58:11B-9 - Loans to local governments
58:11B-9 Loans to local governments.
9. a. (1) The trust may make and contract to make loans to local government units, or to a local government unit on behalf of another local government unit, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.) to finance the cost of any wastewater treatment system project or water supply project, which the local government unit may lawfully undertake or acquire and for which the local government unit is authorized by law to borrow money.
(2)The trust may make and contract to make loans to public water utilities, or to any other person or local government unit on behalf of a public water utility, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.) to finance the cost of any water supply project, which the public water utility may lawfully undertake or acquire.
(3)The trust may make and contract to make loans to private persons other than local government units, or to any other person or local government unit on behalf of a private person, in accordance with and subject to the provisions of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.) to finance the cost of stormwater management systems.
The loans may be made subject to those terms and conditions as the trust shall determine to be consistent with the purposes thereof. Each loan by the trust and the terms and conditions thereof shall be subject to approval by the State Treasurer, and the trust shall make available to the State Treasurer all information, statistical data and reports of independent consultants or experts as the State Treasurer shall deem necessary in order to evaluate the loan. Each loan to a local government unit, public water utility or any other person shall be evidenced by notes, bonds or other obligations thereof issued to the trust. In the case of each local government unit, notes and bonds to be issued to the trust by the local government unit (1) shall be authorized and issued as provided by law for the issuance of notes and bonds by the local government unit, (2) shall be approved by the Local Finance Board in the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, and (3) notwithstanding the provisions of N.J.S.40A:2-27, N.J.S.40A:2-28 and N.J.S.40A:2-29 or any other provisions of law to the contrary, may be sold at private sale to the trust at any price, whether or not less than par value, and shall be subject to redemption prior to maturity at any times and at any prices as the trust and local government units may agree. Each loan to a local government unit, public water utility or any other person and the notes, bonds or other obligations thereby issued shall bear interest at a rate or rates per annum as the trust and the local government unit, public water utility or any other person, as the case may be, may agree.
b.The trust is authorized to guarantee or contract to guarantee the payment of all or any portion of the principal and interest on bonds, notes or other obligations issued by a local government unit to finance the cost of any wastewater treatment system project or water supply project, which the local government unit may lawfully undertake or acquire and for which the local government unit is authorized by law to borrow money, and the guarantee shall constitute an obligation of the trust for the purposes of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.). Each guarantee by the trust and the terms and conditions thereof shall be subject to approval by the State Treasurer, and the trust shall make available to the State Treasurer all information, statistical data and reports of independent consultants or experts as the State Treasurer shall deem necessary in order to evaluate the guarantee.
c.The trust shall not make or contract to make any loans or guarantees to local government units, public water utilities or any other person, or otherwise incur any additional indebtedness, on or after June 30, 2031.
d.Notwithstanding any provision of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-1 et seq.) or P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-10.1 et al.) to the contrary, the trust may receive funds from any source or issue its bonds, notes or other obligations in any principal amounts as in the judgment of the trust shall be necessary to provide sufficient funds to finance or refinance short-term or temporary loans to local government units, public water utilities or private persons for any wastewater treatment system projects included on the project priority list for the ensuing fiscal year and eligible for approval pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1985, c.334 (C.58:11B-20) or water supply projects included on the project priority list for the ensuing fiscal year and eligible for approval pursuant to section 24 of P.L.1997, c.224 (C.58:11B-20.1), as applicable, without regard to any other provisions of P.L.1985, c.334 or P.L.1997, c.224, including, without limitation, any administrative or legislative approvals.
The trust shall create and establish a special fund (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim Financing Program Fund") for the short-term or temporary loan financing or refinancing program (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim Financing Program").
Any short-term or temporary loans made by the trust pursuant to this subsection may only be made in advance of the anticipated loans the trust may make and contract to make under the provisions of subsection a. of this section from any source of funds anticipated to be received by the trust. The trust may make short-term or temporary loans pursuant to the Interim Financing Program to any one or more of the project sponsors, for the respective projects thereof, identified in the interim financing project priority list (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim Financing Program Eligibility List") in the form provided to the Legislature by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
Incremental revisions or supplements to the Interim Financing Program Eligibility List may be submitted to the Legislature at any time between January 15th and May 15th of each year.
The Interim Financing Program Eligibility List, including any revision thereof or supplement thereto, shall be submitted to the Legislature on or before June 30 of each year on a day when both Houses are meeting. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the General Assembly shall cause the date of submission to be entered upon the Senate Journal and the Minutes of the General Assembly, respectively. Any environmental infrastructure project or the project sponsor thereof not identified in the Interim Financing Program Eligibility List shall not be eligible for a short-term or temporary loan from the Interim Financing Program Fund.
L.1985, c.334, s.9; amended 1997, c.224, s.9; 1999, c.175, s.3; 2001, c.223, s.4; 2004, c.111, s.3; 2006, c.69, s.2; 2007, c.138, s.3; 2008, c.69, s.2; 2009, c.59, s.2; 2009, c.103, s.4; 2010, c.64, s.2.