63B-31-101. General obligation bonds -- Maximum amount -- Use of proceeds for projects.

704 words·~3 min read·/ut/title-63b/chapter-31/63b-31-101

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Effective 5/6/2026

(a)Subject to the restriction in Subsection (1)(c) , the total amount of bonds issued under this section may not exceed $264,000,000 for acquisition and construction proceeds, plus additional amounts as provided in Subsection (1)(b) .

(b)When the Department of Transportation certifies to the commission the amount of bond proceeds needed to provide funding for the projects described in this section, the commission may issue and sell general obligation bonds in an amount equal to the certified amount, plus additional amounts necessary to pay costs of issuance, to pay capitalized interest, and to fund any existing debt service reserve requirements, not to exceed 1% of the certified amount.

(c)The commission may not issue general obligation bonds authorized under this section if the issuance of the general obligation bonds would result in the total current outstanding general obligation debt of the state exceeding 50% of the limitation described in the Utah Constitution, Article XIV, Section 1.

(2)Proceeds from the bonds issued under this section shall be provided to the Department of Transportation to pay for, or to provide funds in accordance with this section to pay for, the costs of right-of-way acquisition, construction, reconstruction, renovations, or improvements with respect to projects described in this section.

(3)It is the intent of the Legislature that as transportation projects are prioritized under Section 72-2-124 , the Transportation Commission give consideration to projects beyond the normal programming horizon.

(a)Five-hundred thirty million dollars of the proceeds of bonds issued under this section shall be used to double track strategic sections of the FrontRunner commuter rail system, to be repaid from the Transit Transportation Investment Fund under Subsection 72-2-124(10) .

(b)The issuance of the bonds for the purpose described in Subsection (4)(a) is contingent upon the establishment of an agreement between the Department of Transportation and the Utah Transit Authority whereby the Utah Transit Authority agrees to pay $5,000,000 per year for 15 years toward repayment of the bonds.

(a)Twenty-nine million dollars of the proceeds of bonds issued under this section shall be provided to the Department of Transportation to pass through to Brigham City to be used for a Forest Street rail bridge project in Brigham City.

(b)Payments shall be made from the Rail Transportation Restricted Account created in Section 72-2-131 , from the amount designated under Subsection 72-2-131(4)(c) , in the amount per year of the principal and interest payments due under the bonds issued under Subsection (5)(a) until those bonds have been repaid in full.

(a)Three million dollars of the proceeds of bonds issued under this section shall be provided to the Department of Transportation to pass through to the city of North Salt Lake for an environmental study for a grade separation at 1100 North in North Salt Lake.

(b)Payments shall be made from the Rail Transportation Restricted Account created in Section 72-2-131 , from the amount designated under Subsection 72-2-131(4)(b) , in the amount per year of the principal and interest payments due under the bonds issued under Subsection (6)(a) until those bonds have been repaid in full.

(7)The costs under Subsection

(2)may include the costs of studies necessary to make transportation infrastructure improvements, the costs of acquiring land, interests in land, and easements and rights-of-way, the costs of improving sites and making all improvements necessary, incidental, or convenient to the facilities, and the costs of interest estimated to accrue on these bonds during the period to be covered by construction of the projects plus a period of six months after the end of the construction period, interest estimated to accrue on any bond anticipation notes issued under the authority of this title, and all related engineering, architectural, and legal fees.

(8)The commission or the state treasurer may make any statement of intent relating to a reimbursement that is necessary or desirable to comply with federal tax law.

(9)The Department of Transportation may enter into agreements related to the projects described in Subsection

(4)before the receipt of proceeds of bonds issued under this section.

Amended by Chapter 432 , 2026 General Session