passed ordinance

Authorize short term subordinate urban renewal and redevelopment bonds on behalf of Prosper Portland to finance projects in urban renewal areas

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  • budget finance
  • economic development
  • levy bond
Introduced by
Former Mayor Ted Wheeler
Status
Passed

Impact statement

Purpose & background

The proposed legislation authorizes the issuance of taxable, short-term bonds that are secured by tax increment revenues. The short-term bonds will be issued on behalf of Prosper Portland to finance projects in each respective urban renewal area. The maximum amount of short-term debt (also referred to as “du jour” indebtedness) authorized annually from FY 2023-24 thru FY 2025-26 for each urban renewal area is as follows: Gateway Urban Renewal Area $4,500,000 Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area $28,835,000 Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area $2,238,000 North Macadam Urban Renewal Area $24,000,000 Cully Tax Increment Financing District $1,900,000 Oregon law allows tax increment revenues to only be used to pay principal and interest on indebtedness. Accordingly, the City issues taxable, short-term subordinate (“du jour”) indebtedness to permit Prosper Portland to access tax increment revenues that are deposited into debt service funds and that exceed debt service requirements on long-term bonds and lines of credit. “Du jour” indebtedness effectively provides “pay-as-you-go” funding for projects qualifying for tax increment financing. While this Ordinance permits repayment of the debt within 30 days of issuance, the City historically has repaid the debt on the business day following the issuance of the debt. The amounts shown above represent the maximum amount of short-term debt that may be issued each fiscal year from FY 2023-24 through FY 2025-26. Actual amounts issued may be lower depending on actual tax increment revenue collections and debt service requirements for long-term debt and lines of credit each year. Issuance is also limited by statutory restrictions on indebtedness. Specifically, the amounts shown for the Interstate Corridor and Lents Town Center districts may only be issued in FY 2023-24 as those amounts will permit the areas to reach their “maximum indebtedness” limitations and no additional debt may be incurred. Further, as the last date to issue debt for North Macadam is June 30, 2025, du jour indebtedness may only be incurred for that district through the end of FY 2024-25. If approved by Council, the City plans to sell short-term bonds to a commercial bank each year over the proposed three-year period. Bonds of each urban renewal area will be secured with the tax increment revenues of that respective area. No general fund revenues are pledged for this purpose.

Financial impacts

The City will repay principal plus interest on any short-term “du jour” bonds issued. The amount issued at any time will not exceed the tax increment revenues in the urban renewal area’s debt service fund, less any amounts required to pay principal and interest on outstanding long-term debt, lines of credit, and the short-term bonds when due.

Community impacts

This is an administrative action taken to authorize the issuance of “du jour” bonds, the proceeds of which will be used to pay for Prosper Portland urban renewal projects. There is no community impact or involvement anticipated.

Full text (the legislation as adopted)

The City of Portland ordains: Section 1. The Council finds: Prosper Portland has requested that the City of Portland Office of Management and Finance undertake short term financing for urban renewal projects on behalf of Prosper Portland. The City of Portland finds it desirable to authorize the issuance of short term subordinate urban renewal and redevelopment bonds for certain existing urban renewal districts from time to time through and including June 30, 2026. NOW, THEREFORE, the Council directs: Definitions. For purposes of this Ordinance, the following capitalized terms shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise: “Areas” means the City’s Cully Tax Increment Financing District, Gateway Urban Renewal Area, Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area, Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area, and North Macadam Urban Renewal Area, as they may be changed from time to time. “Authorized Officer” means the City’s Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Bureau of Revenue and Financial Services, or successor to that position; the City Treasurer; the Debt Manager; the Chief Administrative Officer of the Office of Management and Finance, or the successor to that position; or the person designated by the Chief Administrative Officer of the Office of Management and Finance to act as the Authorized Officer. “Bonds” means the short term subordinate urban renewal and redevelopment bonds which are issued pursuant to Section 1.b of this Ordinance. “City” means the City of Portland, Oregon. “Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. “Debt Manager” means the City’s Debt Manager, the Chief Financial Officer and Director of the Bureau of Revenue and Financial Services, the City Treasurer, the Chief Administrative Officer of the Office of Management and Finance, or the person designated by the Chief Administrative Officer of the Office of Management and Finance to act as Debt Manager. “Ordinance” means this Ordinance authorizing the Bonds. “Plan” means Prosper Portland’s urban renewal plan for an Area, as it may be amended from time to time. “Projects Funds” means any separate funds or accounts which are not part of the Tax Increment Funds, and which are used to hold the proceeds of the Bonds. “Prosper Portland” means Prosper Portland, the urban renewal agency of the City. “Senior Lien Bonds” means any indebtedness which is payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of an Area and which is outstanding on the date a series of Bonds is issued which is payable from those Tax Increment Revenues, unless the indebtedness is specifically subordinated to that series of Bonds. “Tax Increment Fund” means the fund for each Area which is established under ORS 457.440(6) to hold the Tax Increment Revenues for that Area. “Tax Increment Revenues” means all ad valorem tax revenues from property within an Area which are attributable to the increase in assessed value of property within that Area pursuant to Section 1c, Article IX of the Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes, Chapter 457, all taxes levied in connection with the Plan for that Area pursuant to Article XI, Section 11 (16) of the Oregon Constitution, and all earnings thereon while those Tax Increment Revenues are held in the Tax Increment Fund for that Area. Authorization of Bonds. The City hereby authorizes the issuance of Bonds for the Areas from time to time from the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024 through and including June 30, 2026, in multiple series; however, the total principal amount issued in any fiscal year for the following Areas shall not exceed the following amounts: Gateway Urban Renewal Area $4,500,000.00 Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area $28,835,000.00 Lents Town Center Urban Renewal Area $2,238,000.00 North Macadam Urban Renewal Area $24,000,000.00 Cully Tax Increment Financing District $1,900,000.00 The principal amount of any series of Bonds shall not exceed the amount of Tax Increment Revenues which are pledged to pay that series of Bonds, and which are available to pay that series of Bonds on the date that series is issued. Tax Increment Revenues shall be considered available to pay a series of Bonds only if those Tax Increment Revenues are not required to be maintained in a debt service fund, reserve fund or similar fund, or as part of a minimum balance or similar requirement, for Senior Lien Bonds. Each series of Bonds shall be subordinate to any Senior Lien Bonds which are payable from the Tax Increment Revenues which are pledged to that series, and to any requirement to fund or maintain reserves for those Senior Lien Bonds if the requirement was established before that series of Bonds was issued. Each series of Bonds shall bear interest which is includable in gross income under the Code. The Bonds shall bear interest at the rate or rates approved by the Authorized Officer pursuant to Section 1.h. Each series of Bonds shall mature within thirty days after the date of its issuance, and shall be issued on the terms established by the Authorized Officer pursuant to Section 1.h. Security for Bonds. The Bonds shall not be general obligations of the City or Prosper Portland. The principal of and the interest on each series of Bonds shall be payable solely from the Tax Increment Revenues which are pledged to pay that series of Bonds, and from the proceeds of that series of Bonds, as provided herein. The Authorized Officer may irrevocably pledge the Tax Increment Revenues from an Area to pay the Bonds issued for that Area, including all amounts deposited in the Tax Increment Fund for that Area. Except as provided in the next sentence, the lien on, and pledge of the Tax Increment Revenues from an Area to pay a series of Bonds shall be superior to all claims against the Tax Increment Revenues from that Area. The lien on, and pledge of the Tax Increment Revenues from an Area to pay a series of Bonds shall be subordinate to the lien of then outstanding Senior Lien Bonds which are payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area, and to any previously established requirement to fund reserves for those Senior Lien Bonds. The Authorized Officer may also pledge the proceeds of each series of Bonds to pay that series of Bonds until such time as those proceeds have been spent. The Tax Increment Funds. The City covenants to deposit the Tax Increment Revenues from each Area into the Tax Increment Fund for that Area, and, so long as Bonds are outstanding which are payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area, to expend the Tax Increment Revenues from that Area only for the following purposes, in the following order of priority: To pay principal, interest or premium on Senior Lien Bonds which are secured by the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area and to make deposits to maintain or replenish reserves for Senior Lien Bonds (but only if the requirement to maintain or replenish those reserves was established before the Bonds which are then outstanding were issued); To pay the Bonds which are payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area; and, For any other lawful purpose. Projects Funds; Use of Proceeds. Proceeds of each series of Bonds shall be deposited in the Project Funds, which shall be held by the City. The Projects Funds shall be used only to pay for costs of issuing that series of Bonds, costs of carrying out the Plan for the Area which generates the Tax Increment Revenues which secure that series of Bonds, and, if the pledged Tax Increment Revenues are not sufficient, to pay that series of Bonds. Superior, Parity and Subordinate Obligations. As long as a series of Bonds is outstanding which is payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of an Area: The City covenants not to issue any obligations payable from the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area which have a lien or claim on the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area which is superior to the lien of that outstanding series of Bonds without the prior written consent of all owners of that series. The City covenants not to issue obligations which have a lien on the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area which is equal to the lien of that outstanding series of Bonds without the prior written consent of all owners of that series. The City may issue subordinate obligations which have a lien on the Tax Increment Revenues of that Area which is subordinate to the lien of that outstanding series of Bonds, but only if the documents authorizing the subordinate obligations clearly indicate that no Tax Increment Revenues from that Area shall be used to pay those subordinate obligations until that outstanding series of Bonds has been paid in full. Execution of the Bonds. The Bonds shall be signed with the manual signature of the Authorized Officer and will be in the form approved by the Authorized Officer. Delegation. The Authorized Officer is hereby authorized on behalf of the City, and without further action by the City: to establish the terms for each series of Bonds, including the interest rate, maturity date, payment method, price, redemption date and redemption price; to negotiate, execute and deliver each series of Bonds to its purchaser; to redeem each series of Bonds on or prior to its stated maturity date; to pledge the Tax Increment Revenues to secure each series of Bonds; to approve and execute one or more Bond Purchase Agreements establishing the terms under which each series of Bonds are sold; and to execute and deliver any other certificates or documents and take any other action which is desirable in order to issue, sell, and deliver the Bonds in accordance with this Ordinance.

Tally

5 yea 0 nay

Roll call (5)