20-9-473. Security for oil and natural gas revenue bonds. (1) To secure the payment of principal of and interest on oil and natural gas revenue bonds, the trustees of a school district, by resolution or indenture of trust, may provide that oil and natural gas revenue bonds are secured by a first lien on the oil and natural gas production revenue received pursuant to 20-9-310 and pledge to the holders of the oil and natural gas revenue bonds all of the oil and natural gas revenue deposited in the district’s debt service fund.

(2)Upon receipt of oil and natural gas revenue, the county treasurer shall deposit in the district’s debt service fund the amount that is required to pay the principal of and interest on the oil and natural gas revenue bonds due in the next 12-month period and to restore any deficiency in the oil and natural gas revenue debt service reserve account up to reserve requirements. Any remaining oil and natural gas revenue must be deposited as directed by the board of trustees as provided in 20-9-310. The school district and county treasurer may designate a trustee for holders of the bonds to receive the school district’s oil and natural gas revenue for purposes of making the annual debt service payments on oil and natural gas revenue bonds and may authorize the trustee to establish and maintain the oil and natural gas revenue bond debt service fund and oil and natural gas revenue bond debt service reserve account.

(3)Any pledge made pursuant to this section is valid and binding from the time the pledge is made, and the money pledged and received by the county treasurer on behalf of the school district to be placed in the debt service fund is immediately subject to the lien of the pledge without any future physical delivery or further act. A lien of any pledge is valid and binding against all parties that have claims of any kind against the school district regardless of whether the parties have notice of the lien. The bond resolution or indenture of trust that creates the pledge, when adopted by the trustees of any district, is notice of the creation of the pledge, and those instruments are not required to be recorded in any other place to perfect the pledge.

(4)The state may not limit, alter, or impair the ability of a school district to qualify for oil and natural gas revenue or in any way impair the rights and remedies of the bondholders until all bonds issued under this section, together with interest on the bonds, interest on any unpaid installments of principal or interest, and all costs and expenses in connection with any action or proceedings by or on behalf of the bondholders, are fully met and discharged. The trustees of any district, as agents for the state, may include a pledge and undertaking in resolutions and indentures authorizing and securing the bonds as described in this subsection.