Section 31-15A-9 - Infrastructure fund; deposits in fund; disbursements to provide loans, loan guarantees, grants and other assistance; loans, loan guarantees, grants and other assistance shall be subject to assistance agreements; West Virginia Infrastructure Lottery Revenue Debt Service Fund; use of funds for projects(a) The Water Development Authority shall create and establish a special revolving fund of moneys made available by appropriation, grant, contribution or loan to be known as the West Virginia Infrastructure Fund. This fund shall be governed, administered and accounted for by the directors, officers and managerial staff of the Water Development Authority as a special purpose account separate and distinct from any other moneys, funds or funds owned and managed by the Water Development Authority. The infrastructure fund shall consist of sub-accounts, as deemed necessary by the council or the Water Development Authority, for the deposit of: (1) Infrastructure revenues; (2) any appropriations, grants, gifts, contributions, loan proceeds, or other revenues received by the infrastructure fund from any source, public or private; (3) amounts received as payments on any loans made by the Water Development Authority to pay for the cost of a project or infrastructure project; (4) insurance proceeds payable to the Water Development Authority or the infrastructure fund in connection with any infrastructure project or project; (5) all income earned on moneys held in the infrastructure fund; (6) all funds deposited in accordance with §31-15B-4 of this code; and (7) all proceeds derived from the sale of bonds issued pursuant to §31-15B-1 et seq. of this code.Any money collected pursuant to this section shall be paid into the West Virginia Infrastructure Fund by the state agent or entity charged with the collection of the same, credited to the infrastructure fund, and used only for purposes set forth in this article or §31-15B-1 et seq. of this code.
Amounts in the infrastructure fund shall be segregated and administered by the Water Development Authority separate and apart from its other assets and programs. Amounts in the infrastructure fund may not be transferred to any other fund or account or used, other than indirectly, for the purposes of any other program of the Water Development Authority, except that the Water Development Authority may use funds in the infrastructure fund to reimburse itself for any administrative costs incurred by it and approved by the council in connection with any loan, loan guarantee, grant or other funding assistance made by the Water Development Authority pursuant to this article.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, amounts in the infrastructure fund shall be deposited by the Water Development Authority in one or more banking institutions: Provided, That any moneys so deposited shall be deposited in a banking institution located in this state. The banking institution shall be selected by the Water Development Authority by competitive bid. Pending the disbursement of any money from the infrastructure fund as authorized under this section, the Water Development Authority shall invest and reinvest the moneys subject to the limitations set forth in §31-18-1 et seq. of this code.(c) To further accomplish the purposes and intent of this article and §31-15B-1 et seq. of this code, the Water Development Authority may pledge infrastructure revenues and from time to time establish one or more restricted accounts within the infrastructure fund for the purpose of providing funds to guarantee loans for infrastructure projects or projects: Provided, That for any fiscal year the Water Development Authority may not deposit into the restricted accounts more than 20 percent of the aggregate amount of infrastructure revenues deposited into the infrastructure fund during the fiscal year. No loan guarantee shall be made pursuant to this article unless recourse under the loan guarantee is limited solely to amounts in the restricted account or accounts. No person shall have any recourse to any restricted accounts established pursuant to this subsection other than those persons to whom the loan guarantee or guarantees have been made.(d) Each loan, loan guarantee, grant or other assistance made or provided by the Water Development Authority shall be evidenced by a loan, loan guarantee, grant or assistance agreement between the Water Development Authority and the project sponsor to which the loan, loan guarantee, grant or assistance shall be made or provided, which agreement shall include, without limitation and to the extent applicable, the following provisions: (1) The estimated cost of the infrastructure project or project, the amount of the loan, loan guarantee or grant or the nature of the assistance, and in the case of a loan or loan guarantee, the terms of repayment and the security therefor, if any;(2) The specific purposes for which the loan or grant proceed shall be expended or the benefits to accrue from the loan guarantee or other assistance, and the conditions and procedure for disbursing loan or grant proceeds;(3) The duties and obligations imposed regarding the acquisition, construction, improvement, or operation of the project or infrastructure project; and(4) The agreement of the governmental agency to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, and all rules and regulations issued or imposed by the Water Development Authority or other state, federal, or local bodies regarding the acquisition, construction, improvement, or operation of the infrastructure project or project and granting the Water Development Authority the right to appoint a receiver for the project or infrastructure if the project sponsor should default on any terms of the agreement.(e) Any resolution of the Water Development Authority approving loan, loan guarantee, grant, or other assistance shall include a finding and determination that the requirements of this section have been met.(f) The interest rate on any loan to governmental, quasi-governmental, or not-for-profit project sponsors for projects made pursuant to this article shall not exceed three percent per annum. Due to the limited availability of funds available for loans for projects, it is the public policy of this state to prioritize funding needs to first meet the needs of governmental, quasi-governmental and not-for-profit project sponsors and to require that loans made to for-profit entities shall bear interest at the current market rates. Therefore, no loan may be made by the council to a for-profit entity at an interest rate which is less than the current market rate at the time of the loan agreement.(g) The Water Development Authority shall cause an annual audit to be made by an independent certified public accountant of its books, accounts, and records, with respect to the receipts, disbursements, contracts, leases, assignments, loans, grants, and all other matters relating to the financial operation of the infrastructure fund, including the operating of any sub-account within the infrastructure fund. The person performing such audit shall furnish copies of the audit report to the Commissioner of Finance and Administration, where they shall be placed on file and made available for inspection by the general public. The person performing such audit shall also furnish copies of the audit report to the Legislature's Joint Committee on Government and Finance.(h) There is hereby created in the Water Development Authority a separate, special account which shall be designated and known as the West Virginia Infrastructure Lottery Revenue Debt Service Fund, into which shall be deposited annually for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2011, and each fiscal year thereafter, the first $6 million transferred pursuant to §29-22-18d of this code and any other funds provided therefor: Provided, That such deposits and transfers are not subject to the reservations of funds or requirements for distributions of funds established by §31-15A-10 and §31-15A-11 of this code. Moneys in the West Virginia Infrastructure Lottery Revenue Debt Service Fund shall be used to pay debt service on bonds or notes issued by the Water Development Authority for watershed compliance projects as provided in §31-15A-17b of this code, and to the extent not needed to pay debt service, for the design or construction of improvements for watershed compliance projects. Moneys in the West Virginia Infrastructure Lottery Revenue Debt Service Fund not expended at the close of the fiscal year do not lapse or revert to the General Fund but are carried forward to the next fiscal year.(i) The Water Development Authority shall establish a separate restricted account within the infrastructure fund to be expended for the repair and improvement of failing water and wastewater systems by nonprofit public utilities from grants approved by the council and supported by recommendations from the Public Service Commission in accordance with the plan developed under §24-2H-1 et seq. of this code. The restricted account shall be known as the Distressed Utilities Account. Annually, the council may request the Water Development Authority to transfer from the uncommitted loan balances for each year a total amount not to exceed $5 million to the restricted account to fund the grants approved by the council during that fiscal year. Notwithstanding the provisions of §31-15A-10(b) of this code, the council may approve grants from this account for up to 100 percent of the cost of failing utility repairs, replacements and improvements and such grant along with other grants awarded by the council may exceed 50 percent of the total project cost: Provided, That at no time may the balance of the restricted account exceed $5 million.Amended by 2020 Acts, ch. 347 (SB 739), eff. 6/5/2020.Amended by 2011 Acts, ch. 179 (SB 245), eff. 6/10/2011.