All bonds issued under this article, except bonds issued to the contractor and except funding and refunding bonds issued by exchange as provided in this section, shall be sold to the highest bidder at public sale; provided, that if at a duly advertised public sale in accordance with this section no legal bid acceptable to the governing body shall be received, then such bonds may be sold within 30 days thereafter at private sale to the United States of America or to the State of Alabama.
The public sale shall be either on sealed bids or at auction. The notice of a public sale shall state whether the sale is to be on sealed bids or at auction and shall also briefly recite the amount of the bonds to be sold, the maturities thereof, the amount payable at each maturity, any redemption or prepayment privileges, the frequency with which interest will be payable, either the rate or rates of interest which the bonds are to bear or that the bidders are invited to name the rate or rates in their bids and the time and place of sale or for submitting sealed bids. Such notice shall be published once in each of two consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in each county in which any part of the improvement is located, the first of such publications to be not less than 10 days before the last date for submitting bids if the sale is at auction. If there is no newspaper meeting the foregoing requirements, the notice shall be posted in three public places in the said county for at least a like period of 10 days. The board shall have the right to reject any or all bids. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the issuance of bonds under this article to the contractor in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Funding or refunding bonds may be issued in exchange for a like or greater amount of the interest then due or accrued on and the principal of the indebtedness to be funded or refunded thereby, whether such indebtedness has then matured or shall thereafter mature, with the consent of the holders of such indebtedness to be funded or refunded thereby without the publication of notice or other advertisement of such exchange; provided, that if the principal amount of the bonds so proposed to be issued in exchange shall exceed an aggregate of $50,000.00, then no such exchange shall be effected unless the authority shall first have offered such funding or refunding bonds for sale to the highest bidder at public sale advertised in accordance with the provisions of this section and no legal bid acceptable to the board shall have been received therefor at such advertised public sale. In the event no such legal bid acceptable to the board shall have been received at such advertised public sale then such exchange may thereafter be effected without further notice or advertisement. In any such authorized exchange the authority may pay for services rendered in making or securing the making of the exchange, not more than five percent of the face value of the first $10,000.00 aggregate principal amount of the funding or refunding bonds so exchanged, plus two and one-half percent of the face value of the funding or refunding bonds so exchanged in excess of $10,000.00 principal amount. Any amount authorized by this section to be paid by the making of any exchange of bonds shall include the cost of preparing the bonds, all costs of legal work, and all other necessary expenses in connection with the making of the exchange.
Last modified: May 3, 2021