimated cost for construction and equipping of a new Showell
Elementary School is approximately $48,552,420.
(3)
The funds proposed to be borrowed for construction and equipping
of a new Showell Elementary School can be provided at the lowest annual
interest rate and cost of issuance by the issuance of general obligation
bonds by the County.
(4)
Use of the proceeds of the Bonds by the County to finance a portion
of the cost of construction and equipping of a new Showell Elementary
School is a proper public purpose which may be financed by the issuance
of the Bonds pursuant to the Act.
(c)
Pursuant to the Act, the County is hereby authorized to borrow upon
its full faith and credit an amount not to exceed $38,000,000 and
to evidence such borrowing by issuing, selling and delivering its
Bonds, at any time or from time to time and in one or more series,
in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $38,000,000 subject
to the provisions and conditions of this Local Law.
(d)
The proceeds from the sale of the Bonds shall be applied for the
public purpose of financing a portion of the cost of construction
and equipping of a new Showell Elementary School as identified in
the Worcester County Five Year Capital Improvement Plan - FY 2020
to FY 2024 by and through Resolution No. 19-1, adopted by the Board
on January 8, 2019, including payment of all related costs and costs
of the issuance of the Bonds. The County expressly reserves the right
to amend this Local Law to authorize use of the proceeds of the Bonds,
including any excess proceeds after application for the purposes described
in this paragraph, to such other public purpose or purposes as the
County may approve by enactment of an amendment to this Local Law
in accordance with, and pursuant to, the Act.
(e)
In each and every fiscal year that any of the Bonds are outstanding,
the County shall levy or cause to be levied ad valorem taxes upon
all assessable real and tangible personal property within the geographical
boundaries of the County, in rate and amount sufficient to provide
for the payment, when due, of the principal of and interest on all
of the Bonds maturing in each such fiscal year and, if the proceeds
from the taxes so levied in any fiscal year prove inadequate for such
payment, additional taxes shall be levied in the succeeding fiscal
year to make up any deficiency; provided, however, that the County
may apply to the payment of the principal of and interest on any Bonds
issued hereunder any funds received by it from the State of Maryland,
the United States of America, any agency or instrumentality of either,
or from any other source.
(f)
As permitted by Sections 19-211 to 19-221 of the Local Government
Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, the provisions set forth
in this Local Law for the issuance and sale of the Bonds are intended
and shall be deemed to include provisions for the issuance and sale
of bond anticipation notes without the adoption of any other local
law or other action by the legislative body of the County. Accordingly,
the words "bonds" and "Bonds", as used in this Local Law, shall include
such bond anticipation notes, unless the context clearly requires
a contrary meaning. At no time shall the aggregate principal amount
of any bond anticipation notes exceed the amount set forth in Section
(c) of this Local Law. It is intended that the aggregate principal
amount of the issued and outstanding Bond anticipation notes when
added to the aggregate principal amount of issued and outstanding
Bonds in anticipation of which such notes were issued, shall not exceed
the aggregate principal amount set forth in Section (c) of this Local
Law at any time. The County will agree to pay any bond anticipation
notes issued pursuant to this Local Law and the interest and premium,
if any, thereon from the proceeds of the Bonds in anticipation of
the sale of which such notes are issued, and the County will agree
to issue such Bonds when, and as soon as, the reason for deferring
the issuance of the Bonds no longer exists.
(g)
Prior to the issuance and sale of any of the Bonds, the County shall
adopt one or more resolutions in accordance with Section 19-504 of
the Act, which resolution shall describe in part, the following: (i)
the amount of Bonds which shall be issued and the amount of the proceeds
of such Bonds allocated to each project specified in such resolution
or resolutions, (ii) the statement of the public purpose or purposes
for which the proceeds of the Bonds are to be expended, (iii) the
form of the Bonds, which shall include the place and time of payment
thereof, the rate or rates of interest payable thereon, or space for
the insertion of the rate or rates of interest upon the determination
thereof, the titles of the officials whose signatures shall be affixed
to or imprinted on the Bonds, the authority for the issuance thereof,
and the taxes and any special revenues from which the principal of
and interest on the Bonds will be payable, (iv) the designation, form,
tenor, denomination or denominations and maturities (not exceeding
40 years), and optional and mandatory sinking fund redemption provisions,
if any, of the Bonds, (v) the method of sale of such Bonds, (vi) provisions
for the notice soliciting bids for the purchase of the Bonds, if the
Bonds are sold at public sale, (vii) specific provisions for the appropriation
and disposal of the proceeds of the sale of the Bonds and specific
provisions for the payment of the principal and interest thereon,
which provisions shall specify the source or sources of payment and
shall constitute a covenant binding the County to provide the funds
from the source or sources as and when principal and interest are
due and payable, (viii) if any of the proceeds of the Bonds are to
be loaned by the County, the terms of such loan and of any Loan Agreement
executed in connection with such loan, and (ix) any and all other
matters deemed necessary in connection with the proposed borrowing,
the issuance, sale and delivery of the Bonds and the appropriation
of the proceeds thereof. Additionally, such resolution or resolutions
may provide that the issuance of Bonds authorized pursuant to this
Local Law may be consolidated with one or more other issues authorized
by this Local Law or any other Public Local Law, all as provided in
Section 19-101 of the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code
of Maryland as amended, and any successor provision of law.
(h)
The Bonds evidencing the borrowing authorized by this Local Law shall
constitute, and they shall so recite, an irrevocable pledge of the
full faith and credit and unlimited taxing power of the County to
the payment of the maturing principal of and interest and premium
(if any) on the Bonds as and when they become due and payable.
(i)
The Bonds may be sold in one or more series, and the Bonds of any
series shall be sold either (a) at private (negotiated) sale and at
or above par, or (b) at public sale, by competitive bid, at or above
par, as determined by the Board to be in the best interest of the
County; in either or both of which events, the Bonds of such series
shall be sold in such manner and upon such terms as the Board deems
to be in the best interests of the County.
(j)
The Bonds and their issuance and sale shall be exempt from the provisions
of Sections 19-205 and 19-206 of the Local Government Article of the
Annotated Code of Maryland, as in effect from time to time.
(k)
The County may enter into agreements with agents, banks, fiduciaries,
insurers or others for the purpose of enhancing the marketability
of, and security for, the Bonds and for the purpose of securing any
tender option that may be granted to holders of the Bonds.
(l)
In case any officer whose signature appears on any Bond ceases to
be such officer before delivery, the signature shall nevertheless
be valid and sufficient for all purposes as if the officer had remained
in office until delivery.
(m)
Upon delivery of any Bonds to the purchaser or purchasers, payment
shall be made to the Finance Officer of the County or such other official
of the County as may be designated to receive payment in a resolution
passed by the Board prior to delivery of the Bonds.
(n)
The County may, prior to the preparation of definitive bonds, issue
interim certificates or temporary bonds, exchangeable for definitive
bonds when such bonds have been executed and are available for delivery.
The County may, by appropriate resolution, provide for the replacement
of any Bonds issued under this Act which may have become mutilated
or lost or destroyed upon such conditions and after receiving such
indemnity as the County may require.
(o)
The authority to borrow money and to issue bonds conferred on the
County by this Local Law shall be deemed to provide additional, alternative
and supplemental authority for borrowing money and shall be regarded
as supplemental and additional to powers conferred upon the County
by other laws and shall not be regarded as in derogation of any power
now existing; and all previously enacted laws authorizing the County
to borrow money are hereby continued to the extent that the power
contained in them is continuing or has not been exercised, unless
any law is expressly repealed by this Local Law, and the validity
of any bonds issued under previously enacted laws is hereby ratified,
confirmed and approved. This Local Law, being necessary for the welfare
of the inhabitants of Worcester County, shall be liberally construed
to effect its purposes. All Public Local Laws previously enacted,
and parts of Public Local Laws previously enacted, which are inconsistent
with the provisions of this Local Law, are hereby repealed to the
extent of any inconsistency.
(p)
The County shall seek funds for construction and equipping of a new
Showell Elementary School or repayment of the Bonds through such grant
sources as the Board may, from time to time, deem desirable and appropriate.
(q)
The provisions of this Local Law are severable, and if any provision,
sentence, clause, section or part hereof is held to be illegal, invalid
or unconstitutional or inapplicable to any person or circumstances,
such illegality, invalidity or unconstitutionality, or inapplicability
shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions, sentences,
clauses, sections, or parts of this Local Law or their application
to other persons or circumstances. It is hereby declared to be the
legislative intent that this Local Law would have been passed if such
illegal, invalid or unconstitutional provision, sentence, clause,
section or part had not been included herein, and if the person or
circumstances to which this Local Law or any part hereof are inapplicable
had been specifically exempted therefrom.
