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Comprehensive Plan Capital Improvements Element <br />financing. Short term financing is usually accomplished by the use of bond pools, notes, private <br />placements with banks, and the public placement of Voted General Obligation debt. Long term <br />financing is usually achieved through the issuance of bonds sold on the public market. <br />According to state law, local governments may sell bonds for capital improvements without a <br />referendum of the voters if the pledge used for the bond is a non -ad valorem revenue source. <br />Conversely, any bond issue pledging ad valorem taxes requires approval through a voter referendum. <br />General Obligation Bonds are bonds that are secured by the full faith and credit of the issuing <br />government. Those bonds are secured by a pledge of the issuer's ad valorem taxing power. <br />According to state law, the amount of ad valorem taxes necessary to pay the debt service on general <br />obligation bonds is not subject to the constitutional property tax millage limits. Such bonds constitute <br />debts of the issuer and require approval through a voter referendum prior to issuance. <br />Revenue bonds are bonds payable from a specific source of revenue, where the full faith and credit of <br />the issuer is not pledged to repay the bonds. Because revenue bonds are payable from identified <br />sources of revenue, bond holders may not compel taxation or legislative appropriation of funds for <br />payment of debt service. Pledged revenues may be derived from operation of financed projects, <br />grants, or other specified non -ad valorem taxes. A public referendum is not required prior to issuance <br />or validation of such obligations. <br />In the past, the county has issued revenue bonds to finance improvements to its sanitary sewer, <br />potable water, and golf course facilities. Also, revenue bonds have been issued to finance the cost of <br />construction of various capital improvement projects. Deposits from bond revenues are put into the <br />respective bond fund accounts for those projects, whereby funds are specifically designated for a <br />particular project, and user charges are used to pay off the debt. <br />Special assessment bonds are bonds issued to pay for capital improvements that impact specific areas <br />or groups of property owners. Proceeds from the assessments levied against benefiting property <br />owners are used to pay off the bond debt. The issuance of those bonds does not need to be approved <br />by voter referendum. <br />Revenue bonds and special assessment bonds are similar in nature, except that special assessment <br />bond debt is paid -off by assessments levied against benefiting property owners and not from ongoing <br />user charges. The county has issued special assessment bonds for solid waste disposal. <br />The issuance of tax anticipation or bond anticipation notes is an example of a short-term (less than <br />five years) method of financing. Notes usually have higher interest rates than bonds and have shorter <br />maturity dates than bonds. Tax anticipation notes are issued in advance of a new fiscal year to cover <br />gaps in the budget before property taxes are received, while bond anticipation notes are issued in <br />Community Development Department Indian River County <br />Adopted IVec . i , 2015, Ordinance 2015- 011 12 <br />