136-265. Issuance of bonds and notes.

(a) As a means of raising the funds needed from time to time in the acquisition, construction, equipment, maintenance or operation of any facility, building, structure or any other matter or thing which the Authority is authorized to acquire, construct, equip, maintain, or operate, all or any of them, including authorized special user projects, the Authority is hereby authorized, at one time or from time to time, to borrow money and in evidence thereof to issue bonds, notes and other obligations of the Authority as provided in this Article. Bonds, notes and other obligations may also be issued to (i) establish such reserves as the Authority may determine to be desirable including, without limitation, a debt service reserve fund, and (ii) provide for interest during the estimated period of construction and for a reasonable period thereafter and to provide for working capital.

The principal of and the interest on such bonds or notes shall be payable solely from the funds herein provided for such payment. Any such notes may be made payable from the proceeds of bonds or renewal notes or, in the event bond or renewal note proceeds are not available, such notes may be paid from any available revenues, income or assets of the Authority. The bonds or notes of each issue shall be dated and may be made redeemable before maturity at the option of the Authority at such price or prices and under such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Authority. Any such bonds or notes shall bear interest at such rate or rates, including variable rates, as may be determined by the Authority. Such bonds or notes shall mature at such time or times not exceeding 40 years from their date or dates, as may be determined by the Authority.

(b) Prior to the sale and delivery of any bonds or notes by the Authority, the Governor shall approve the general purposes of and the general security provisions for any such bonds or notes. Such bonds or notes may be sold in such manner, either at public or private sale, and for such price as the Authority shall determine. Bonds or notes may be issued under the provisions of this Article without obtaining, except as otherwise expressly provided in this Article, the consent of any department, division, commission, board, body, bureau or agency of the State, and without any other proceedings or the happening of any conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions or things which are specifically required by this Article and the provisions of the resolution authorizing the issuance of such bonds or notes or the trust agreement securing the same.

(c) In the discretion of the Authority any obligations issued under the provisions of this Article may be secured by a trust agreement by and between the Authority and a corporate trustee, which may be any trust company or bank having the powers of a trust company within or without the State and, in the case of an authorized special user project, a deed of trust of which the trustee may be an individual who is a resident of the State. It shall be lawful for any bank or trust company incorporated under the laws of the State which may act as depository of the proceeds of obligations, revenues or other money under this Article to furnish such indemnifying bonds or to pledge such securities as may be required by the Authority. The pledge of any assets, income or revenues of the Authority to the payment of the principal of or the interest on any obligations of the Authority shall be valid and binding from the time when the pledge is made and any such assets, income or revenues shall immediately be subject to the lien of such pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act, and the lien of any such pledge shall be valid and binding as against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract or otherwise against the Authority, irrespective of whether such parties have notice thereof.

(d) The resolution authorizing any obligations or the trust agreement securing the same may provide that any moneys held pursuant thereto may be temporarily invested pending the disbursement thereof and shall provide that any officer with whom, or any bank or trust company with which, such moneys shall be deposited shall act as trustee of such moneys and shall hold and apply the same for the purposes hereof, subject to such regulations as this Article and such resolution or trust agreement may provide. Any such moneys or any other moneys of the Authority may be invested as provided in G.S. 159-30 or any successor provision thereof.

(e) Obligations issued under the provisions of this Article are hereby made securities in which all public officers and public bodies of the State and its political subdivisions, all insurance companies, trust companies, banking associations, investment companies, executors, administrators, trustees and other fiduciaries may properly and legally invest funds, including capital in their control or belonging to them. Such obligations are hereby made securities which may properly and legally be deposited with and received by any State or municipal officer or any agency or political subdivision of the State for any purpose for which the deposit of bonds, notes or obligations of the State is now or may hereafter be authorized by law.

(f) The Authority is hereby authorized to provide for the issuance of refunding obligations for the purpose of refunding any obligations then outstanding which shall have been issued under the provisions of this Article, including the payment of any redemption premium thereon and any interest accrued or to accrue to the date of redemption of such obligations and, if deemed advisable by the Authority, for any corporate purpose of the Authority. The issuance of such obligations, the maturities and other details thereof, the rights of the holders thereof, and the rights, duties and obligations of the Authority in respect of the same shall be governed by the provisions of this Article which relate to the issuance of obligations, insofar as such provisions may be appropriate therefor.

Refunding obligations may be sold or exchanged for outstanding obligations issued under this Article and, if sold, the proceeds thereof may be applied, in addition to any other authorized purposes, to the purchase, redemption or payment of such outstanding obligations.

(g) Any obligations issued by the Authority under the provisions of this Article shall at all times be free from taxation by the State or any local unit or political subdivision or other instrumentality of the State, excepting inheritance or gift taxes, income taxes on the gain from the transfer of the obligations, and franchise taxes. The interest on the obligations is not subject to taxation as income.

(h) Obligations issued under the provisions of this Article shall not be deemed to constitute a debt, liability or obligation of the State or of any other public body in the State secured by a pledge of the faith and credit of the State or of any other public body in the State, respectively, but shall be payable solely from the revenues, income or assets of the Authority pledged thereto. Each obligation issued under this Article shall contain on the face thereof a statement to the effect that the Authority shall not be obligated to pay the same or the interest thereon except from the revenues, income or assets pledged therefor and that neither the faith and credit nor the taxing power of the State or of any other public body in the State is pledged to the payment of the principal of or the interest on such obligation.