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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RES 08-075RESOLUTION NO. 08-75 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA, DECLARING ITS INTENTON TO FINANCE DISTRIBUTED GENERATION RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS THROUGH THE USE OF CONTRACTUAL ASSESSMENTS PURSUANT TO CHAPTER 29 OF PART 3 OF DIVISION 7 OF THE CALIFORNIA STREETS AND HIGHWAYS CODE AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING THEREON WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 29 of Part 3 of Division 7 of the California Streets and Highways Code ("Chapter 29"), the City Council proposes to establish a contractual assessment program to assist property owners with the cost of installing distributed generation renewable energy sources or making energy efficient improvements that are permanently fixed to their property; NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM DESERT HEREBY FINDS, DETERMINES, RESOLVES, AND ORDERS AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council hereby finds and declares all of the following: A. Energy conservation efforts, including the promotion of energy efficiency improvements to residential, commercial, industrial, or other real property, are necessary to address the issue of global climate change. B. The upfront cost of making residential, commercial, industrial, or other real property more energy efficient prevents many property owners from making those improvements. To make those improvements more affordable and to promote the installation of those improvements, the Legislature has authorized an alternative procedure pursuant to Chapter 29 for authorizing assessments to finance the cost of energy efficiency improvements. C. A public purpose will be served by a contractual assessment program whereby the City Council is authorized to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources and energy efficiency improvements that are permanently fixed to residential commercial, industrial, or other real property. Section 2. The City Council hereby determines that it would be convenient, advantageous and in the public interest to designate the entire City as an area within which authorized City officials and property owners may enter into contractual assessments pursuant to Chapter 29 to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources or energy efficiency improvements that are permanently fixed to real property. Section 3. The City Council hereby declares that it proposes to make contractual assessment financing available to the owners of property in the City to finance the installation of distributed generation renewable energy sources or energy efficiency improvements that are permanently fixed to real property. Section 4. The Director of the City's Office of Energy Management (the "Authorized Officer") shall prepare, as part of the report required in Section 7 of this Resolution, and update, 1 RESOLUTION NO. 08-75 as the Authorized Officer deems necessary, a list of the distributed generation renewable energy sources or energy efficiency improvements that may be financed through the City's contractual assessment financing program. The types of distributed generation renewable energy sources or energy efficiency improvements eligible for financing through contractual assessments include, but are not limited to, high efficiency air conditioning and ventilation systems, high performance windows, high efficiency pool equipment, high efficiency water heating equipment, photovoltaic and thermal solar energy systems, zoning control and energy management control systems, high efficiency irrigation pumps and controls, and natural gas fuel cells, wind and geothermal energy systems, wall, ceiling and roof insulation upgrades. Section 5. The area within which contractual assessments may be entered into pursuant to Chapter 29 is the area within the City limits. Section 6. The proposed arrangements for financing the contractual assessment financing program are briefly described as follows: The City may issue bonds pursuant to Chapter 29, the principal and interest of which would be repaid by contractual assessments. Alternatively, the City may advance its own funds to finance work to be repaid through contractual assessments, and may from time to time sell bonds, notes, certificates of participation or other forms of indebtedness to reimburse itself for such advances. The proposed financing arrangements may include the lease -purchase of public facilities by the City pursuant to a lease or other contractual arrangement with a public financing authority or non profit entity or other financing elements as may be determined necessary or useful to the financing of the contractual assessment program. In the event improvement bonds will be issued pursuant to Streets and Highways Code Section 5898.28 to represent assessments, all of the following will apply: (a) (b) (c) (d) Division 10 (commencing with Section 8500) of the Streets and Highways Code ("Division 10") shall apply to any bonds issued pursuant to Section 5898.28, insofar as that division is not in conflict with Chapter 29. Provision is hereby made for the issuance of improvement bonds, in one or more series; Notice is hereby given that serial bonds or term bonds or both to represent unpaid assessments, and to bear interest at the rate of not to exceed 7% percent per year, or such other amount authorized by law, payable semiannually, shall be issued hereunder in one or more series in the manner provided by the Division 10 (to the extent not in conflict with Chapter 29), and the last installment of bonds shall mature a maximum of 15 years from the second day of September next succeeding 12 months from their date. The City Council hereby determines and declares that the City will not obligate itself to advance available funds from the City treasury to cure any deficiency which may occur in the bond redemption fund. 2 RESOLUTION NO. 08-75 (e) The City Council hereby determines that the principal amount of bonds maturing or becoming subject to mandatory prior redemption each year shall be other than an amount equal to an even annual proportion of the aggregate principal amount of the bonds, and the amount of principal maturing or becoming subject to mandatory prior redemption in each year plus the amount of interest payable in that year shall be an aggregate amount that is substantially equal each year, except for the moneys falling due on the first maturity or mandatory prior redemption date of the bonds which shall be adjusted to reflect the amount of interest earned from the date when the bonds bear interest to the date when the first interest is payable on the bonds. (f) With respect to the procedures for collection of assessments and the advance retirement of bonds, the City Council proposes to proceed under the provisions of Part 11.1 of Division 10 (commencing with Section 8670 of the Streets and Highways Code). Section 7. The City Council hereby directs the Authorized Officer to prepare and file with the City Council a report pursuant to Section 5898.22 of the California Streets and Highways Code at or before the time of the public hearing described in Section 8 hereof (the "Report"). The Report shall contain all of the following: (a) (b) A map showing the boundaries of the territory within which contractual assessments are proposed to be offered. A draft contract specifying the terms and conditions that would be agreed to be a property owner within the contractual assessment area and the City. (c) A statement of City policies concerning contractual assessments including all of the following: (i) Identification of types of facilities, distributed generation renewable energy sources, or energy efficiency improvements that may be financed through the use of contractual assessments; (ii) Identification of a city official authorized to enter into contractual assessments on behalf of the City, (iii) A maximum aggregate dollar amount of contractual assessments; and (iv) A method for setting requests from property owners for financing through contractual assessments in priority order in the event that requests appear likely to exceed the authorization amount. 3 RESOLUTION NO. 08-75 (d) A plan for raising a capital amount required to pay for work performed pursuant to contractual assessments. The plan may include amounts to be advanced by the City through funds available to it from any source. The plan may include the sale of a bond or bonds or other financing relationship pursuant to Streets and Highways Code Section 5898.28. The plan shall include a statement of or method for determining the interest rate and time period during which contracting property owners would pay any assessment. The plan shall provide for any reserve fund or funds. The plan shall provide for the apportionment of all or any portion of the costs incidental to financing, administration, and collection of the contractual assessment program among the consenting property owners and the City. Section 8. The City Council hereby calls a public hearing to be held on August 28, 2008, at 4:OOpm, or as soon thereafter as feasible, in the Council Chamber, 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California, on the proposed Report and the contractual assessment financing program. At the public hearing, all interested persons may appear and hear and be heard and object to or inquire about the proposed contractual assessment financing program or any of its particulars. Section 9. The City Clerk is hereby directed to provide notice of the public hearing by publishing this Resolution once a week for two weeks, pursuant to Section 6066 of the California Government Code, in The Desert Sun and the first publication shall not occur later than 20 days before the date of such hearing. Section 10. The assessments levied pursuant to Chapter 29, and the interest and any penalties thereon, shall constitute a lien against the lots and parcels of land on which they are made, until they are paid. The assessments shall be collected in the same manner and at the same time as the general taxes of the City on real property are payable and shall be subject to the same penalties, remedies and lien priorities in the event of delinquency and default. Section 11. The City Council hereby directs the Authorized Officer to enter into consultations with the County of Riverside Auditor -Controller's office in order to reach agreement with the County regarding the collection of the contractual assessments by the County on the tax roll. 4 RESOLUTION NO. 08-75 Section 12. This Resolution shall not become effective unless and until Assembly Bill 811, introduced during the 2007-08 Regular Session of the California Legislature, becomes law. PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED by the Palm Desert City Council at its regular meeting held this 24th day of July , 20 08 , by the following vote, to wit: AYES: FERGUSON, FINERTY, KELLY, and SPIEGEL NOES: NONE ABSENT: BENSON ABSTAIN: NONE ATTEST: SSf RAC HELLS D. KLASSE , CITY CLE CITY OF PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA /7/4T " ,-i 7v/ ROBERT t: SPIEGEL, MAYOPI O-TEMPORE 5