2023 Oregon Revised Statutes › Volume : 10 - Highways, Military › Chapter 391 - Mass Transportation › Section 391.120 - Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund; purpose; requirements for expenditures from fund; reversion of unobligated balance.

(1) The Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund, separate and distinct from the General Fund, is established in the State Treasury. All moneys in the fund are appropriated continuously to the Department of Transportation for the purposes specified in this section. Interest received on moneys credited to the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund shall accrue to and become part of the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund.
(2) The Department of Transportation may expend moneys in the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund to finance the preliminary engineering phase, final design phase, advanced right of way acquisition phase or construction and acquisition of equipment and facilities phase of projects for extensions to the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District’s light rail system, as designated in the Regional Transportation Plan adopted by the metropolitan service district in 1989, as amended from time to time. The Director of Transportation may enter into written agreements with the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District that commit the department to pay anticipated funds from the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund to the district for the purpose of financing such costs of extending the district’s light rail system, including servicing any obligations entered into by the district to finance the costs of extending the district’s light rail system, which written agreements may provide for the remittance of such funds on such periodic basis, in such amounts, over such period of years and with such priority over other commitments of such funds as the director shall specify in the commitment. Any such written agreements or commitments, when executed by the director and accepted by the district, shall be solely conditioned upon actual funds available in the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund and shall be valid, binding and irrevocable in accordance with its terms, subject only to the requirements of subsection (3) of this section. The extensions to the light rail system for which projects may be authorized and financed from the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund include:
(a) The Westside corridor.
(b) The Interstate 5 North corridor.
(c) The Interstate 205 corridor.
(d) The Milwaukie corridor.
(e) The Barbur corridor.
(f) The Lake Oswego corridor.
(g) Appropriate branches to the Banfield corridor.
(h) Appropriate branches to the corridors specified in paragraphs (a) to (f) of this subsection.
(3) Notwithstanding any written agreement entered into by the Director of Transportation under subsection (2) of this section, no moneys shall be expended from the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund for the preliminary engineering phase, final design phase, advanced right of way acquisition phase or construction and acquisition phase of projects unless the Director of Transportation determines:
(a) That all state and local approvals are in place for the phase of the specific project for which funding is being sought;
(b) That assurances are in place for obtaining all moneys, other than moneys for which the determination is being made, necessary to enable completion of the phase of the specific project for which funding is being sought and that the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District has agreed to provide an amount of money equal to that being provided by the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund for the phase of the specific project for which money is being sought;
(c) With respect to the phase of the specific project for which funding is being sought, that the body of local officials and state agency representatives designated by the metropolitan service district which functions wholly or partially within the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District and known as the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation has certified that the phase of the specific project is a regional priority; and
(d) With respect to construction phases of any project, the elements of the project that are designated for state participation and an estimated total amount of the state’s funding obligation.
(4) When the actual expenditures for a phase of a specific light rail project fall short of the estimated expenditures for the project, those moneys, other than federal moneys, that are not required for that phase of the project shall remain in the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund for use in completing other projects described in subsection (2) of this section.
(5) On or before August 31 in each year, the Director of Transportation shall certify to the Governor and the State Treasurer whether or not there existed, as of the end of the immediately preceding fiscal year, an unobligated balance of moneys in the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund that was derived from the moneys required to be transferred to the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund under ORS 391.130. If the Director of Transportation certifies that there existed such an unobligated balance of moneys derived from the moneys required to be transferred to the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund under ORS 391.130, an amount equal to the unobligated balance as of the end of the immediately preceding fiscal year shall revert to the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund created by ORS 461.540, and the State Treasurer shall credit such amount to that fund on or before the September 15 next following the date of the certification by the Director of Transportation.
(6) The Director of Transportation shall certify the unobligated balance of the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund, and that unobligated balance shall revert to the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund created by ORS 461.540 if the Director of Transportation determines that all projects referred to in subsection (2) of this section have been completed and the projects have been accepted by the Director of Transportation and all claims, suits and actions arising out of the projects have been resolved.
(7) For purposes of subsections (5) and (6) of this section, moneys in the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund derived from the moneys required to be transferred to the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund under ORS 391.130 shall be obligated to the extent such moneys are needed to fund the amounts committed to be paid in the current or any future fiscal year under any written agreement or commitment entered into by the Director of Transportation under subsection (2) of this section or to pay any amounts owing under or with respect to any revenue bonds issued under ORS 391.140.
(8) The Department of Transportation may deduct from the Regional Light Rail Extension Construction Fund the costs associated with administering the fund. [1989 c.868 §3; 1991 c.575 §6]