A municipality may authorize the issuance of bonds, payable within 20 years from their dates of issuance, in order to pay all response costs associated with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, 42 U.S.C. section 9601 et seq. ("CERCLA"), national priorities list site ("superfund site") in which the municipality is a named potentially responsible party. Response costs shall include, but not be limited to, costs incurred for investigation, design, remedial action, legal fees and costs, consulting fees and costs, and other costs associated with the superfund site. Any debt incurred for this purpose shall be outside the debt limit prescribed in this chapter. Such debt shall at no time be included in the net indebtedness of any municipality for the purposes of determining its borrowing capacity. In the sole discretion of the municipality, it may extend the benefits of this bonding authority to one or more of the other potentially responsible parties at the superfund site. If a municipality elects to extend such benefits, its governing body shall enter into agreements with such other potentially responsible parties, in such form as it shall deem appropriate, to provide for payments to the municipality to pay principal and interest and other related costs of the bonded indebtedness incurred by the municipality on behalf of the other party or parties. For the purposes of this subdivision, "governing body" means the board of selectmen in a town, the board of aldermen or council in a city or town with a town council, the school board in a school district or the village district commissioners in a village district, or when used to refer to unincorporated towns or unorganized places, or both, the county commissioners.
Source. 1992, 275:2, eff. May 18, 1992.