STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________

6465

2019-2020 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

June 12, 2019 ___________

Introduced by Sen. AMEDORE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

AN ACT to authorize the city of Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery, 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:

1 Section 1. The city of Amsterdam, in the county of Montgomery, is 2 hereby authorized to issue serial bonds on or after March 1, 2019 in an 3 aggregate principal amount not to exceed eight million three hundred 4 thousand dollars ($8,300,000) for the specific object or purpose of 5 liquidating the cumulative deficits in the general fund, the transporta- 6 tion fund, the sewer fund and recreation fund of such city accumulated 7 during fiscal years ending June 30, 2008 through 2018, inclusive. In 8 anticipation of the issuance of the bonds authorized to be issued by 9 this act, the issuance and sale of bond anticipation notes are hereby 10 authorized. 11 § 2. Notwithstanding any provision of this act to the contrary, the 12 city of Amsterdam shall not issue any bonds for the purpose of liquidat- 13 ing the aforesaid cumulative deficits unless and until the amounts ther- 14 eof are reviewed and determined by the state comptroller. The city of 15 Amsterdam shall prepare a report detailing the amount and cause of such 16 deficits and submit such report together with the city's independent 17 audit report for its last completed fiscal year, if any such audit 18 report has been or is to be prepared, and such other information as the 19 state comptroller may deem necessary, to the state comptroller, as well 20 as the chairs of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and 21 means committee, at least thirty days prior to the issuance of any bonds 22 pursuant to this act. 23 Within thirty days after receiving such report, the state comptroller 24 shall perform such reviews as may be necessary to determine the amounts 25 of such deficits and report the same to the chairs of the senate finance

EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD13334-01-9

S. 6465 2

1 committee and the assembly ways and means committee, the mayor and the 2 common council of the city of Amsterdam. Bonds to liquidate each such 3 deficit shall not be issued in an amount exceeding such deficit as 4 determined by the state comptroller. Nothing provided in this act shall 5 prevent the city of Amsterdam from authorizing the issuance of bonds or 6 bond anticipation notes, and issuing bond anticipation notes, prior to 7 the determination of the state comptroller of the amount of such defi- 8 cits. 9 If bond anticipation notes are issued in an amount in excess of the 10 deficits determined by the state comptroller, the city of Amsterdam 11 shall redeem from funds other than the proceeds of the bonds or bond 12 anticipation notes, such bond anticipation notes in the amount by which 13 the amount of bond anticipation notes exceeds the amount of such defi- 14 cits as determined by the state comptroller. 15 § 3. It is hereby determined that the financing of the deficits 16 hereinbefore described is a purpose of the city of Amsterdam for which 17 indebtedness may be incurred, the period of probable usefulness of which 18 is hereby determined to be ten years, computed from the date of such 19 bonds or from the date of the first bond anticipation note issued in 20 anticipation of the sale of such bonds, whichever date is earlier. Such 21 bonds and/or bond anticipation notes shall be general obligations of the 22 city of Amsterdam to which the faith and credit of the city is pledged, 23 and the city shall make an annual appropriation sufficient to pay the 24 principal of and interest on such obligations as the same shall become 25 due. 26 § 4. Except as provided in this act, the provisions of the local 27 finance law shall be applicable to the authorization, sale and issuance 28 of the bonds and bond anticipation notes authorized to be issued by this 29 act provided, however, that no resolution authorizing the issuance of 30 such bonds or notes shall be subject to either mandatory or permissive 31 referendum and provided further, that such bond anticipation notes need 32 not be converted to bonds by the fifth anniversary of their issuance. 33 § 5. (a) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or 34 bond anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the 35 mayor of the city of Amsterdam shall prepare a quarterly report of 36 summarized budget data depicting overall trends of actual revenues and 37 budget expenditures for the entire budget rather than individual line 38 items. 39 Such budgetary reports shall compare revenue estimates and appropri- 40 ations as set forth in such budget with the actual revenues and expendi- 41 tures made to date. All such quarterly budgetary reports shall be accom- 42 panied by recommendations of the mayor setting forth any remedial action 43 necessary or desirable to resolve any unfavorable budget variance 44 including the over-estimation of revenues and the under-estimation of 45 expenditures. Each such quarterly budgetary report shall be completed 46 within thirty days after the end of each quarter and shall be submitted 47 to each member of the common council of the city of Amsterdam, the 48 director of the division of the budget, the state comptroller, and the 49 chairs of the senate finance committee and the assembly ways and means 50 committee. 51 (b) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or bond 52 anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the 53 mayor of the city of Amsterdam shall also prepare a quarterly trial 54 balance of general and special fund ledger accounts. Each such quarterly 55 trial balance shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted 56 accounting principles. Each such quarterly trial balance shall be

S. 6465 3

1 completed within thirty days after the end of each quarterly period and 2 shall be submitted to each member of the common council of the city of 3 Amsterdam, the director of the division of the budget, the state comp- 4 troller, and the chairs of the senate finance committee and the assembly 5 ways and means committee. 6 (c) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019 and for each fiscal 7 year thereafter during which such debt or any debt incurred to refund 8 such debt is outstanding, the mayor of the city of Amsterdam or other 9 officer or officers responsible for the preparation of the tentative 10 budget shall submit the tentative budget for the next succeeding fiscal 11 year to the state comptroller no later than thirty days before the last 12 date on which the budget must be finally adopted. The state comptroller 13 shall examine such proposed budget and make such recommendations as 14 deemed appropriate thereon to the common council of the city of Amster- 15 dam no later than ten days before the last date on which the budget must 16 be finally adopted. Such recommendations shall be made after examina- 17 tion into the estimates of revenues and expenditures of the city of 18 Amsterdam. The common council of the city of Amsterdam, no later than 19 five days prior to the adoption of the budget, shall review any such 20 recommendations and may make adjustments to its proposed budget consist- 21 ent with any recommendations made by the state comptroller. Any recom- 22 mendations that the common council rejects shall be explained in writing 23 to the state comptroller. The action or inaction of the state comp- 24 troller under this section shall not affect the legal validity of the 25 budget of the city of Amsterdam nor to affect the powers or duties of 26 the city of Amsterdam with respect to the local budget; provided, howev- 27 er, that the city of Amsterdam may not issue bonds for any object or 28 purpose unless and until adjustments to its proposed budget, consistent 29 with any recommendations made by the state comptroller, are made, or any 30 such recommendations that are rejected have been explained in writing to 31 the state comptroller. 32 (d) Within ninety days of the issuance of any debt pursuant to this 33 act and for each fiscal year thereafter during which such debt or any 34 debt incurred to refund such debt is outstanding, the mayor of the city 35 of Amsterdam or other officer or officers responsible for the prepara- 36 tion of the tentative budget of the city of Amsterdam, within thirty 37 days after the final adoption of the budget for the next succeeding 38 fiscal year, shall prepare a three-year financial plan covering the next 39 succeeding fiscal year and the two fiscal years thereafter. The finan- 40 cial plan shall, at a minimum, contain the information required to be 41 provided in a three-year financial plan as prescribed by subdivision 10 42 of section 54 of the state finance law. Copies of the financial plan 43 shall be provided to the mayor and chief fiscal officer of the city of 44 Amsterdam, the director of the budget, the state comptroller, the chair 45 of the assembly ways and means committee and the chair of the senate 46 finance committee. This financial plan requirement shall not apply if 47 and to the extent the city of Amsterdam is subject to a different 48 multi-year financial plan requirement under state law. 49 (e) For each fiscal year occurring during the time bonds and/or bond 50 anticipation notes issued pursuant to this act are outstanding, the 51 chief fiscal officer of the city of Amsterdam shall notify the state 52 comptroller at least fifteen days prior to the issuance of any bonds or 53 notes or entering into any installment purchase contract and the state 54 comptroller may review and make recommendations regarding the afforda- 55 bility to the city of Amsterdam of any such proposed issuance or 56 contract, provided, however, that the validity of any bond anticipation

S. 6465 4

1 note or bond issued to refinance a maturing bond anticipation note shall 2 not be affected by any failure to provide such notice in a timely 3 manner. The state comptroller may require the submission by the city of 4 Amsterdam of such information as the state comptroller shall deem neces- 5 sary to complete his or her review. 6 § 6. To facilitate the marketing of the bonds and/or bond anticipation 7 notes authorized to be issued by this act, the city of Amsterdam may, 8 notwithstanding any limitations on the private sales of bonds otherwise 9 provided by law, and subject to approval by the state comptroller of the 10 terms and conditions of such sales, arrange for the underwriting or 11 other sale of its bonds and/or bond anticipation notes at private sale 12 upon negotiated terms and conditions which may include reasonable under- 13 writing or placement fees or discounts. The costs of such underwriting 14 or sale shall be deemed preliminary costs for purposes of section 11.00 15 of the local finance law. 16 § 7. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this act 17 shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, 18 such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder 19 thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, 20 paragraph, section, or part thereof directly involved in the controversy 21 in which such judgment shall have been rendered. 22 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.