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SPRINGSTED <br />EXHIBIT A <br />Public Finance Advisors <br />251 North Illinois Street, Suite 1510 <br />Indianapolis, Indiana 462041942 <br />317.237.3636 <br />November 12, 1987 <br />Mr. F. Jay Nimtz, President <br />Members, Redevelopment Commission <br />Mr. Jon R. Hunt, Executive Director <br />Department of Economic Development <br />City of South Bend <br />1200 County -City Building <br />South Bend, Indiana 46601 <br />RE: Passing Through Tax Increment or Incremental Valuation <br />In recent amendments to I.C. 36- 7- 14 -39(b) and I.C. 36 -7- 15.1- 26(b), <br />P.L. 393- 1987(ss) required redevelopment commissions to notify the County <br />Auditor annually of the amount, if any, by which property taxes payable <br />to the allocation fund in the following year exceed the amount of <br />property taxes necessary to pay all obligations payable from the fund in <br />that following year. That excess amount would be paid to the respective <br />taxing units in which the allocation area is located. The amendments in <br />this law also provide that the commission may not authorize a payment to <br />the respective taxing units if to do so would endanger the interests of <br />the holders of bonds payable solely or partially from allocation area <br />taxes. <br />The tax increment revenue bonds issued by the City of South Bend <br />Redevelopment District in 1985 and 1986, and the bonds currently <br />contemplated to be issued in 1988, are bonds payable solely from <br />allocation area taxes. The holders of these bonds can look only to the <br />tax increment revenue stream as security for their investment, since it <br />is not permitted to levy any general obligation or special tax to support <br />these issues. The holders of such pure revenue bonds have traditionally <br />looked to a demonstrated annual excess of revenue over debt service, <br />designated reserve funds, and the ability to accumulate funds from year <br />to year as security against the risk that some unknown circumstance in <br />the future may drastically reduce or eliminate their source of payment. <br />Annual coverage ratios of 150% for tax increment revenue bonds are not <br />uncommon, to guard against annual fluctuations in tax rates or tax <br />delinquency patterns. A debt service reserve equal to the maximum annual <br />debt service is very common to provide security in the event of major <br />delays in collection, such as a breakdown in the county's computer <br />system, resulting in a several month delay in producing and /or mailing <br />tax statements. The ability to accumulate excess funds from year to year <br />is looked upon as an additional security to protect against a more <br />protracted revenue problem, such as a major decline in the number of <br />taxpayers within the district. In such a case, the revenue shortfalls <br />may not have been foreseen when the bonds were issued, but may begin, for <br />example, ten years after issuance, and persist for several years <br />thereafter, or throughout the remaining term of the bonds. <br />Home Office W =sconsin Officc <br />85 East Seventh Place, Suite 100 500 Elm Grove Roac. Sint, 101 <br />Saint Paul, Minnesota 551012143 Elm Grove, Wisconsin 531220037 <br />6122233000 414.782 8222 <br />