Section 36-44-14. Issuance of tax allocation bonds; authorization of tax allocation notes and other obligations; increasing security and marketability amount; certificate of validation; interest; redevelopment cost anticipation notes

   (a) Only for the purpose of paying redevelopment costs for a tax allocation district created under this chapter, the local legislative body may issue tax allocation bonds. Tax allocation bonds are declared to be negotiable instruments. Tax allocation bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter are declared to be issued for an essential public and governmental purpose and, together with interest thereon and income therefrom, shall be exempted from all taxes.

(b) All tax allocation bonds, notes, and other obligations shall be authorized by resolution of the local legislative body, adopted by a majority vote of the members thereof at a regular or special meeting and without the necessity of a referendum or any electoral approval. The resolution shall state the name of the tax allocation district and the aggregate principal amount of the tax allocation bonds authorized.

(c) Tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations issued by a local legislative body under this chapter shall be payable solely from the property pledged, mortgaged, conveyed, assigned, hypothecated, or otherwise encumbered to secure or to pay such bonds, notes, or other obligations, which property shall be limited to real or personal property acquired pursuant to this chapter and the proceeds from any source from which redevelopment costs may be paid under Code Section 36-44-13, but subject to the limitations of Code Sections 36-44-9 and 36-44-20. Each such bond, note, or other obligation shall contain recitals as are necessary to show that it is only so payable and that it does not otherwise constitute an indebtedness or a charge against the general taxing power of the political subdivision or county or independent board of education consenting to the use of property taxes as a basis for computing tax allocation increments or consenting to the use of general funds derived from the tax allocation district.

(d) To increase the security and marketability of tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations, a local legislative body may:

   (1) Create a lien for the benefit of the bondholders upon any public improvements or public works financed thereby or the revenues therefrom; and

   (2) Make covenants and do any and all acts not inconsistent with the Constitution or this chapter as may be necessary or convenient or desirable in order additionally to secure tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations or tend to make them more marketable according to the best judgment of the local legislative body.

(e) Tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations shall bear such date or dates, shall mature at such time or times not more than 30 years from their respective dates, shall bear interest at such rate or rates which may be fixed or may fluctuate or otherwise change from time to time, shall be subject to redemption on such terms, and shall contain such other terms, provisions, covenants, assignments, and conditions as the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds, notes, or other obligations may permit or provide. The terms, provisions, covenants, assignments, and conditions contained in or provided or permitted by any resolution of the local legislative body authorizing the issuance of such tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations shall bind the members of the local legislative body then in office and their successors.

(f) The local legislative body shall have power from time to time and whenever it deems it expedient to refund any tax allocation bonds by the issuance of new tax allocation bonds, whether or not the bonds to be refunded have matured, and may issue such bonds partly to refund bonds then outstanding and partly for any other purpose permitted under this chapter. The refunding bonds may be exchanged for the bonds to be refunded, with such cash adjustments as may be agreed upon, or may be sold at such price as the local legislative body may determine and the proceeds applied to the purchase or redemption of the bonds to be refunded.

(g) Tax allocation bonds may not be issued in an amount exceeding the estimated aggregated redevelopment costs for the tax allocation district. Any limitations with respect to interest rates or any maximum interest rate or rates found in Article 3 of Chapter 82 of this title, the "Revenue Bond Law," the usury laws of this state, or any other laws of this state shall not apply to tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations of a local legislative body.

(h) All tax allocation bonds issued by a local legislative body under this chapter shall be issued and validated under and in accordance with Article 3 of Chapter 82 of this title, the "Revenue Bond Law," except as provided in this chapter.

(i) Tax allocation bonds issued by a local legislative body may be in such form and may be subject to such exchangeability and transferability provisions as the bond resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or any indenture or trust agreement may provide.

(j) Tax allocation bonds shall bear a certificate of validation. The signature of the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the issuing local legislative body is located may be made on the certificate of validation of such bonds by facsimile or by manual execution, stating the date on which such bonds were validated; and such entry shall be original evidence of the fact of judgment and shall be received as original evidence in any court in this state.

(k) In lieu of specifying the rate or rates of interest which tax allocation bonds to be issued by a local legislative body are to bear, the notice to the district attorney or the Attorney General, the notice to the public of the time, place, and date of the validation hearing, and the petition and complaint for validation may state that the bonds when issued will bear interest at a rate not exceeding a maximum per annum rate of interest, which rate may be fixed or may fluctuate or otherwise change from time to time, specified in such notices and petition and complaint or may state that, in the event the bonds are to bear different rates of interest for different maturity dates, none of such rates will exceed the maximum rate so specified, which rate may be fixed or may fluctuate or otherwise change from time to time; provided, however, that nothing in this Code section shall be construed as prohibiting or restricting the right of a local legislative body to sell such tax allocation bonds at a discount, even if in doing so the effective interest cost resulting therefrom would exceed the maximum per annum interest rate specified in such notices and in the petition and complaint.

(l) The term "redevelopment costs" shall have the meaning prescribed in this chapter whenever that term is referred to in tax allocation bond resolutions of a local legislative body, in tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations of a local legislative body, or in notices or proceedings to validate such bonds, notes, or other obligations of a local legislative body.

(m) Subject to the limitations and procedures provided by this chapter, the agreements or instruments executed by a local legislative body may contain such provisions not inconsistent with law as shall be determined by the local legislative body.

(n) The proceeds derived from the sale of all tax allocation bonds, notes, and other obligations issued by a local legislative body shall be held and used for the ultimate purpose of paying, directly or indirectly as permitted in this chapter, redevelopment costs or for the purpose of refunding any tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations issued in accordance with this chapter.

(o) Issuance by a local legislative body of one or more series of tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations for one or more purposes shall not preclude it from issuing other tax allocation bonds, notes, or other obligations in connection with the same redevelopment plan or with any other redevelopment plan; but the proceeding wherein any subsequent bonds, notes, or other obligations are issued shall recognize and protect any prior loan agreement, mortgage, deed to secure debt, trust deed, security agreement, or other agreement or instrument made for any prior issue of bonds, notes, or other obligations, unless in the resolution authorizing such prior issue the right is expressly reserved to the local legislative body to issue subsequent bonds, notes, or other obligations on a parity with such prior issue. Once the political subdivision certifies by resolution that all tax allocation bonds contemplated by the redevelopment plan and all amendments thereto have been issued and all other redevelopment costs within a tax allocation district have been paid, all positive tax allocation increments collected within a tax allocation district shall be used to retire outstanding tax allocation bonds prior to their stated maturities, subject to any agreements made by the political subdivision with bondholders.

(p) A local legislative body shall have the power and is authorized, whenever tax allocation bonds of the local legislative body shall have been validated as provided in this chapter, to issue from time to time its notes in anticipation of such bonds as validated and to renew from time to time any such notes by the issuance of new notes, whether or not the notes to be renewed have matured. The local legislative body may issue such bond anticipation notes only to provide funds which would otherwise be provided by the issuance of the bonds as validated. Such notes may be authorized, sold, executed, and delivered in the same manner as bonds. As with its bonds, the local legislative body may sell such notes at public sale or at private sale. Any resolution or resolutions authorizing such notes of the local legislative body or any issue thereof may contain any provisions which the local legislative body is authorized to include in any resolution or resolutions authorizing bonds of the local legislative body to any issue thereof; and the local legislative body may include in any such notes any terms, covenants, or conditions which the local legislative body is authorized to include in any bonds. Validation of such bonds shall be a condition precedent to the issuance of such notes, but it shall not be required that such notes be judicially validated. Bond anticipation notes shall not be issued in an amount exceeding the par value of the bonds in anticipation of which they are to be issued.

Code 1981, § 36-44-14, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. 158, § 2/HB 63.