Validation - effect - limitations

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-42-127, under Education.

Colo. Rev. Stat. § 22-42-127

(1) All bonds issued and other contracts, leases, or agreements executed by school districts, all district bond elections held and carried, and all acts and proceedings had or taken prior to July 1, 1973, by or on behalf of such districts, preliminary to and in the authorization, execution, sale, and issuance of all bonds, the authorization and execution of all other contracts, leases, or agreements, and the exercise of other powers in section 22-42-104 are hereby validated, ratified, approved, and confirmed, notwithstanding any defects and irregularities, other than constitutional, in such bonds, acts, and proceedings, in such authorization, execution, sale, and issuance, and in such exercise of powers; and such bonds and other contracts, leases, or agreements are and shall be binding, legal, valid, and enforceable obligations of the district to which they appertain in accordance with their terms and their authorization proceedings.

(2) This section shall operate to supply legislative authority as may be necessary to accomplish the validations provided and authorized in this section but shall be limited to validations consistent with all provisions of applicable law in effect at the time of such action or other matter. This article shall not operate to validate any action or other matter the legality of which is being contested or inquired into in any legal proceedings pending and undetermined prior to July 1, 1973, nor to validate any action or other matter which has been determined in any legal proceedings prior to July 1, 1973, to be illegal, void, or ineffective.

Source: L. 73: p. 1277, � 6. C.R.S. 1963: � 123-11-28.

22-42-128. Effect of article X, section 20 on bonded indebtedness authorized prior to November 4, 1992. (1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:

(a) Section 20 (4) of article X of the state constitution provides that, beginning on November 4, 1992, school districts must have voter approval in advance for increases in bonded indebtedness and property tax mill levies;

(b) A sizeable amount of bonded indebtedness had been authorized by school district electors at elections held pursuant to section 22-42-102 prior to the adoption of section 20 of article X;

(c) In approving the question of incurring bonded indebtedness, the voters acknowledged that the board of education of the school district would annually certify the amount needed for its bond redemption fund to make principal and interest payments on the bonds, that a property tax would be levied annually to produce such certified amount, and that the property tax mill levy would be raised or lowered annually to produce such certified amount;

(d) Once bonded indebtedness was incurred, the voters of the district, as well as the bondholders, had a reasonable expectation that further voter approval would not be required;

(e) The purpose of section 20 (4) of article X is to allow the electors of school districts to have a voice in bonded indebtedness increases and property tax mill levy increases;

(f) The purpose of section 20 (4) has already been fully satisfied because the question of incurring bonded indebtedness, and the method for paying such indebtedness through an adjustment to the property tax mill levy, has already been approved by the voters at elections held prior to November 4, 1992; and

(g) The purpose of section 20 (4) would not be further satisfied by requiring voter approval each time the mill levy needs to be adjusted to produce the revenue necessary to pay school district bonded indebtedness authorized at elections held prior to November 4, 1992.

(2) Bonded indebtedness authorized at elections held pursuant to section 22-42-102 prior to November 4, 1992, or the refunding of such bonded indebtedness, which involve a property tax mill levy or a pledge of a property tax mill levy pursuant to section 22-42-118 to provide revenues to the school district to make bonded indebtedness payments or to cover default or deficiencies in bonded indebtedness payments, is not affected or impaired by the passage of section 20 of article X of the state constitution.

Source: L. 94: Entire section added, p. 456, � 1, effective March 21.