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15-2005. Local lease-to-own by school districts; expiration

A. In order to fulfill the requirements of section 15-2041, with the approval of the school facilities board, a school district may acquire school facilities by entering into a local lease-to-own transaction in accordance with this section. For purposes of this section, providing school facilities includes land acquisition, related infrastructure, fixtures, furnishings, equipment and costs of the local lease-to-own transaction. The school facilities board may provide monies to provide school facilities in part pursuant to section 15-2041 and in part through payments to or for the benefit of a school district for a local lease-to-own transaction.

B. A local lease-to-own transaction may provide for:

1. The ground lease of the land for the facilities to a private entity for the term of the local lease-to-own transaction or for a term of up to one and one-half times the term of the local lease-to-own transaction, subject to earlier termination on completion of performance of the local lease-to-own agreement. The ground lessor may either be the school district or the school facilities board, whichever holds title to the land.

2. The lease of the completed school facilities by a private entity to the school district for an extended term of years pursuant to a local lease-to-own agreement. The local lease-to-own agreement shall provide for the use, maintenance and operation of the school facilities by the school district and for the transfer of ownership of the school facilities to the school district on completion of performance of the local lease-to-own agreement.

3. The option for the school district's purchase of the school facilities and transfer of ownership of the school facilities to the school district before the expiration of the local lease-to-own agreement.

4. The services of trustees, financial advisors, paying agents, transfer agents, underwriters, lawyers and other professional service providers, credit enhancements or liquidity facilities and all other services considered necessary by the school district or the school facilities board in connection with the local lease-to-own transaction, and related agreements and arrangements including arrangements for the creation and sale of certificates of participation evidencing proportionate interests in the lease payments to be made by the school district pursuant to the local lease-to-own agreement.

C. Neither a ground lease by the school district as lessor nor a local lease-to-own agreement is required to be authorized by a vote of the school district electors. A ground lease is not subject to any limitations or requirements applicable to leases or lease-purchase agreements pursuant to section 15-342 or any other section of this title.

D. The school facilities board may make payments to or for the benefit of the school district from the lease-to-own fund established by section 15-2004 for the payment of amounts payable under the local lease-to-own agreement.

E. Any school facility that is constructed through a lease-to-own agreement shall meet the minimum building adequacy standards set forth in section 15-2011.

F. School districts may use local monies to exceed the minimum adequacy standards and to build athletic fields and any other capital project for leased-to-own facilities.

G. The school facilities board shall include any square footage of new school facilities constructed through lease-to-own agreements in the computations prescribed in section 15-2011.

H. Pursuant to section 15-2031, a school district is eligible to receive building renewal monies for any facility constructed through a lease-to-own agreement. If a facility's building maintenance renewal is included in the lease-to-own agreement, the facility shall not be included in the district's building renewal calculation.

I. A local lease-to-own agreement entered into by a school district pursuant to this section shall provide that:

1. At the completion of the lease-to-own agreement, ownership of the school facilities and land associated with the lease-to-own agreement shall be transferred to the school district as specified in the agreement.

2. The obligation of the school district to make any payment or expenditure under the local lease-to-own agreement is a current expense, payable exclusively from properly budgeted monies, and is not a general obligation indebtedness of this state, the school facilities board or the school district, and that any payment by the school facilities board to or for the benefit of the school district from the lease-to-own fund established by section 15-2004 for payments of amounts payable under the local lease-to-own agreement is a current expense, payable exclusively from appropriated monies, and is not a general obligation indebtedness of this state or the school facilities board.

3. If the school district fails to properly budget for payments under the local lease-to-own agreement or if the legislature fails to appropriate monies or the school facilities board fails to allocate monies for periodic payment to or for the benefit of the school district for payments under the local lease-to-own agreement, the local lease-to-own agreement terminates at the end of the current term and the school district, the school facilities board and this state are relieved of any subsequent obligation under the local lease-to-own agreement.

4. The local lease-to-own agreement shall be reviewed and approved by the attorney general before the agreement may take effect.

5. Before the agreement takes effect and after review by the attorney general, the project or projects related to the agreement shall be submitted for review by the joint committee on capital review.

J. The school district may covenant to use its best efforts to budget, obtain, allocate and maintain sufficient monies to make payments under a local lease-to-own agreement, but the local lease-to-own agreement shall acknowledge that budgeting school district monies is a governmental act of the school district governing board that may not be contracted away. The school facilities board is not required to covenant to budget, obtain, allocate or maintain sufficient monies in the lease-to-own fund to make payments to or for the benefit of a school district for payments under a local lease-to-own agreement.

K. The land and the school facilities on the land are exempt from taxation during the term of the local lease-to-own agreement and during construction and subsequent occupancy by the school district pursuant to the local lease-to-own agreement.

L. The powers prescribed in this section are in addition to the powers conferred by any other law. Without reference to any other provision of this title or to any other law, this section is authority for the completion of the purposes prescribed in this section for school districts to provide school facilities through local lease-to-own transactions pursuant to this section without regard to the procedure required by any other law. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the provisions of this title that relate to the matters contained in this section are superseded because this section is the exclusive law on these matters.

M. School districts shall not enter into lease-to-own transactions, including any refinancings or refundings, pursuant to this section from and after May 15, 2006.