2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 20. Education › Chapter 9. Finance › Part 4. School Bonds › 20-9-437. School district liable on bonds

20-9-437. School district liable on bonds.
(1) The full faith, credit, and taxable resources of a school district issuing general obligation bonds under the provisions of this title are pledged for the repayment of the bonds with interest according to the terms of the bonds. For the purpose of making the provisions of this part enforceable, each school district is a body corporate that may sue and be sued by or in the name of the trustees of the school district.
(2) A school district may use up to 25% of its federal impact aid funds received pursuant to 20-9-514 for repayment of general obligation bonds.
(3) Impact aid revenue bonds must be payable solely from the federal impact aid basic support payment received by the school district and deposited to the credit of the impact aid fund established in 20-9-514 and do not constitute a general obligation of the school district. The school district's taxing power is not pledged for the repayment of impact aid revenue bonds.
(4) (a) Oil and natural gas revenue bonds must be payable from the oil and natural gas production taxes received by the school district under the limitations in 20-9-310 and deposited to the debt service fund.
(b) A school district, as long as it has specified that its oil and natural gas revenue bonds are further secured by a deficiency tax levy in the bond election question and notice under 20-9-426 and 20-9-427, may additionally provide that if for any reason the oil and natural gas production taxes received by the school district and the amounts in the debt service reserve account are inadequate to pay the principal of or interest on the bonds as they become due, payment will be made from a deficiency tax levy.
(5) If for any reason the oil and natural gas taxes or the amounts in the debt service reserve account are inadequate to pay the principal of or interest on any oil and natural gas revenue bonds as to which the school district has pledged a deficiency tax levy in accordance with subsection (4) as it becomes due, the school district shall, at least 15 days before the first day of the month in which the board of county commissioners of the county or counties in which the school district is located levies the amount of taxes required, furnish to the county treasurer an estimate in writing of the amount of money required:
(a) by the school district for the payment of the principal of or interest on the bonded debt as it becomes due and to replenish the debt service reserve account;
(b) to establish reasonable reserve funds for either purpose; and
(c) by the school district for any other purpose set forth in this section.
(6) Annually and at the time and in the manner of levying other county or city and county taxes, the county treasurer shall, as instructed by the school district, to the extent of any deficiency resulting from oil and natural gas taxes to pay or secure oil and natural gas revenue bonds to which a deficiency tax is pledged and for any other purpose set forth in this section:
(a) until the bonded debt is fully paid, levy upon the taxable property located in the school district and collect a school district oil and natural gas revenue bond deficiency tax sufficient for the payment or reimbursement of the payment of the bonded debt in the current or ensuing fiscal year, or both; and
(b) until the bonded debt is fully paid, levy upon all of the taxable property located in the school district and collect a school district oil and natural gas revenue bond deficiency tax sufficient for replenishing amounts in the debt service reserve account.
(7) Taxes for the payment of any oil and natural gas revenue bonds to which the school district has pledged a deficiency tax must be levied on the taxable property located in the school district as stated in the resolution fixing the terms and conditions of the bonds, and all taxes for other purposes must be levied on all property located within the school district.
History: En. 75-7126 by Sec. 327, Ch. 5, L. 1971; R.C.M. 1947, 75-7126; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 549, L. 2001; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 492, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 24, Ch. 400, L. 2013.