HOUSE BILL No. 4992

October 15, 2015, Introduced by Rep. Pscholka and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

 

     A bill to amend 1909 PA 278, entitled

 

"The home rule village act,"

 

by amending section 24b (MCL 78.24b), as amended by 2002 PA 277.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 24b. (1) The governing body of a village may provide by

 

resolution for energy conservation improvements to be made to

 

village facilities or infrastructure and may pay for the

 

improvements from operating funds of the village or from the

 

savings that result from the energy conservation improvements.

 

Energy conservation improvements may include, but are not limited

 

to, heating, ventilating, or air-conditioning system improvements,

 

fenestration improvements, roof improvements, the installation of

 

any insulation, the installation or repair of heating, ventilating,

 

or air conditioning air-conditioning controls, and entrance or exit

 

way closures, information technology improvements associated with


an energy conservation improvement, and municipal utility

 

improvements associated with an energy conservation improvement.

 

     (2) The governing body of a village may acquire 1 or more of

 

the energy conservation improvements described in subsection (1) by

 

installment contract, which may include a lease-purchase agreement

 

described in subsection (5), or may borrow money and issue notes

 

for the purpose of securing funds for the improvements or may enter

 

into contracts in which the cost of the energy conservation

 

improvements is paid from a portion of the savings that result from

 

the energy conservation improvements. These contractual agreements

 

may provide that the cost of the energy conservation improvements

 

are paid only if the energy savings are sufficient to cover their

 

cost. An installment contract, a lease-purchase agreement described

 

in subsection (5), or notes issued pursuant to this subsection

 

shall extend for a period of time not to exceed 10 20 years from

 

the date of installation of the energy conservation improvement.

 

Notes issued pursuant to this subsection shall be full faith and

 

credit, tax limited obligations of the village, payable from tax

 

levies and the general fund as pledged by the governing body of the

 

village. The notes are subject to the revised municipal finance

 

act, 2001 PA 34, MCL 141.2101 to 141.2821. A lease-purchase

 

agreement issued pursuant to this subsection shall not be subject

 

to the revised municipal finance act, 2001 PA 34, MCL 141.2101 to

 

141.2821, and shall not be a municipal security or a debt as those

 

terms are defined in that act. This subsection does not limit in

 

any manner the borrowing or bonding authority of a village as

 

provided by law.

 


     (3) If energy conservation improvements are made as provided

 

in this section, the governing body of a village shall report the

 

following information to the department of treasury within 60 days

 

of the completion of the improvements:

 

     (a) Name of each facility to which an improvement is made and

 

a description of the conservation improvement.

 

     (b) Actual energy consumption during the 12-month period

 

before completion of the improvement.

 

     (c) Project costs and expenditures.

 

     (d) Estimated annual energy savings.

 

     (4) If energy conservation improvements are made as provided

 

in this section, the governing body of a village shall report to

 

the department of treasury, by July 1 of each of the 5 years after

 

the improvements are completed, only the actual annual energy

 

consumption of each facility to which improvements are made. The

 

forms for the reports required by this section shall be furnished

 

by the department of treasury.

 

     (5) An installment contract described in this section may

 

include a lease-purchase agreement, which may be a multiyear

 

contractual obligation that provides for automatic renewal unless

 

positive action is taken by the legislative body to terminate that

 

contract. Payments under a lease-purchase agreement shall be a

 

current operating expense subject to annual appropriations of funds

 

by the legislative body and shall obligate the legislative body

 

only for those sums payable during the fiscal year of contract

 

execution or any renewal year thereafter. The legislative body may

 

make payments under a lease-purchase agreement from any legally

 


available funds or from a combination of energy or operational

 

savings, capital contributions, future replacement costs avoided,

 

or billable revenue enhancements that result from energy

 

conservation improvements, provided that the legislative body has

 

determined that those funds are sufficient to cover, in aggregate

 

over the full term of the contractual agreement, the cost of the

 

energy conservation improvements. The lease-purchase agreement will

 

terminate immediately and absolutely and without further obligation

 

on the part of the legislative body at the close of the fiscal year

 

in which it was executed or renewed or at such time as appropriated

 

and otherwise unobligated funds are no longer available to satisfy

 

the obligations of the legislative body under the lease-purchase

 

agreement. During the term of the lease-purchase agreement, the

 

legislative body shall be the vested owner of the energy

 

conservation improvements and may grant a security interest in the

 

energy conservation improvements to the provider of the lease-

 

purchase agreement. Upon the termination of the lease-purchase

 

agreement and the satisfaction of the obligations of the

 

legislative body, the provider of the lease-purchase agreement

 

shall release its security interest in the energy conservation

 

improvements.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.