A. Refunding bonds issued pursuant to Chapter 4, Article 62 NMSA 1978 shall be authorized by ordinance or by resolution if the refunding bonds are to be issued and sold to the New Mexico finance authority pursuant to Subsection C of Section 4-62-4 NMSA 1978. Any bonds that are refunded under the provisions of this section shall be paid at maturity or on any permitted prior redemption date in the amounts, at the time and places and, if called prior to maturity, in accordance with any applicable notice provisions, all as provided in the proceedings authorizing the issuance of the refunded bonds or otherwise appertaining thereto, except for any bond that is voluntarily surrendered for exchange or payment by the holder or owner.

B. Provisions shall be made for paying the bonds refunded at the time provided in Subsection A of this section. The principal amount of the refunding bonds may exceed the principal amount of the refunded bonds and may also be less than or the same as the principal amount of the bonds being refunded so long as provision is duly and sufficiently made for the payment of the refunded bonds.

C. The proceeds of refunding bonds, including any accrued interest and premium appertaining to the sale of refunding bonds, shall either be immediately applied to the retirement of the bonds being refunded or be placed in escrow in a commercial bank or trust company that possesses and is exercising trust powers and that is a member of the federal deposit insurance corporation to be applied to the payment of the principal of, interest on and any prior redemption premium due in connection with the bonds being refunded; provided that such refunding bond proceeds, including any accrued interest and any premium appertaining to a sale of refunding bonds, may be applied to the establishment and maintenance of a reserve fund and to the payment of expenses incidental to the refunding and the issuance of the refunding bonds, the interest thereon and the principal thereof or both interest and principal as the county may determine. Nothing in this section requires the establishment of an escrow if the refunded bonds become due and payable within one year from the date of the refunding bonds and if the amounts necessary to retire the refunded bonds within that time are deposited with the paying agent for the refunded bonds. Any escrow shall not be limited to proceeds of refunding bonds but may include the other money available for its purpose. Any proceeds in escrow pending such use may be invested or reinvested in bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes or bonds that are direct obligations of, or the principal and interest of which obligations are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States or in certificates of deposit of banks that are members of the federal deposit insurance corporation, the par value of which certificates of deposit is collateralized by a pledge of obligations of, or the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States, the par value of which obligations is at least seventy-five percent of the par value of the certificates of deposit. Such proceeds and investments in escrow together with any interest or other income to be derived from any such investment shall be in an amount at all times sufficient as to principal, interest, any prior redemption premium due and any charges of the escrow agent payable therefrom to pay the bonds being refunded as they become due at their respective maturities or due at any designated prior redemption date in connection with which the county shall exercise a prior redemption option. Any purchaser of any refunding bond issued under Chapter 4, Article 62 NMSA 1978 is in no manner responsible for the application of the proceeds thereof by the county or of its officers, agents or employees.

D. Refunding bonds may bear such additional terms and provisions as may be determined by the county subject to the limitations in this section and Section 4-62-9 NMSA 1978 and, to the extent applicable, Sections 4-62-1 through 4-62-6 NMSA 1978 relating to original bond issues, and the refunding bonds are not subject to the provisions of any other statute except as may be incorporated by reference in Chapter 4, Article 62 NMSA 1978.

E. The county shall receive from the department of finance and administration written approval of any non-utility gross receipts tax refunding revenue bonds, gasoline tax refunding revenue bonds, fire protection refunding revenue bonds, environmental refunding revenue bonds or non-utility project refunding revenue bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of Sections 4-62-7 through 4-62-10 NMSA 1978.

History: 1978 Comp., § 4-62-8, enacted by Laws 1992, ch. 95, § 8; 1995, ch. 141, § 11.

The 1995 amendment, effective April 5, 1995, inserted "or by resolution if the refunding bonds are to be issued and sold to the New Mexico finance authority pursuant to Subsection C of Section 4-62-4 NMSA 1978" at the end of the first sentence in Subsection A.