271.415 - Limitations upon deferred payments; rates of interest; notice of required installment; application of credit against payment.

271.415  Limitations upon deferred payments; rates of interest; notice of required installment; application of credit against payment.

      1.  In case of an election to pay in installments, the assessment may be made payable in any manner sufficient to pay the principal and interest in not less than 2 nor more than 30 years after the effective date of the assessment ordinance.

      2.  Interest in all cases on the unpaid balance accruing from the effective date of the assessment ordinance until the respective due dates of the installments is payable at the times specified by the governing body in the assessment ordinance. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 271.487 and 271.730, the governing body shall:

      (a) Before assessment bonds are issued or if bonds are not issued, fix by resolution or ordinance, or authorize the chief administrative officer or chief financial officer of the municipality to fix, the rate or rates of the interest on the unpaid balance of the assessment at any time after the adoption of the assessment ordinance; or

      (b) If assessment bonds are sold, fix or adjust, or authorize the chief administrative officer or chief financial officer of the municipality to fix or adjust, the rate or rates of interest on the unpaid balance of the assessment due after the date the bonds are sold at no more than 1 percent above the highest rate of interest payable on the assessment bonds at any maturity.

      3.  This section does not limit the discretion of the governing body in determining whether assessments are payable in installments and the time the first installment of principal or interest, or both, and any subsequent installments thereof, are due.

      4.  The governing body in the assessment ordinance shall state the number of installments in which assessments may be paid, the period of payment, any privileges of making prepayments and any premium to be paid to the municipality for exercising any such privilege, the rate of interest upon the unpaid balance of the assessment and accrued interest after any delinquency at a rate not exceeding 2 percent per month, and any penalties and collection costs payable after delinquency.

      5.  The county or municipal officer who has been directed by the governing body to collect assessments shall give notice by publication or by mail of any installment which is payable and of the last day for its payment as provided in this section and in the assessment ordinance.

      6.  The governing body in the assessment ordinance may provide for the application of a credit against the payment of an assessment to the extent that the principal of the bonds has been paid with the unexpended balance of the proceeds of the bonds pursuant to subsection 7 of NRS 271.485. The governing body shall apply the credit pro rata, based on the original assessment on the assessed property, against the payment of the assessment due from the person who owns the assessed property on the date of the application of the credit.

      7.  At any time after fixing the rate of interest on the assessment, the governing body may reduce the rate of interest on the unpaid balance of an assessment that is due if:

      (a) The reduction is not prohibited by any covenant made for the benefit of the owners of the bonds or interim warrants issued for the district; and

      (b) The reduced rate of interest is not lower than the average rate of interest on the outstanding bonds or interim warrants.

      (Added to NRS by 1965, 1370; A 1969, 954; 1971, 2101; 1975, 847; 1981, 1408; 1985, 1011, 1567; 1989, 146, 256; 1995, 391; 2005, 1827)