§17-16B-15 Port revenue bonds -- Generally.
§17-16B-15. Port revenue bonds -- Generally.
The public port authority is hereby authorized to provide by resolution at one time or from time to time, for the issuance of public port revenue bonds of the state for the purpose of paying all or any part of the cost of one or more port projects. The principal of and the interest on such bonds shall be payable solely from the funds herein provided for such payment. The bonds of each issue shall be dated, shall bear interest at such rate or rates as may be determined by the authority in its sole discretion, shall mature at such time or times not exceeding forty years from their date or dates, as may be determined by the authority, and may be made redeemable before maturity, at the option of the public port authority, at such price or prices and under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by the public port authority prior to the issuance of the bonds. The public port authority shall determine the form of the bonds, including any interest coupons to be attached thereto, and shall fix the denomination or denominations of the bonds and the place or places of payment of principal and interest, which may be at any bank or trust company within or without the state. The bonds shall be executed by manual or facsimile signature by the governor and by the chairman of the public port authority, and the official seal of the public port authority shall be affixed to or printed on each bond, and attested, manually or by facsimile signature, by the secretary of the public port authority, and any coupons attached to any bond shall bear the manual or facsimile signature of the chairman of the public port authority. In case any officer whose signature or a facsimile of whose signature appears on any bonds or coupons shall cease to be such officer before the delivery of such bonds, such signature or facsimile shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes the same as if he had remained in office until such delivery; and in case the seal of the public port authority has been changed after a facsimile has been imprinted on such bonds, such facsimile seal will continue to be sufficient for all purposes. All bonds issued under the provisions of this article shall have and are hereby declared to have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the negotiable instruments law of the state. The bonds may be issued in coupon or in registered form, or both, as the public port authority may determine, and provision may be made for the registration of any coupon bonds as to principal alone and also as to both principal and interest, and for the reconversion into coupon bonds of any bonds registered as to both principal and interest. The public port authority may sell such bonds in such manner, either at public or at private sale, and for such price as it may determine to be in the best interests of the state.
The proceeds of the bonds of each issue shall be used solely for the payment of the cost of the public port authority project or projects for which such bonds shall have been issued, and shall be disbursed in such manner and under such restrictions, if any, as the public port authority may provide in the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or in the trust agreement hereinafter mentioned securing the same. If the proceeds of the bonds of any issue, by error of estimates or otherwise, shall be less than such cost, additional public port bonds may in like manner be used to provide the amount of such deficit, and unless otherwise provided in the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or in the trust agreement securing the same, shall be deemed to be of the same issue and shall be entitled to payment from the same fund without preference or priority of the bonds first issued. If the proceeds of the bonds of any issue shall exceed the cost of the project or projects for which the same shall have been issued, the surplus shall be deposited to the credit of the sinking fund for such bonds.
Prior to the preparation of definitive bonds, the public port authority may, under like restrictions, issue interim receipts or temporary bonds, with or without coupons, exchangeable for definitive bonds when such bonds shall have been executed and are available for delivery. The public port authority may also provide for the replacement of any bonds which shall become mutilated or shall be destroyed or lost. Bonds may be issued under the provisions of this article without obtaining the consent of any department, division, commission, board, bureau or agency of the state, and without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things than those proceedings, conditions or things which are specifically required by this article.