S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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10131
I N A S S E M B L Y
June 16, 2014
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Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Corwin) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
AN ACT to authorize the city of Lockport, in the county of Niagara, to
finance a certain deficit by the issuance of bonds
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The city of Lockport, in the county of Niagara, is hereby
authorized to issue serial bonds on or before December 31, 2014 in an
aggregate principal amount not to exceed five million three hundred
fifty thousand dollars ($5,350,000) for the specific object or purpose
of liquidating the deficits in the general fund, the water fund, the
refuse fund and the sewer fund of such city for the fiscal years January
1, 2011 through December 31, 2011, January 1, 2012 through December 31,
2012 and January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013. In anticipation of
the issuance of the bonds authorized to be issued by this act, the issu-
ance and sale of bond anticipation notes are hereby authorized.
S 2. Notwithstanding any provision of this act to the contrary, the
city of Lockport shall not issue any bonds for the purpose of liquidat-
ing the projected deficits unless and until the amounts thereof are
reviewed and determined by the state comptroller. The city of Lockport
shall prepare a report detailing the amount and cause of such deficits
and submit such report together with the city's independent audit report
for its last completed fiscal year, if any such audit report has been or
is to be prepared, and such other information as the state comptroller
may deem necessary, to the state comptroller, as well as the chairs of
the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and means committee,
at least thirty days prior to the issuance of any bonds pursuant to this
act. Within thirty days after receiving such report, the state comp-
troller shall perform such reviews as may be necessary to determine the
amount of such deficits and report the same to the chairs of the senate
finance committee and the assembly ways and means committee, the mayor
and the common council of the city of Lockport. Bonds to liquidate each
such deficit shall not be issued in an amount exceeding such deficit as
determined by the state comptroller. Nothing provided in this act shall
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15624-01-4
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prevent the city of Lockport from authorizing the issuance of bonds or
bond anticipation notes, and issuing bond anticipation notes, prior to
the determination of the state comptroller of the amount of such defi-
cits. In the event bond anticipation notes are issued in an amount in
excess of the amounts determined by the state comptroller, the city of
Lockport shall redeem from funds other than the proceeds of the bonds or
bond anticipation notes, such bond anticipation notes in the amount by
which the amount of bond anticipation notes exceeds the amount of such
deficits as determined by the state comptroller.
S 3. It is hereby determined that the financing of the deficits
hereinbefore described is a purpose of the city of Lockport for which
indebtedness may be incurred, the period of probable usefulness of which
is hereby determined to be ten years, computed from the date of such
bonds or from the date of the first bond anticipation note issued in
anticipation of the sale of such bonds, whichever date is earlier. Such
bonds and/or bond anticipation notes shall be general obligations of the
city of Lockport to which the faith and credit of the city is pledged,
and the city shall make an annual appropriation sufficient to pay the
principal of and interest on such obligations as the same shall become
due.
S 4. Except as provided in this act, the provisions of the local
finance law shall be applicable to the authorization, sale and issuance
of the bonds and bond anticipation notes authorized to be issued by this
act provided, however, that no resolution authorizing the issuance of
such bonds or notes shall be subject to either mandatory or permissive
referendum.
S 5. (a) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or
bond anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the
mayor of the city of Lockport shall prepare a quarterly report of summa-
rized budget data depicting overall trends of actual revenues and budget
expenditures for the entire budget rather than individual line items.
Such budgetary reports shall compare revenue estimates and appropri-
ations as set forth in such budget with the actual revenues and expendi-
tures made to date. All such quarterly budgetary reports shall be accom-
panied by recommendations of the mayor setting forth any remedial action
necessary or desirable to resolve any unfavorable budget variance
including the over-estimation of revenues and the under-estimation of
expenditures. Each such quarterly budgetary report shall be completed
within thirty days after the end of each quarter and shall be submitted
to each member of the common council of the city of Lockport, the direc-
tor of the division of the budget, the state comptroller, and the chairs
of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and means commit-
tee.
(b) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or bond
anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the
mayor of the city of Lockport shall also prepare a quarterly trial
balance of general and special fund ledger accounts. Each such quarterly
trial balance shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. Each such quarterly trial balance shall be
completed within thirty days after the end of each quarterly period and
shall be submitted to each member of the common council of the city of
Lockport, the director of the division of the budget, the state comp-
troller, and the chairs of the senate finance committee and the assembly
ways and means committee.
(c) For the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2015 and for each fiscal
year thereafter during which such debt or any debt incurred to refund
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such debt is outstanding, the mayor of the city of Lockport or other
officer or officers responsible for the preparation of the tentative
budget shall submit the tentative budget for the next succeeding fiscal
year to the state comptroller no later than thirty days before the last
date on which the budget must be finally adopted. The state comptroller
shall examine such proposed budget and make such recommendations as
deemed appropriate thereon to the common council of the city of Lockport
no later than ten days before the last date on which the budget must be
finally adopted. Such recommendations shall be made after examination
into the estimates of revenues and expenditures of the city of Lockport.
The common council of the city of Lockport, no later than five days
prior to the adoption of the budget, shall review any such recommenda-
tions and may make adjustments to its proposed budget consistent with
any recommendations made by the state comptroller. Any recommendations
that the common council rejects shall be explained in writing to the
state comptroller. The action or inaction of the state comptroller under
this section shall not be construed to affect the legal validity of the
budget of the city of Lockport nor to affect the powers or duties of the
city of Lockport with respect to the local budget; provided, however,
that the city of Lockport may not issue bonds for any object or purpose
unless and until adjustments to its proposed budget, consistent with any
recommendations made by the state comptroller, are made, or any such
recommendations that are rejected have been explained in writing to the
state comptroller.
(d) Within ninety days of the issuance of any debt pursuant to this
act and for each fiscal year thereafter during which such debt or any
debt incurred to refund such debt is outstanding, the mayor of the city
of Lockport or other officer or officers responsible for the preparation
of the tentative budget of the city of Lockport, within thirty days
after the final adoption of the budget for the next succeeding fiscal
year, shall prepare a three-year financial plan covering the next
succeeding fiscal year and the two fiscal years thereafter. The finan-
cial plan shall, at a minimum, contain the information required to be
provided in a three-year financial plan as prescribed by subdivision 10
of section 54 of the state finance law. Copies of the financial plan
shall be provided to the mayor and chief fiscal officers of the city of
Lockport, the director of the budget, the state comptroller, the chair
of the assembly ways and means committee and the chair of the senate
finance committee. This financial plan requirement shall not apply to
the extent the city of Lockport is subject to a different multi-year
financial plan requirement under state law.
(e) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or bond
anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the
chief fiscal officer of the city of Lockport shall notify the state
comptroller at least fifteen days prior to the issuance of any bonds or
notes or entering into any installment purchase contract and the state
comptroller may review and make recommendations regarding the afforda-
bility to the city of Lockport of any such proposed issuance or
contract. The state comptroller may require the submission by the city
of Lockport of such information as the state comptroller shall deem
necessary to complete his or her review.
S 6. To facilitate the marketing of the bonds and/or bond anticipation
notes authorized to be issued by this act, the city of Lockport may,
notwithstanding any limitations on the private sales of bonds otherwise
provided by law, and subject to approval by the state comptroller of the
terms and conditions of such sales, arrange for the underwriting or
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other sale of its bonds and/or bond anticipation notes at private sale
upon negotiated terms and conditions which may include reasonable under-
writing or placement fees or discounts. The costs of such underwriting
or sale shall be deemed preliminary costs for purposes of section 11.00
of the local finance law.
S 7. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act
shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid,
such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder
thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence,
paragraph, section, or part thereof directly involved in the controversy
in which such judgment shall have been rendered.
S 8. This act shall take effect immediately.