AMENDMENT 300 RATIFIED

Bonds for Certain Public Buildings in Mobile County.

Section A. As used in this amendment the following terms shall be given the following respective meanings:

"County" means Mobile county.

"Special tax" means the annual ad valorem tax at the rate of 1/2 of 1 per centum (equivalent to 5 mills on each dollar) of the assessed valuation of the taxable property in the county authorized to be levied by the county by the amendment known as amendment XVIII [18] to the Constitution of Alabama, as amended by the amendment to the Constitution known as amendment CLII [152], and also provided for in the amendments to the Constitution known as amendments C [100], CXXII [122], CLI [151], CXCIII [193], and CXCV [195].

Section B. Mobile county is hereby authorized to issue from time to time its bonds, not exceeding $3,000,000 in aggregate principal amount, of which $1,000,000 in principal amount shall be issued for the purpose of acquiring, providing, constructing and equipping a building for use as a juvenile detention home for the county in conjunction with the juvenile court of the county, and $2,000,000 in principal amount shall be issued for the purpose of acquiring, providing, constructing and equipping additions and improvements to the county courthouse building in the county; provided, that if all of the proceeds from the bonds issued for either of the said purposes shall not be needed for the purpose for which they were issued then the balance not so needed may in the sound judgment of the governing body of the county be expended for the said other purpose. The aggregate principal amount of all bonds at any time issued under this amendment, when added to the aggregate principal amount of all then outstanding bonds theretofore issued by the county under any other amendment to the Constitution of Alabama that are payable from or secured by the special tax shall not exceed 6 1/2 per centum of the assessed valuation of the taxable property situated in the county as assessed for state taxation for the state tax year next preceding that during which any bonds herein authorized shall be issued.

No bonds may be issued under the authority of this amendment until after the question of the issuance of such bonds shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of the county at any election called for that purpose by the governing body of the county and a majority of the said qualified electors voting at the said election shall have voted in favor of the issuance of such bonds; provided, that if a majority of the qualified electors of the county participating in the election on the adoption of this amendment shall vote for the adoption thereof, then the approval of this amendment expressed by the said vote in favor of its adoption shall of itself authorize the issuance of the bonds provided for in this amendment and no additional election by the electors of the county shall be required to authorize the issuance of the said bonds. If the majority of the qualified electors of the county participating in the election on the adoption of this amendment should not vote in favor of the adoption of this amendment, or if the majority of the qualified electors of the county voting at any election called by the governing body of the county under the provisions of this amendment should not vote in favor of the issuance of the bonds proposed at an election so called, the governing body of the county may from time to time call other elections hereunder on the issuance of such bonds, but not more than one such election shall be held during any period of twelve consecutive months. Any such election called by the governing body of the county shall be called, held, conducted and canvassed, and may be contested, in the manner and within the time provided by the then existing general laws of Alabama pertaining to elections on the issuance of bonds by counties.

The bonds issued hereunder shall be general obligations of the county for the payment of the principal of and interest on which the full faith and credit of the county shall be irrevocably pledged, and in addition thereto there shall be irrevocably pledged for payment of the said principal and interest so much of the special tax as may be necessary to pay the said principal and interest at their respective maturities, each such pledge to be on a parity with all valid pledges of the special tax at any time heretofore or hereafter made, to such extent as shall not impair the obligation of any then existing valid prior pledges.

The principal of each series of bonds issued under this amendment shall mature in annual installments, the first of which installments shall mature not later than three (3) years after the date of the bonds of that series and the last of which shall mature not later than thirty (30) years after the date of the bonds of that series; provided, that the maturities of each series of bonds issued under this amendment shall be arranged so that (a) no annual installment of principal of the bonds of such series maturing during any fiscal year of the county shall be more than four times as great as the smallest installment of principal of the same series maturing during any prior fiscal year, and (b) the aggregate amount of principal and interest that will mature in any one fiscal year with respect to that series of bonds, and also all other bonds theretofore issued by the county and then outstanding that are payable out of or secured by a pledge of the special tax, shall not exceed the amount of the proceeds collected from the special tax during the then next preceding tax year. Except as herein otherwise provided, all bonds issued under this amendment shall be issued in accordance with, and shall be subject to, the provisions of the general laws of Alabama existing at the time of the issuance of such bonds respecting the sale, execution, issuance and redemption of bonds by counties. The indebtedness evidenced by the bonds issued under this amendment or under any other amendment to the Constitution which are payable out of or are secured by a pledge of the special tax shall be in addition to and shall not be charged against the limitation on the indebtedness of the county provided for in section 224 of the Constitution.

So long as the principal of or interest on any of the bonds issued under this amendment remains unpaid, the governing body of Mobile county shall continue the levy of the special tax at such rate as may be sufficient to pay the said principal and interest at their respective maturities; provided, that the total rate of the special tax that may be levied and collected for payment of the said bonds and all other bonds payable out of or secured by a pledge of the special tax shall not exceed 4 1/2 mills on each dollar of the assessed valuation of all properties subject to taxation by the county as assessed for state taxation and that the said rate of 4 1/2 mills on each dollar of the said assessed valuation shall be reduced for each tax year for which the special hospital tax authorized in paragraph G of the amendment to the Constitution known as amendment No. CXCV [195] shall have been levied at a rate exceeding 1 mill on each dollar of the taxable property in the county, any such reduction to be by 1/2 mill on each dollar of the assessed valuation of the taxable property in the county or by rate of millage equal to the rate by which the said special hospital tax levied for that tax year exceeds one mill on each dollar of the assessed valuation of such taxable property, whichever shall be the lesser reduction. The provisions of this paragraph shall be applicable, however, only to such extent as shall not impair the obligation of any pledges of the special tax heretofore made for the benefit of any bonds issued by the county prior to the adoption of this amendment.

The provisions of this amendment shall be self-executing, and authorization from or other action by the legislature shall not be a prerequisite to the issuance of bonds hereunder or the levy of the special tax for payment thereof.