CHAPTER 4. TOWNSHIP SCHOOL BUILDING
IC 20-48-4
Chapter 4. Township School Building
IC 20-48-4-1
Application
Sec. 1. Sections 2 through 4 of this chapter apply if a township
board finds at an annual or special meeting of the board, that:
(1) it is necessary to provide for the construction of a school
building; and
(2) the cost of the building, or the proportional cost if it is a
joint graded high school building, will exceed the sum available
from an annual levy.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-2
Powers; township trustee; issuance of warrants or bonds
Sec. 2. (a) The board may authorize the trustee to issue township
warrants or bonds to pay for the building or the proportional cost of
it. The warrants or bonds:
(1) may run for a period not exceeding fifteen (15) years;
(2) may bear interest at any rate; and
(3) shall be sold for not less than par.
The township trustee, before issuing the warrants or bonds, shall
place a notice in at least one (1) newspaper announcing the sale of
the bonds in at least one (1) issue a week for three (3) weeks. The
notice must comply with IC 5-3-1 and must set forth the amount of
bonds offered, the denomination, the period to run, the rate of
interest, and the date, place, and time of selling. The township board
shall attend the bond sale and must concur in the sale before the
bonds are sold.
(b) The board shall annually levy sufficient taxes each year to pay
at least one-fifteenth (1/15) of the warrants or bonds, including
interest, and the trustee shall apply the annual tax to the payment of
the warrants or bonds each year.
(c) A debt of the township may not be created except by the
township board in the manner specified in this section. The board
may bring an action in the name of the state against the bond of a
trustee to recover for the use of the township funds expended in the
unauthorized payment of a debt. The board may appropriate and the
township trustee shall pay from township funds a reasonable sum for
attorney's fees for this purpose.
(d) If a taxpayer serves the board with a written demand that the
board bring an action as described in subsection (c), and after thirty
(30) days the board has not brought an action, a taxpayer may bring
an action to recover for the use of the township funds expended in
the unauthorized payment of a debt. An action brought under this
subsection shall be brought in the name of the state.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-3
Preparation of specifications for bidders; competitive bids;
contracts
Sec. 3. (a) If a trustee finds it necessary to erect a new school, the
trustee shall procure suitable specifications for the school to be used
by the bidders in bidding and in the construction of the school. If the
trustee desires to purchase school furniture, fixtures, maps, charts, or
other school supplies, not including fuel and literary periodicals, as
authorized by the township board, the trustee shall make an estimate
of the kinds and amounts, itemized particularly, to be used by
bidders. If it is necessary to make repairs to a school, other than
current or incidental repairs, the trustee shall make an itemized
statement of the nature and character of the work to be performed for
the use of bidders.
(b) All contracts shall be let after notice is given by publication in
accordance with IC 5-3-1.
(c) The township board shall attend the letting. At the letting, all
the work or supplies in any one (1) class shall be included and let in
a single contract. All bids must be in writing and opened and read
publicly at the date, time, and place fixed in the notice. In
consultation with the township board, the trustee may take time to
examine the bids and determine which is the lowest and best bid. The
board may reject any bid. The trustee shall endorse either acceptance
or rejection on the bids and preserve them.
(d) If a bid is accepted, a proper contract shall then be reduced to
writing for the building, repairs, or supplies and signed by the
successful bidder and the trustee. The trustee shall require the bidder
to give bond with security to the trustee's approval for the faithful
execution of the contract.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-4
Effect of noncompliance with law
Sec. 4. A contract made in violation of sections 2 through 3 of this
chapter is void.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-5
Application
Sec. 5. Sections 6 through 9 of this chapter apply to a township in
which there is not a city or town that operates public schools within
the city or town.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-6
Petition; alteration, construction, or addition of school building
Sec. 6. If:
(1) a petition signed by at least one hundred (100) freeholders
of the township is filed with the township trustee asking for the
alteration or construction of a building or for an addition to a
building to be used for teaching the children of the township the
arts of agriculture, domestic science, or physical culture; and
(2) the building or addition to the building may be used by the
citizens of the township for school and community
entertainment and for other public purposes;
the township trustee, with the consent of the township board, may
grant the petition and shall alter or construct a building or an addition
to a building as will best meet the needs of the citizens of the
township.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.
IC 20-48-4-7
Approval by department of local government finance
Sec. 7. (a) After June 30, 2008, this section applies only if the
alteration or construction is a controlled project (as defined in
IC 6-1.1-20-1.1) for which a preliminary determination under
IC 6-1.1-20-3.1 was made before July 1, 2008.
(b) Before altering or constructing a building or an addition to a
building, the proposed action must be submitted for approval to the
department of local government finance. The department of local
government finance shall set the proposal for hearing and give ten
(10) days notice of the hearing to the taxpayers of the taxing district
by:
(1) one (1) publication in each of two (2) newspapers of
opposite political parties published in the taxing district;
(2) one (1) publication if only one (1) newspaper is published;
(3) publication in two (2) newspapers representing the two (2)
leading political parties published in the county and having a
general circulation in the taxing district if no newspaper is
published in the district; or
(4) publication in one (1) newspaper if only one (1) paper is
published in the county.
The department of local government finance shall conduct the
hearing in the taxing district. After the hearing upon the proposal, the
department of local government finance shall certify its approval or
disapproval to the county auditor and to the township trustee.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171. Amended by P.L.146-2008,
SEC.526.
IC 20-48-4-8
Powers; issuance of bonds
Sec. 8. (a) Upon approval by the department of local government
finance (if required under section 6 of this chapter), the township
trustee may, with the consent of the township board, issue and sell
the bonds of the civil township in an amount sufficient to pay for the
alteration, construction, or addition described in section 6 of this
chapter.
(b) The trustee may levy a tax on the taxable property of the
township in an amount sufficient to discharge the bonds issued and
sold. The bonds may not bear a maturity date more than twenty (20)
years from the date of issue.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171. Amended by P.L.146-2008,
SEC.527.
IC 20-48-4-9
Joint action; township trustee; school township
Sec. 9. In carrying out sections 6 through 8 of this chapter, the
township trustee may join with the school township or district in the
alteration, construction, or addition, contracting together and joining
in the employment of an engineer or architect.
As added by P.L.2-2006, SEC.171.