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C - 15 City of Pleasanton Operating Budget • FY 2023/24 - FY 2024/25 <br />APPENDIX C <br />4. DEBT CAPACITY <br />Article XVI, Section 18 of the California Constitution (the “debt limit”) prohibits cities from entering <br />into indebtedness or liability that in any year exceeds the income and revenue provided for such <br />year unless the City first obtains two- thirds voter approval for the obligation. Determining what the <br />City’s debt capacity is at any point in time is difficult. It depends on a number of factors including <br />market conditions, amount of undesignated fund balance in the General Fund, fluctuating cash <br />balances, financial policies, management and staff experience, new or existing revenues available to <br />support additional debt, and availability of financial consultants to assist in financial analysis. In the <br />development of this Debt Policy, the goal is to serve as a framework within which the City can evaluate <br />each potential debt issuance. This Debt Policy is not to be so restrictive that it interferes with the City’s <br />legitimate efforts to prudently provide public services and facilities. <br />5. TYPES OF DEBT AUTHOIZED TO BE ISSUED <br />A. Short-Term Debt <br /> <br />Short-term borrowing may be utilized for the temporary funding of operational cash flow deficits or <br />anticipated revenues, where anticipated revenues are defined as an assured revenue source with the <br />anticipated amount based on conservative estimates or until the structure of the take-out financing <br />is finalized. The City will determine and utilize the least costly method for short term borrowing. The <br />City may issue short-term debt when there is a defined repayment source or amortization of principal, <br />subject to the following policies: <br />• Grant Anticipation Notes (GANs) are short-term notes that are repaid with the <br />proceeds of State or Federal grants of any type. The City shall generally issue GANs <br />only when there is no other viable source of funding for the project. <br />• Bond Anticipation Notes (BANs) are short-term notes issued prior to the issuance of <br />long-term debt. It is anticipated that BANs will be retired, or taken-out, with long term <br />debt or commercial paper. BANs will be issued only when there is no better <br />alternative to reduce the overall cost of a financing program. <br />• Tax and Revenue Anticipation Notes (TRANs) shall be issued only if the sizing of the <br />issue fully conforms to Federal IRS requirements and limitations. <br />• Lines of Credit shall be considered as an alternative to other short-term borrowing <br />options. The lines of credit shall be structured to limit concerns as to Internal Revenue <br />Code compliance. <br />B. Long-Term Debt <br />Debt issues may be used to finance essential capital facilities, projects and certain equipment where <br />it is appropriate to spread the cost of the projects over more than one budget year. Projects which are <br />not appropriate for spreading costs over future years will not be financed with long-term debt. Long- <br />term debt will not, under any circumstances, be used to fund City operations.