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Constituting the Fifth Supplemental Ordinance to the General Gas Works Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1998 (the “1998 General Ordinance”); authorizing the Mayor, the City Controller and the City Solicitor, or a majority of them, to sell, either at public or private sale, Gas Works Revenue Bonds, Fourth Series (1998 Ordinance), of the City of Philadelphia, in one or more subseries (the “Fourth Series Bonds”) to be issued to pay the cost of certain capital projects and other Project Costs, as hereinafter more particularly described, and authorizing the application of proceeds of the Fourth Series Bonds for such purposes; authorizing the City of Philadelphia to obtain credit enhancement for the Fourth Series Bonds; authorizing the City of Philadelphia to enter into Qualified Swap Agreements or Exchange Agreements with respect to the Fourth Series Bonds; determining the sufficiency of Gas Works Revenues; covenanting the separation of Gas Works revenue accounts and proceeds of the Fourth Series Bonds from general accounts of the City of Philadelphia; covenanting the payment of interest and principal on and specifying the purposes of the Fourth Series Bonds; authorizing covenants and actions in order that the Fourth Series Bonds shall not be arbitrage bonds; authorizing the Fourth Series Bonds to be issued in book-entry form and providing book-entry provisions to apply in such case; and providing that this Ordinance is supplemental to the 1998 General Ordinance and that the provisions of the 1998 General Ordinance, to the extent not modified, amended or superseded by this Ordinance, are applicable.
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THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. The Mayor, the City Controller and the City Solicitor (the “Bond Committee”), or a majority of them, are hereby authorized, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia (the “City”), to borrow, by the issuance and sale of Gas Works Revenue Bonds, Fourth Series, of the City of Philadelphia (the “Fourth Series Bonds”), in one or more subseries and with such relative priorities as they deem desirable, pursuant to The First Class City Revenue Bond Act of October 18, 1972, Act No. 234 (the “Act”) and the General Gas Works Revenue Bond Ordinance of 1998, Bill No. 980232, adopted by the City on April 30, 1998 (the “1998 General Ordinance”), a sum or sums which in the aggregate shall not exceed the principal amount of Fourth Series Bonds authorized to be issued hereunder, to be expended as provided in Section 2 of this Ordinance. The Fourth Series Bonds shall be sold at public or private sale and shall contain such terms and provisions as are determined by a majority of the Bond Committee to be in the best interests of the City and are not inconsistent with the provisions hereof, of the Act or of the 1998 General Ordinance or any applicable law. If a majority of the Bond Committee determines it to be in the best interests of the City, the Fourth Series Bonds may be issued in book-entry form; and in such event a majority of the Bond Committee shall also select a securities depository (the “Depository”) for the Fourth Series Bonds. If a majority of the Bond Committee determines it to be in the best interests of the City, the City may obtain credit enhancement for all or a portion of the Fourth Series Bonds. If a majority of the Bond Committee determines it to be in the best interest of the City, the City may enter into Qualified Swaps or Exchange Agreements with respect to the Fourth Series Bonds in accordance with the requirements of the 1998 General Ordinance. The Fourth Series Bonds shall mature or be subject to mandatory redemption in such principal amounts and on such dates, shall bear interest from such date or dates and at such rate or rates (including, without limitation, variable, adjustable or convertible rates), all as shall be determined by the Bond Committee. A majority of the Bond Committee is further authorized to take any and all other actions as may be necessary or appropriate in connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein.
The Fourth Series Bonds are authorized to be issued hereunder in an aggregate principal amount up to One Hundred Twenty Five Million ($125,000,000) Dollars; provided that, if any of the Fourth Series Bonds are to be sold at discounts, which are in lieu of periodic interest, the aggregate principal amount of Fourth Series Bonds which may be issued hereunder shall be increased to reflect such discounts, as long as the aggregate gross proceeds to the City from the sale of the Fourth Series Bonds shall not exceed One Hundred Twenty Five Million ($125,000,000) Dollars, plus accrued interest, if any.
The Fourth Series Bonds shall not pledge the City’s credit or taxing power, create any debt or charge against the tax or general revenues of the City or create any lien against any property of the City other than the revenues pledged by the 1998 General Ordinance. The opinion of the City Solicitor required by Section 8 of the Act with respect to the matters stated in the preceding sentence is attached as Exhibit A.
SECTION 2. The Fourth Series Bonds shall be issued for the purpose of providing funds for any or all of the following purposes: (i) the capital projects included in the capital program of the Gas Works (the “Capital Projects”), which may include, without limitation, (a) the acquisition of land or rights therein; (b) the acquisition, construction or improvement of buildings, structures and facilities together with their related furnishings, equipment, machinery and apparatus; (c) the acquisition, construction or replacement of pipes and pipe lines; and (d) the acquisition or replacement of property of a capital nature for use in the operation, maintenance and administration of the Gas Works system of the City; (ii) paying the costs of issuing the Fourth Series Bonds and any required deposits to the Sinking Fund Reserve, and (iii) paying any other Project Costs (as defined in the Act), which may include, without limitation, the repayment to any fund of the City or to accounts of the Gas Works of amounts advanced for Project Costs, and the funding or refunding of outstanding bond anticipation notes or other obligations of the City issued in respect of Project Costs.
The City covenants that the proceeds of the Fourth Series Bonds which remain available for the payment of the costs of the Capital Projects or other Project Costs, after payment of the financing costs, the deposit of any amounts representing capitalized interest on the Fourth Series Bonds to a separate account in the Sinking Fund, the required payment into the Sinking Fund Reserve and the repayment to the City and the Gas Works of amounts previously advanced for Project Costs or the funding or refunding of bond anticipation notes or other obligations as described above, shall be deposited, held in, and disbursed from, one or more unsegregated accounts of the Gas Works which shall be separate and apart from and not commingled with the consolidated cash account of the City or any other account of the City not held exclusively for Gas Works purposes. This covenant shall not be construed to require the establishment of any Gas Works account segregated from any other Gas Works accounts. All interest and income earned on the investment of such proceeds (except for amounts to be rebated to the United States) pending expenditure for the aforesaid purposes may be transferred to and deposited in the operating funds of the Gas Works and applied as Gas Works Revenues in accordance with Section 4.02 of the 1998 General Ordinance.
SECTION 3. Based on the report of the Director of Finance of the City required by Section 8 of the Act (the “Financial Report”), it is hereby determined that the pledged Gas Works Revenues (as defined in the 1998 General Ordinance) will be sufficient to comply with the rate covenant contained in Section 4.03(b) of the 1998 General Ordinance and also to pay all costs, expenses and payments required to be paid therefrom in the order and priority stated in Section 4.02 of the 1998 General Ordinance. An executed copy of the Financial Report is attached hereto as Exhibit B.
SECTION 4. The City covenants that, as long as any of the Fourth Series Bonds shall remain outstanding, all pledged Gas Works Revenues shall be deposited and held in and disbursed from one or more unsegregated accounts of the Gas Works which shall be separate from and not commingled with the consolidated cash account of the City or any other account of the City not held exclusively for Gas Works purposes. Such pledged Gas Works Revenues shall be held for the security and payment of the Fourth Series Bonds and all Bonds issued under the 1998 General Ordinance to the extent, and to be applied in the order of priority, set forth in Section 4.02 of the 1998 General Ordinance. This covenant shall not be construed to require the establishment of any Gas Works account segregated from any other Gas Works accounts except as provided in Section 2 hereof or as otherwise required by the 1998 General Ordinance.
SECTION 5. The City covenants that, as long as any Fourth Series Bonds shall remain unpaid, it shall make payments or cause payments to be made out of its 1998 Gas Works Revenue Bond Sinking Fund created under the 1998 General Ordinance at such times and in such amounts as shall be sufficient for the payment of the interest thereon and the principal thereof when due; provided, however, that whenever the City shall be required to deposit moneys with the Fiscal Agent for the mandatory redemption of any of the Fourth Series Bonds, such obligation may be satisfied, in whole or in part, by the delivery by the City to the Fiscal Agent of a principal amount of Fourth Series Bonds of the maturity required to be redeemed for cancellation prior to the date specified for such redemption.
SECTION 6. The Director of Finance is authorized to make such elections under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder with respect to the Fourth Series Bonds and to take such actions on behalf of the City with respect to the investment of the proceeds of the Fourth Series Bonds as is deemed advisable, and the Director of Finance or any member of the Bond Committee is authorized to make such covenants as may be necessary or advisable in order that the Fourth Series Bonds shall not be “arbitrage bonds” as defined in the Code.
SECTION 7. In the event Fourth Series Bonds are issued in book-entry form, the ownership of one fully registered Fourth Series Bond for each maturity, each in the aggregate principal amount of such maturity, will be registered in the name(s) designated by the Depository. So long as, but only so long as, the book-entry only system is applicable to the Fourth Series Bonds, the following provisions of this Section 7 shall govern as to the applicable matters set forth in Article III of the 1998 General Ordinance.
Pursuant to the book-entry only system, ownership interests in the Fourth Series Bonds may be purchased in the manner directed by the Depository, which may be through financial institutions for whom the Depository effects book-entry transfers (the “Participants”). A person who owns such an interest in a Fourth Series Bond (a “Beneficial Owner”) will not receive certificated Fourth Series Bonds and will not be the registered owner thereof. Receipt by the Beneficial Owners of timely payment of principal, purchase price, redemption price and interest on the Fourth Series Bonds, is subject to the Depository’s making such timely payment, either to the Beneficial Owner or to the Participants to be forwarded to the Beneficial Owners. Neither the City nor the Fiscal Agent will have any responsibility or obligation to such Participants or to the Beneficial Owners for any failure of the Depository to act or make any payment with respect to the Fourth Series Bonds or the providing of notices relating to redemption or mandatory tender to Participants or the Beneficial Owners of the Fourth Series Bonds.
The Depository will receive payments from the Fiscal Agent to be remitted by the Depository to the Beneficial Owners or to the Participants for whom the Depository holds the Fourth Series Bonds for subsequent disbursement to the Beneficial Owners. The ownership interest of each Beneficial Owner in the Fourth Series Bonds shall be recorded on the records of the Depository or the records of the Participants, whose ownership interests will be recorded on the records of the Depository.
When notices are given, they shall be sent by the Fiscal Agent to the Depository with a request that the Depository forward (or cause to be forwarded) the notice to the Participants so that such Participants may forward (or cause to be forwarded) the notices to the Beneficial Owners.
Transfers of ownership interests in the Fourth Series Bonds will be accomplished by book-entries made by the Depository and/or the Participants who act on behalf of the Beneficial Owners. Beneficial Owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interest in the Fourth Series Bonds, except as specifically provided herein. So long as the Depository is the Bondholder, interest, principal and redemption price of the Fourth Series Bonds will be paid when due by the Fiscal Agent to the Depository, then paid by the Depository to the Beneficial Owners, or by the Depository to the Participants and thereafter paid by the Participants to the Beneficial Owners. The payments to the Depository shall satisfy the City’s obligations under the Fourth Series Bonds.
For every transfer and exchange of the Fourth Series Bonds, the Fiscal Agent, the Depository and the Participants may charge the Beneficial Owner of the Fourth Series Bonds a sum sufficient to cover any tax, fee or other governmental charge that may be imposed in relation thereto. No transfer or exchange of any Fourth Series Bonds shall be required to be made fewer than fifteen (15) days prior to any interest payment date or fifteen (15) days prior to any mailing of notice of redemption of the Fourth Series Bonds. No transfers shall be made of Fourth Series Bonds previously called for redemption, except pursuant to any optional or mandatory tender provisions hereof.
The Depository may determine to discontinue providing its services with respect to the Fourth Series Bonds at any time by giving notice to the City and the Fiscal Agent and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances (if there is no successor securities depository), the City is obligated to deliver bond certificates in such names as the City and the Fiscal Agent are directed by the Depository.
The Bondholders have no right to a depository for the Fourth Series Bonds. If the book-entry only system is no longer utilized, bond certificates will be issued in such names as the City and the Fiscal Agent, are directed by the Depository.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the 1998 General Ordinance, so long as the Depository is the registered Bondholder of all Fourth Series Bonds, the Depository may present notices, approvals, waivers or other communications required or permitted to be made by Bondholders under the 1998 General Ordinance on a fractionalized basis on behalf of some or all of the Beneficial Owners.
The appropriate officials of the City are authorized to execute any documentation required by the Depository in connection with book-entry registration of the Fourth Series Bonds.
SECTION 8. This Ordinance is supplementary to the 1998 General Ordinance and all sections of the 1998 General Ordinance not modified, amended or superseded by this Ordinance are applicable to the Fourth Series Bonds. All definitions of terms contained in the Act or the 1998 General Ordinance not inconsistent herewith shall apply to such terms in this Ordinance.
SECTION 9. The City reasonably expects to reimburse any expenditures towards the cost of the matters authorized by Section 2 of this Ordinance paid prior to the issuance of the Fourth Series Bonds, with a portion of the proceeds of the Fourth Series Bonds. No funds from sources other than the Fourth Series Bonds authorized by this Ordinance have been or are reasonably expected to be reserved, allocated on a long-term basis, or otherwise set aside by the City, or any member of the same “control group” as the City within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 1.150-1(e) of the Code, pursuant to their budget or financial policies with respect to any expenditures to be reimbursed. This Section constitutes a declaration of the City’s official intent to reimburse expenditures paid in accordance with Treasury Regulation 1.150-2(d) of the Code.
SECTION 10. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.
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