A. Any general obligation bonds issued or incurred by any public body may be refunded by the public body issuing or incurring the general obligations or any successor of thepublic body in the name of the public body that issued or incurred the obligation or indebtedness being refunded, but subject to provisions concerning their payment and to any other contractual limitations in the proceedings authorizing their issuance or otherwise appertaining to the general obligations; provided, approval of the refunding by an election held in the same manner as required for the issuance of the general obligations being refunded shall be required if the refunding extends the maturity date of the obligations.

B. 1. The outstanding bonded indebtedness of any school district at the time of the inclusion of all the territory of the district in another district by reorganization, consolidation, dissolution, or any other lawful means may be refunded by action of the governing body of the district including such territory at the time of such refunding, whether or not such indebtedness has been assumed by the district including such territory.

2. When an entire school district with outstanding bonded indebtedness has been divided and parts of the school district have been included within two or more other districts by any lawful means, the refunding of such indebtedness shall require affirmative action by a majority of the members of the governing body of each of the districts within which any part of the territory of the district having the indebtedness is then included, except as otherwise provided for in the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act.

3. The outstanding bonded indebtedness of any school district at the time any territory of the district is detached from the school district by any lawful means, which school district has retained its lawful corporate existence subsequent to the detachment of said territory from the school district, may be refunded by action of the governing body of the school district from which territory has been detached with or without the concurrence of or action by the governing body of any school district within which all or any part of such detached territory is included. The school districts from which territory has been detached and which retain their corporate existence subsequent to detachment are specifically exempted from the requirements and provisions of paragraph 2 of this subsection.

C. General obligation refunding bonds may be issued to refund all or any portion of one or more outstanding general obligations of a public body, but no two or more outstanding general obligations, or portions thereof, may be refunded by a single issue of refunding bonds unless the taxable property upon which tax levies are being made for payment of each such outstanding general obligation proposed to be refunded by such single issue of refunding bonds, and the same tax and debt limitations, if any, applicable to each obligation proposed to be refunded by such single issue of refunding bonds are also applicable to all other obligations to be refunded by such single issue.

D. All refundings of general obligation issues shall be made through competitive bidding pursuant to the procedures established by Section 354 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes. The governing body may waive the competitive bid requirement if three-fourths (3/4) of the membership of the governing body so vote or upon a unanimous vote of those members voting if less than three-fourths (3/4) of the membership of the governing body is present. Refunding bonds may be delivered in exchange for the obligations to be refunded or may be sold by competitive or negotiated sale as determined by the governing body in the best interest of the public body in either of the following manners:

1. If the public body sells the refunding bonds at competitive sale, the public body is hereby authorized to pay all expenses incident to the issuance of said bonds including fees for legal, financial, and other assistance in the preparation and proceedings thereof, from the proceeds of such refunding bonds or any other moneys available to the public body. The proceeds of such sale shall be applied as provided for in the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act. The bonds may be sold at a sum not less than par with accrued interest.

2. If the bonds are sold through a negotiated sale, it shall be unlawful for any board of county commissioners, city council or city commissioners, town council, township board, school district board, board of education or any other officer of any such municipal corporation, or any officer of any political corporation, or subdivision of this state, to sell, agree to sell or contract to sell any bonds issued with, or without a vote of the people for any sum less than par with accrued interest added. All fees for legal, financial, and other assistance in the preparation and proceedings thereof shall be paid from the proceeds of such refunding bonds.

E. Persons, firms, or corporations prohibited from bidding on or purchasing general obligations pursuant to Section 355 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes shall be prohibited from bidding on or purchasing refunding bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act.

F. No general obligation may be refunded unless the holder of the general obligation voluntarily surrenders it for exchange of payment or the general obligation either matures or is callable by the issuer for prior redemption under its terms within twenty-five (25) years from the date of issuance of the refunding bonds, and provision shall have been made in such refunding for paying the obligation being refunded within said period of time. In no event shall general obligations be refunded except for the purposes specified in paragraph 1 of subsection A of Section 3 of this act, or unless the total of the principal and interest payable over the life of the refunding bonds and the expenses incurred in issuing the refunding bonds shall be less than the total of the principal and interest payable over the life of the refunded obligations.

G. A public body shall be authorized to utilize an escrow supplement in accomplishing any refunding undertaken pursuant to the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act.

H. The issuance of refunding bonds by any public body pursuant to the provisions of the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act shall not be interpreted to be the creation of debt or indebtedness such that the issuance would require the approval at an election in accordance with the Constitution or laws of this state. No such approval shall be required for the issuance of such refunding bonds except as provided for in the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act. Any obligations which have been refunded, pursuant to the provisions of the General Obligation Public Securities Refunding Act, either by immediate payment or redemption and retirement or by the placement of net proceeds of refunding bonds in escrow shall continue to be considered general obligations but shall not be deemed outstanding for purposes of determining compliance with debt limitations from and after the date on which sufficient moneys are placed either with the paying agent of such outstanding obligations for the purpose of immediately paying or redeeming and retiring such bonds or with the escrow agent for the purpose of paying or redeeming and retiring such bonds at a designated future date.

Added by Laws 1984, c. 255, § 4, emerg. eff. May 30, 1984. Amended by Laws 1987, c. 94, § 1, emerg. eff. May 18, 1987.