2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 7. Local Government › Chapter 7. Debt Management › Part 1. General Provisions Related to Local Governments › 7-7-110. Authorization of bonds

7-7-110. Authorization of bonds.
(1) Upon approval by the Montana transportation commission, a city, county, or consolidated city-county government may issue revenue bonds to finance the construction and construction engineering phases of projects on the urban highway system within its jurisdiction to:
(a) fund the share that the bond issuer might otherwise expend for proportionate matching of federal funds allocated for the construction of highways, roads, streets, or bridges;
(b) make a deposit to a reserve fund securing the bonds; and
(c) pay costs of issuance and sale of the bonds.
(2) The bonds may be authorized by a resolution adopted by the governing body of the bond issuer without need for authorization by the electors of the bond issuer. The resolution must establish the terms, covenants, and conditions of the bonds. The resolution may authorize that the bonds be issued under and secured by a trust indenture between the issuer and a trustee, which may be a trust company or bank having the power of a trustee inside or outside the state. The bonds may be sold at public or private sale, on terms and at prices that the governing body determines to be advantageous. The bonds do not constitute and may not be included as an indebtedness or liability of the issuer for purposes of any statutory debt limitation, do not constitute general obligations, and may not be secured by the taxing power of the issuer.
(3) The bonds are payable from and secured by the grants or other funds payable to and received by the department of transportation and apportioned by the department of transportation to the issuer of the bonds for urban highway system improvements or for improvements conducted as provided in 15-70-101(2). In the resolution or the trust indenture providing for the issuance of the bonds, the governing body of the issuer shall irrevocably pledge and appropriate to the debt service fund from which the bonds are payable the funds apportioned or to be apportioned to the issuer by the department of transportation in an amount sufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on the bonds as due.
(4) Bonds may be issued under this section only if:
(a) the bonds are issued in principal amounts and on terms that provide that the amount of principal and interest due in any fiscal year on the bonds and on any other revenue bonds of the issuer outstanding and issued under this section does not exceed the amount of the revenue pledged to the payment of the bonds and to be received in that fiscal year as estimated by the governing body of the issuer in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds; and
(b) the final maturity of the bonds is not more than 20 years after the date of issuance of the bonds.
(5) Proceeds from the sale of the bonds must be used to fund urban highway system projects approved by the transportation commission through an agreement with the issuer in accordance with 60-2-127(4), and the proceeds to be used for the construction must be deposited with the department of transportation. The proceeds must be expended by the department of transportation in accordance with other applicable provisions of law.
(6) A city, county, or consolidated city-county government issuing bonds pursuant to this section shall certify to the director of the department of transportation and the director of the department of administration promptly upon the issuance of the bonds the principal amount and terms of the bonds and the amount of money required each fiscal year for the payment of principal and interest on the bonds.
(7) The powers conferred on a city, county, or consolidated city-county government by this section are in addition to and are supplemental to the powers conferred by any other general, special, or local laws. To the extent that the provisions of this section are inconsistent with the provisions of any other general, special, or local law, the provisions of this section are controlling.
History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 336, L. 2005.