A. The board of any college district may issue revenue bonds for the purpose of constructing, purchasing, improving, remodeling, furnishing or equipping any necessary buildings, structures or facilities of the college district. The revenue bonds shall be payable from and secured by a lien on and pledge of all or any part of any of the revenues, income or receipts of the college district and its board, including without limitation any rentals, rates, charges, tuition and fees or other revenues other than ad valorem tax proceeds available to the college district and its board.

B. The revenue bonds shall be authorized by resolution of the board approved by majority vote of the board. The commission on higher education [higher education department] and the state board of finance shall approve the sale of the bonds.

C. The revenue bonds may be issued in one or more series and shall mature not more than thirty years from their date. The net effective interest rate of the bonds shall not exceed the net effective interest rate as permitted by the Public Securities Act [6-14-1 to 6-14-3 NMSA 1978] in accordance with the terms and options of redemption authorized in the bond resolution adopted by the board.

D. The board:

(1) may pledge all or any part of its revenues, income or receipts from rentals, rates, charges, tuition and fees or other resources and revenues other than ad valorem tax proceeds for the payment of the bonds, including the payment of principal, interest and any other amounts required or permitted in connection with the bonds in accordance with the bond resolution;

(2) shall fix and collect those pledged rentals, rates, charges, tuition and fees in amounts that shall be at least sufficient, together with other pledged resources, to provide for all payments of principal, interest and any other amounts required in connection with the bonds; to provide for the payment of expenses in connection with the bonds; and, to the extent required by the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds, to provide for the payment of operation, maintenance and other expenses in connection with the property, buildings, structures, activities, services, operations or other facilities of the college district; and

(3) may establish and enforce parietal rules for students and others and enter into agreements regarding occupancy, use and availability of facilities and the amounts and collection of pledged revenues, income, receipts, rentals, rates, tuition and fees or other resources, to assure that all required payments and deposits shall be made pursuant to the bond resolution.

E. Fees for the use by or availability to the students of all or any property, buildings, structures, activities, services, operations or other facilities of the college district may be pledged to the payment of the bonds and shall be fixed and collected from all or any designated part of the students enrolled in the colleges of the college district in the amounts and in the manner determined and provided by the board in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the bonds. Such fees:

(1) may be collected in the full amounts required or permitted under this section, without regard to actual use, availability or existence of any facility, commencing at any time designated by the board;

(2) may be fixed and collected for the use or availability of any specifically described property, buildings, structures, activities, services, operations or other facilities or may be fixed and collected as general fees for the general use or availability of the colleges of the college district; and

(3) whether fixed and collected as specific or general fees, may be pledged to the payment of any issue or series of bonds issued by the board, in the full amounts required or permitted under this section, in addition to and regardless of the existence of any other specific or general fees at the colleges of the college district; provided that the board may restrict its power to pledge such additional specific or general fees in any manner that may be provided in any resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds, and provided further that no such additional specific fees shall be pledged if prohibited by any resolution that authorized the issuance of the bonds that are outstanding at the time of such pledge.

F. A board of a college district may by bond resolution provide for the issuance of refunding bonds to refund any outstanding bonds issued under the College District Tax Act, together with redemption premiums, if any, and interest accrued or to accrue on such bonds. Provisions governing the issuance and sale of bonds under the College District Tax Act govern the issuance and sale of refunding bonds insofar as applicable. Refunding bonds may be exchanged for the outstanding bonds or may be sold and the proceeds used to retire the outstanding bonds. Pending the application of the proceeds of any such refunding bonds with any other available funds to the payment of principal, interest and any redemption premiums on the bonds being refunded, and if so provided or permitted in the bond resolution of the board authorizing the issuance of such refunding bonds to the payment of any interest on such refunding bonds and any expenses incurred in connection with such refunding, such proceeds may be placed in escrow and invested in securities that are unconditionally guaranteed by the United States and that shall mature or that shall be subject to redemption by the holders of the bonds, at the option of the bondholders, not later than the respective dates when the proceeds together with the interest accruing on the bonds will be required for the purposes intended.

History: Laws 1995, ch. 224, § 15.

Bracketed material. — The bracketed material was inserted by the compiler and is not part of the law.

For designation of the commission on higher education as the higher education department, see 9-25-4.1 NMSA 1978.

Effective dates. — Laws 1995, ch. 224 contained no effective date provision, but, pursuant to N.M. Const., art. IV, § 23, was effective June 16, 1995, 90 days after adjournment of the legislature.