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CONTINUING DISCLOSURE CERTIFICATE
This Continuing Disclosure Certificate (the “Disclosure Certificate”) is executed and delivered by the City of Gonzales (the “City”) in connection with the issuance by the Gonzales Public Financing Authority (the “Authority”) of its $_____ Lease Revenue Bonds, Series 2024A (the “Bonds”). The Bonds are being issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated as of May 1, 2024 (the “Indenture”), by and among the City, the Authority and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). The City covenants and agrees as follows:
1. Purpose of this Disclosure Certificate. This Disclosure Certificate is being executed and delivered by the City for the benefit of the Holders and Beneficial Owners of the Bonds and in order to assist the Participating Underwriter in complying with the Rule.
2. Definitions. In addition to the definitions that are set forth in the Indenture, which apply to any capitalized term that is used in this Disclosure Certificate unless otherwise defined in this Section, the following capitalized terms shall have the following meanings:
Annual Report. The term “Annual Report” means any Annual Report provided by the City pursuant to, and as described in, Sections 3 and 4 of this Disclosure Certificate.
Beneficial Owner. The term “Beneficial Owner” means any person which: (a) has the power, directly or indirectly, to vote or consent with respect to, or to dispose of ownership of, any Bonds (including persons holding Bonds through nominees, depositories or other intermediaries); or (b) is treated as the owner of any Bonds for federal income tax purposes.
EMMA. The term “EMMA” means the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s Electronic Municipal Market Access System for municipal securities disclosures, maintained on the Internet at http://emma.msrb.org/.
Financial Obligation. The term “Financial Obligation” means a: (A) debt obligation; (B) derivative instrument entered into in connection with, or pledged as security or a source of payment for, an existing or planned debt obligation; or (C) guarantee of (A) or (B). The term “Financial Obligation” does not include municipal securities as to which a final official statement has been provided to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board consistent with the Rule.
Fiscal Year. The term “Fiscal Year” means the one-year period ending on the last day of June of each year.
Holder. The term “Holder” means a registered owner of the Bonds.
Listed Events. The term “Listed Events” means any of the events listed in Sections 5(a) and (b) of this Disclosure Certificate.
Official Statement. The term “Official Statement” means the Official Statement dated May __, 2024 relating to the Bonds.
Participating Underwriter. The term “Participating Underwriter” means any of the original underwriters of the Bonds required to comply with the Rule in connection with offering of the Bonds. 2 4888-3877-2410.1
Rule. The term “Rule” means Rule 15c2-12 adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as the same may be amended from time to time.
3. Provision of Annual Reports.
(a) The City shall provide not later than each April 1 following the end of its Fiscal Year (commencing April 1, 2025 with the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report) to EMMA an Annual Report relating to the immediately preceding Fiscal Year which is consistent with the requirements of Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate, which Annual Report may be submitted as a single document or as separate documents comprising a package, and may cross-reference other information as provided in Section 4 of this Disclosure Certificate.
(b) If the City is unable to provide to EMMA an Annual Report by the date required in subsection (a), the City shall send in a timely manner to EMMA a notice in the manner prescribed by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
4. Content of Annual Reports. The Annual Report shall contain or incorporate by reference the following:
(a) Audited financial statements of the City for the prior Fiscal Year, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles as promulgated to apply to governmental entities from time to time by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. If the City’s audited financial statements are not available by the time the Annual Report is required to be filed pursuant to Section 3(a), the Annual Report shall contain unaudited financial statements in a format similar to the financial statements contained in the final Official Statement, and the audited financial statements shall be filed in the same manner as the Annual Report when they come available. (b) To the extent not included in the audited financial statements provided pursuant to the foregoing Section 4(a), the Annual Report shall contain the following information as of the end of the prior Fiscal Year:
(i) The principal amount of the Bonds outstanding;
(ii) An update for the most recent completed Fiscal Year only of the information in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4 under the caption “CITY FINANCIAL INFORMATION” in the Official Statement.
The items described above may be included by specific reference to other documents, including official statements of debt issues of the City or related public entities, which have been submitted to EMMA; provided, that if any document included by reference is a final official statement, it must be available from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board; and provided further, that the City shall clearly identify each such document so included by reference.
5. Reporting of Significant Events.
(a) Pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, the City shall give, or cause to be given, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events with respect to the Bonds in a timely manner not more than ten (10) Business Days after the event:
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1. principal and interest payment delinquencies;
2. unscheduled draws on debt service reserves reflecting financial difficulties;
3. unscheduled draws on credit enhancements reflecting financial difficulties;
4. substitution of credit or liquidity providers, or their failure to perform;
5. adverse tax opinions, the issuance by the Internal Revenue Service of proposed or final determinations of taxability or Notices of Proposed Issue (IRS Form 5701 TEB);
6. tender offers;
7. defeasances;
8. ratings changes;
9. bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar proceedings. Note:
For the purposes of the event identified in subparagraph (9), the event is considered to occur when any of the following occur: the appointment of a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer for an obligated person in a proceeding under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or in any other proceeding under state or federal law in which a court or governmental authority has assumed jurisdiction over substantially all of the assets or business of the obligated person, or if such jurisdiction has been assumed by leaving the existing governmental body and officials or officers in possession but subject to the supervision and orders of a court or governmental authority, or the entry of an order confirming a plan of reorganization, arrangement or liquidation by a court or governmental authority having supervision or jurisdiction over substantially all of the assets or business of the obligated person; and
10. default, event of acceleration, termination event, modification of terms or other similar events under the terms of a Financial Obligation of the City, any of which reflect financial difficulties.
(b) Pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, the City shall give, or cause to be given, notice of the occurrence of any of the following events with respect to the Bonds, if material, in a timely manner not more than ten (10) Business Days after occurrence:
1. unless described in Section 5(a)(5), other notices or determinations by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the tax status of the Bonds or other events affecting the tax status of the Bonds;
2. modifications to the rights of Bond holders;
3. Bond calls;
4. release, substitution or sale of property securing repayment of the Bonds;
5. non-payment related defaults;
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6. the consummation of a merger, consolidation, or acquisition involving the City or the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the City, other than in the ordinary course of business, the entry into a definitive agreement to undertake such an action or the termination of a definitive agreement relating to any such actions, other than pursuant to its terms;
7. appointment of a successor or additional trustee or the change of the name of a trustee; and
8. incurrence of a Financial Obligation of the City, if material, or agreement to covenants, events of default, remedies, priority rights, or other similar terms of a Financial Obligation of the City, any of which affect security holders, if material. (c) If the City determines that knowledge of the occurrence of a Listed Event under Section 5(b) would be material under applicable federal securities laws, the City shall file a notice of such occurrence with EMMA in a timely manner not more than ten (10) Business Days after the event.
6. [Reserved].
7. Termination of Obligation. The City’s obligations under this Disclosure Certificate with respect to the Bonds shall terminate upon the legal defeasance, prior redemption or payment in full of all of the Bonds. If any such termination occurs prior to the final maturity of the Bonds, the City shall give notice of such termination in the same manner as for a Listed Event under Section 5(a).
8. Amendment; Waiver. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Disclosure Certificate, the City may amend this Disclosure Certificate, and any provision of this Disclosure Certificate may be waived, provided that, in the opinion of nationally recognized bond counsel, such amendment or waiver is permitted by the Rule.
9. Additional Information. Nothing in this Disclosure Certificate shall be deemed to prevent the City from disseminating any other information, using the means of dissemination set forth in this Disclosure Certificate or any other means of communication, or including any other information in any notice of occurrence of a Listed Event, in addition to that which is required by this Disclosure Certificate. If the City chooses to include any information in any notice of occurrence of a Listed Event in addition to that which is specifically required by this Disclosure Certificate, the City shall not thereby have any obligation under this Disclosure Certificate to update such information or include it in any future notice of occurrence of a Listed Event.
10. Default. In the event of a failure of the City to comply with any provision of this Disclosure Certificate or any Holders or Beneficial Owner of the Bonds may take such actions as may be necessary and appropriate, including seeking mandate or specific performance by court order, to cause the City to comply with its obligations under this Disclosure Certificate. A default under this Disclosure Certificate shall not be deemed an Event of Default under the Indenture or the Lease Agreement, and the sole remedy under this Disclosure Certificate in the event of any failure of the City to comply with this Disclosure Certificate shall be an action to compel performance.
No Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Bonds may institute such action, suit or proceeding to compel performance unless they shall have first delivered to the City satisfactory written evidence of their status as such, and a written notice of and request to cure such failure, and the City shall have refused to comply therewith within a reasonable time.
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11. Beneficiaries. This Disclosure Certificate shall inure solely to the benefit of the City, the Participating Underwriter and Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of the Bonds, and shall create no rights in any other person or entity.
Dated: May __, 2024 CITY OF GONZALES
By:
Its: City Manager