2015 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 33 - Municipalities and Parishes
RS 33:4533 - New Orleans; public belt railroad bonds and notes

§4533. New Orleans; public belt railroad bonds and notes

A. The authority of the city of New Orleans to issue, upon the recommendation of the public belt railroad commission, bonds known as New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Bonds, in a sum not to exceed five million dollars, to be used exclusively for the development, extensions, additions, betterments and construction of the public belt railroad system granted by Article 14, Section 27 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921, including the right to issue any bonds thereunder authorized and not yet issued, is hereby ratified, approved and reaffirmed, and any such bonds heretofore issued pursuant to said authority, shall not be affected by this Act, and are hereby ratified, validated and confirmed. All of said bonds shall run not more than forty years from date of issue and shall be issued in serial form, payable in annual installments commencing not more than fifteen years from date of issue, the amount payable each year for principal to be as nearly equal as practicable.

(1) They shall be exempt from all taxation and shall have all of the advantages of the bonds issued under Act 179 of the 1908 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

(2) These bonds shall be issued in such form, at such rates of interest (not exceeding the maximum rates of interest authorized by R.S. 39:1424), and dates of maturity, as recommended by the public belt railroad commission, and shall be paid out of the net revenue of the public belt railroad; and in case of any deficiency in any year, then the said city of New Orleans shall levy a tax to make up such deficiency.

B. The authority of the city of New Orleans to issue, at any time and from time to time upon the recommendation of the Public Belt Railroad Commission for the city of New Orleans, bonds and notes designated City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, and City of New Orleans Public Belt Notes, granted by Article 14, Section 27 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921, is hereby ratified, approved and reaffirmed, and any such bonds and notes heretofore issued pursuant to said authority, shall not be affected by this Act, and are hereby ratified, validated and confirmed.

C. Said City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, shall have such date or dates and shall be issued in such form or forms and denomination or denominations, at such time or times and upon such terms and conditions as to maturity or maturities, rate or rates of interest, redeemability, if any, at such premium or premiums, if any, and otherwise as the city of New Orleans may deem advisable; provided that none of said bonds shall mature later than fifty years after its date or bear interest at a rate greater than the rates of interest authorized by R.S. 39:1424. Said bonds shall be sold to the highest bidder at public sale for not less than par and accrued interest, after advertisement at least once a week for not less than four consecutive weeks, the date of first publication to be not less than thirty days prior to the date fixed for sale by the city of New Orleans, in New Orleans, New York and such other place or places as the city of New Orleans may determine, reserving to the city of New Orleans the right to reject any and all bids.

D. Said City of New Orleans Public Belt Notes shall have such date or dates and shall be issued in such form or forms and denomination or denominations, at such time or times and upon such terms and conditions as to maturity or maturities, rate or rates of interest, payment prior to maturity at principal amount plus accrued interest, and otherwise as the city of New Orleans may deem advisable; provided that none of said notes shall mature later than five years after its date or bear interest at a rate greater than the maximum rates of interest authorized by R.S. 39:1424. None of said notes shall be issued otherwise than to evidence a loan of the principal amount thereof contemporaneously made to the city of New Orleans, and the city of New Orleans is hereby authorized to borrow any amount so loaned, solely for the purposes hereinbelow set forth. The aggregate principal amount of said notes at any one time outstanding shall be limited to five hundred thousand dollars. No money shall be borrowed pursuant thereto from any lender on terms less favorable to the city of New Orleans than those by any other responsible lender, but this provision shall not affect the validity of said notes in the hands of any holder thereof.

E. The funds realized from the sale of any of said City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, or from any loans evidenced by any of said city of New Orleans public belt notes shall be applied exclusively to the payment at maturity, or to the redemption or payment prior to maturity, of New Orleans Public Belt railroad bonds (now outstanding or hereafter issued), or city of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds or previously issued City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, or City of New Orleans Public Belt Notes.

F. Whenever any of said City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, or of said City of New Orleans Public Belt Notes shall be issued to obtain funds for the payment or redemption of any of the bonds or notes referred to in the next preceding paragraph they may be delivered prior to the time for such payment or redemption (but not more than sixty days prior to such time), but in such case the proceeds derived from the sale thereof, or the loan evidenced thereby, as the case may be, shall forthwith upon receipt be deposited in a duly qualified bank or trust company designated by the city of New Orleans, in a special trust account, to be used exclusively for the discharge as soon as practicable of the bonds or notes to be paid or redeemed; provided that any premium over par and accrued interest realized on the sale of any City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, need not be so deposited but shall be held by the city of New Orleans dedicated to the retirement thereafter of any of the bonds or notes referred to in the next preceding paragraph.

G. No purchaser of any of said City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, New Series, and no maker of any loan evidenced by any of said City of New Orleans Public Belt Notes shall be required to see to such application or deposit or dedication of said funds.

H. Said bonds and notes and the income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation for state, parish, municipal or other local purposes and, subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Bonds and City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds, shall have all the advantages of such New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Bonds and such City of New Orleans Public Belt Bonds.

I. Said bonds and notes shall be paid out of the net revenues of the Public Belt Railroad. In case of any deficiency in these revenues to pay either principal or interest in any year, then the city of New Orleans shall levy a tax on all taxable property in said City sufficient to provide for such deficiency, and the full faith and credit of the city of New Orleans shall be, and are hereby, pledged for the payment of the principal and interest of all said bonds and notes.

J. Said bonds and notes shall have, and are hereby declared to have, the qualities of negotiable instruments under the law merchant.

K. The provisions hereof shall constitute a contract between the holders of any bonds and notes issued hereunder and the state of Louisiana and city of New Orleans.

Added by Acts 1976, No. 245, §1.