Page 353 - City of Bedford FY21 Budget
P. 353

GENERAL DEBT SERVICE FUND


               The General Debt Service Fund is used for the accumulation of resources for payment of general
               long-term debt principal and interest.  Resources include an applicable portion of the ad valorem
               tax  levy  and  related  interest  income  usable  from  debt  service.    Funding  of  the  General  Debt
               Service  Fund is made on a conservative basis of estimating the collectable portion of the tax
               levy. From this collectable portion, an allocation of available funds is made between General
               Fund operating revenue and General Debt Service Fund.



               DEBT MANAGEMENT





                       A.     Debt Issuance.    The  City  will  issue  debt  only  for  the  purpose  of  constructing
                              capital  assets  or  purchase  of  capital  equipment  for  the  general  benefit  of  its
                              citizens and to allow it to fulfill its various missions as a city.  Debt may be issued
                              for the purposes of purchasing land or rights-of-way and/or improvements to land,
                              for construction projects to provide for the general good, or for capital equipment.

                       B.     Types of Debt.


                              1.     General Obligation Bonds (GO).  General obligation bonds are not to be
                                     used to fund operation needs of the City.  GOs may be used only to fund
                                     capital assets of the general government and are backed by the full faith
                                     and credit of the City as well as the ad valorem tax authority of the City.
                                     General obligation bonds must be authorized by a vote of the citizens of
                                     the City of Bedford.

                              2.     Revenue Bonds (RB).  Revenue bonds may be issued to provide for the
                                     capital needs of any activities where the capital requirements are necessary
                                     for continuation or expansion of service which produces revenue and for
                                     which  the  asset  may  reasonably  be  expected  to  provide  for  a  revenue
                                     stream to fund the debt service requirements.

                              3.     Certificates of Obligation (CO).  Certificates of obligation may be used
                                     in order to fund capital requirements that are not otherwise covered under
                                     either revenue Bonds or General Obligation bonds.  Debt service for CO
                                     debt is backed ad valorem taxes levied on all taxable property within the
                                     City, and a limited pledge of net revenues from a specific source, such as
                                     Water and Sewer revenues.  Generally, COs are used to fund capital assets
                                     where full bond issues are not warranted because of the cost of the asset(s)
                                     to be funded by the instrument.


                              4.     Contractual Obligations (KO).    These  are  designed  as  a  low-cost
                                     alternative to lease/purchase of equipment.  They may be used solely for






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