CWCB Annual Report December 1997

• Year: 1997
• Title: Annual Report to the 61st Colorado General Assembly Second Regular Session
• CWCB Section: Agency-wide
• Publications - Doc Type: CF Annual Report

I
I
3.2 Construction Fund Criteria
In 1981 the Legislature adopted criteria for the use of the Construction Fund as set forth in
g P
section 37-60-121 (1)(b), CRS. This criteria was changed in 1992 with the passage of SB 92- 87.
Actions taken by the Board concerning the construction fund program have been in compliance with ,
those criteria. In particular,the Board has taken the following steps:
1. From 1981 through 1992, about two-thirds of the Board's cost of the projects recommended I
were for projects which were expected to increase the beneficial consumptive use of
Colorado's compact entitlement.
2. From 1981 through 1994, no applications for flood control projects were accepted by the
Board.
3. No applications for domestic water treatment and distribution systems have been accepted
by the Board since March, 1981.
4. All feasibility studies initiated by the Board since the adoption of the criteria have included,
to the extent deemed necessary: an evaluation of water rights; an evaluation of the
engineering and economic feasibility of the project; and an evaluation of the economic,
social, and environmental effects.
1
3.3 Interest Rate Policy
At the November Board meeting of each calender year,the Board sets a standard 30-year lending f
rate for Construction Fund loans which are to be recommended to the General Assembly in the
following year. I
From 1973 to 1992, the Board charged a fixed "service charge" of up to 5 percent to all
borrowers in accordance with state statutes. These loans typically extended over 40 years. In 1992,
the General Assembly(SB92-87) authorized the Board to charge interest at a rate between zero and
7-percent. In May 1993, the Board adopted guidelines for setting the interest rate for a"standard"
30-year loan at 2 percent(200"basis points") less than the average yield for 30-year U.S. Treasury
Bonds for the preceding 12 months.
Lending rates are established for municipal,agricultural,and commercial projects. For municipal
projects, lending rates are established for low, medium, and high income service areas based on
median household income in the project sponsor's service area. Lending rates for agricultural
projects are identical to municipal low income rates. Lending rates for commercial projects are
higher than for the other categories.
For municipal low income areas,where median household income(MHI)is less than 80-percent I
of the statewide MHI, the lending rate will be 20-percent below the standard rate. For municipal
medium income areas,where MHI is between 80 and 110-percent of the statewide MHI,the lending
rate will be the standard rate. For municipal high income areas,where the MHI is more than 110-
percent of the statewide MHI,the lending rate will be 10-percent above the standard rate.
CWCB FY97 Annual Report,page 16 1