§11-92A-14. Bonds of authority.

(a) Bonds of an authority shall be signed by its chairman and attested by its secretary, the seal of the authority shall be affixed thereto, and any interest coupons applicable to said bonds shall be signed by the chairman; provided that a facsimile of the signature of said officers may be printed or otherwise reproduced on any such bonds in lieu of being manually subscribed thereon, a facsimile of the seal of the authority may be printed or otherwise produced on any such bonds in lieu of being manually affixed thereto, and a facsimile of the chairman's signature may be printed or otherwise reproduced on any such interest coupons in lieu of being manually subscribed thereon, provided that the bonds have been manually authenticated by a transfer agent of the bond issue. Delivery of the bonds so executed shall be valid notwithstanding any changes in officers or in the seal of the authority after the signing and sealing of the bonds.

(b) Any bonds may be executed and delivered by the authority at any time and from time to time and shall be in such form and denominations and of such tenor and maturities, shall bear such rate or rates of interest, shall be payable at such times and evidenced in such manner, and may contain such other provisions not inconsistent with this chapter as may be provided by the resolution or resolutions of the board of directors under which such bonds are authorized to be issued; provided, however, that no bond shall have a specified maturity date later than 30 years after its date of execution. A bond may be made subject to redemption at the option of an authority at such times and after such notice and on such conditions and at such redemption price or prices as may be provided in the resolution or resolutions under which it is authorized to be issued. Such bonds may bear interest at a fixed rate, at a rate that adjusts in accordance with some independent standard, such as the prime or base lending rate of a bank or published rates for other securities, or may bear interest at rates which may be from time to time adjusted to a rate sufficient, in the opinion of any remarketing agent appointed by the authority, to cause the bonds to have a fair market value or funding value not less than the principal amount of such bonds or such other amount as may be specified in the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds. In particular, it is intended that the authority shall be authorized to issue "tender" bonds or similar bonds and to enter into appropriate remarketing agreements with respect to any of its bonds and the determination of the rate of interest borne by such bonds.

(c) Upon the adoption by the board of directors of any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds, an authority may, in its discretion, cause to be published once a week for two consecutive weeks, in a newspaper or newspapers of general circulation published in each county within its authorized operational area a notice in substantially the following form (the blanks being properly filled in) at the end of which shall be printed the name and title of either the chairman or secretary of the authority: " _____, a public corporation organized under the laws of the State of Alabama, on the _____ day of _____, authorized the issuance of not more than $_____ principal amount of [revenue, general obligation, or other appropriate designation] bonds of the said authority for purposes authorized in the act of the Legislature of Alabama under which the said authority was organized. Any action or proceeding questioning the validity of the said bonds, any pledge or mortgage to secure the same, any lease or sale of any project to be financed by said bonds, or the proceedings authorizing the same must be commenced within 20 days after the first publication of this notice." Any action or proceeding in any court to set aside or question the proceedings for the issuance of the bonds referred to in said notice or to contest the validity of such bonds or the validity of any pledge or mortgage made therefor or any lease or sale of any project to be financed by said bonds must be commenced within 20 days after the first publication of such notice. After the expiration of the said period, no cause of action, counterclaim, setoff, or defense questioning or attacking the validity of the said proceeding or of the said bonds or the said pledge or mortgage or the lease or sale of the project to be financed by said bonds shall be asserted, nor shall the validity of the said proceedings or of the said bonds or the said pledge or mortgage or the lease or sale of the project to be financed by said bonds be open to question in any court on any ground whatsoever except in an action or proceeding commenced within such period.

(d) Subject to the provisions and limitations contained in this chapter, an authority may from time to time sell and issue refunding bonds for the purpose of refunding any bonds then outstanding. Such refunding bonds may be subrogated and entitled to all priorities, rights, and pledges to which the bonds refunded thereby were entitled.

(e) An authority may pay out of the proceeds of the sale of its bonds attorneys' fees and the other expenses of issuance which its board of directors may deem necessary and advantageous in connection with the issuance of such bonds.

(Acts 1989, No. 89-404, p. 802, §14; Act 99-350, p. 513, §10.)