UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

       þ    QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2018

 

OR

 

       ¨   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the transition period from _________________ to______________________

 

Commission File Number     0-422

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey

(State of incorporation)

22-1114430

(IRS employer identification no.)

 

1500 Ronson Road, Iselin, New Jersey 08830

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

(732) 634-1500

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes þ      No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post files).

Yes þ      No ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer þ Non-accelerated filer ¨

Smaller reporting company ¨ Emerging growth company ¨

 

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.    ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes ¨      No þ

The number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant's classes of common stock, as of July 31, 2018: Common Stock, No Par Value: 16,392,350 shares outstanding.

 

 

INDEX

 

 

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION PAGE
     
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited):  
     
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income 1
     
  Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets 2
     
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 3
     
  Condensed Consolidated Statements of Capital Stock and Long-Term Debt 4
     
  Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements 5
     
Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 15
     
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures of Market Risk 22
     
Item 4. Controls and Procedures 23
     
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION  
     
Item 1. Legal Proceedings 23
     
Item 1A. Risk Factors 23
     
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds 23
     
Item 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities 23
     
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 23
     
Item 5. Other Information 24
     
Item 6. Exhibits 24
     
SIGNATURES 25

 

Index  

 

 MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

(In thousands except per share amounts)

 

    Three Months Ended June 30,   Six Months Ended June 30,
    2018   2017   2018   2017
                 
Operating Revenues   $ 34,919     $ 33,014     $ 66,096     $ 63,145  
                                 
Operating Expenses:                                
Operations and Maintenance     16,825       16,856       34,659       32,795  
Depreciation     3,736       3,385       7,345       6,693  
Other Taxes     3,637       3,415       7,021       6,724  
                                 
Total Operating Expenses     24,198       23,656       49,025       46,212  
                                 
Operating Income     10,721       9,358       17,071       16,933  
                                 
Other Income (Expense):                                
Allowance for Funds Used During Construction     214       180       381       299  
Other Income (Expense), net     571       230       868       436  
                                 
Total Other Income, net     785       410       1,249       735  
                                 
Interest Charges     2,068       1,469       3,206       2,472  
                                 
Income before Income Taxes     9,438       8,299       15,114       15,196  
                                 
Income Taxes     763       2,918       1,945       5,374  
                                 
Net Income     8,675       5,381       13,169       9,822  
                                 
Preferred Stock Dividend Requirements     36       36       72       72  
                                 
Earnings Applicable to Common Stock   $ 8,639     $ 5,345     $ 13,097     $ 9,750  
                                 
Earnings per share of Common Stock:                                
Basic   $ 0.53     $ 0.33     $ 0.80     $ 0.60  
Diluted   $ 0.52     $ 0.33     $ 0.80     $ 0.59  
                                 
Average Number of                                
Common Shares Outstanding :                                
Basic     16,388       16,332       16,371       16,316  
Diluted     16,544       16,488       16,527       16,472  
                                 
Cash Dividends Paid per Common Share   $ 0.2238     $ 0.2113     $ 0.4475     $ 0.4225  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

  1

Index  

 

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED  BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

 

        June 30,   December 31,
ASSETS       2018   2017
UTILITY PLANT:   Water Production   $ 154,542     $ 153,844  
    Transmission and Distribution     480,265       468,649  
    General     70,837       69,457  
    Construction Work in Progress     26,517       11,562  
    TOTAL     732,161       703,512  
    Less Accumulated Depreciation     151,681       146,272  
    UTILITY PLANT - NET     580,480       557,240  
                     
CURRENT ASSETS:   Cash and Cash Equivalents     2,673       4,937  
    Accounts Receivable, net     11,011       10,785  
    Unbilled Revenues     8,744       6,999  
    Materials and Supplies (at average cost)     4,826       4,118  
    Prepayments     3,805       2,408  
    TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS     31,059       29,247  
                     
AND OTHER ASSETS:   Preliminary Survey and Investigation Charges     4,859       4,676  
    Regulatory Assets     99,717       58,423  
    Operations Contracts, Developer and Other Receivables     439       439  
    Restricted Cash     3,157       1,460  
    Non-utility Assets - Net     9,598       9,478  
    Other     435       177  
    TOTAL DEFERRED CHARGES AND OTHER ASSETS     118,205       74,653  
    TOTAL ASSETS   $ 729,744     $ 661,140  
                     
CAPITALIZATION AND LIABILITIES                
CAPITALIZATION:   Common Stock, No Par Value   $ 156,251       155,120  
    Retained Earnings     79,826       74,055  
    TOTAL COMMON EQUITY     236,077       229,175  
    Preferred Stock     2,433       2,433  
    Long-term Debt     142,129       139,045  
    TOTAL CAPITALIZATION     380,639       370,653  
                     
CURRENT   Current Portion of Long-term Debt     7,236       6,865  
LIABILITIES:   Notes Payable     39,000       28,000  
    Accounts Payable     16,413       13,929  
    Accrued Taxes     14,700       11,418  
    Accrued Interest     1,259       1,093  
    Unearned Revenues and Advanced Service Fees     974       951  
    Other     1,993       2,281  
    TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES     81,575       64,537  
                     
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES (Note 7)              
                     
DEFERRED CREDITS   Customer Advances for Construction     21,832       21,423  
AND OTHER LIABILITIES:   Accumulated Deferred Income Taxes     43,706       43,160  
    Employee Benefit Plans     35,128       36,686  
    Regulatory Liabilities     83,298       43,745  
    Other     1,250       1,315  
    TOTAL DEFERRED CREDITS AND OTHER LIABILITIES     185,214       146,329  
                     
CONTRIBUTIONS IN AID OF CONSTRUCTION     82,316       79,621  
    TOTAL CAPITALIZATION AND LIABILITIES   $ 729,744     $ 661,140  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

  2

Index  

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

 

    Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2018     2017  
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:                
Net Income   $ 13,169     $ 9,822  
Adjustments to Reconcile Net Income to                
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities:                
Depreciation and Amortization     7,793       6,887  
Provision for Deferred Income Taxes     (2,760 )     4,395  
Equity Portion of Allowance for Funds Used During Construction (AFUDC)     (256 )     (205 )
Cash Surrender Value of Life Insurance     (60 )     (114 )
Stock Compensation Expense     535       437  
Changes in Assets and Liabilities:                
Accounts Receivable     (226 )     176  
Unbilled Revenues     (1,745 )     (1,694 )
Materials & Supplies     (708 )     (787 )
Prepayments     (1,397 )     (888 )
Accounts Payable     2,484       2,702  
Accrued Taxes     3,282       752  
Accrued Interest     166       (6 )
Employee Benefit Plans     (2,478 )     (640 )
Unearned Revenue & Advanced Service Fees     23       44  
Other Assets and Liabilities     1,401       (710 )
                 
NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES     19,223       20,171  
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:                
Utility Plant Expenditures, Including AFUDC of $125 in 2018, $94 in 2017     (28,377 )     (21,165 )
                 
NET CASH USED IN INVESTING ACTIVITIES     (28,377 )     (21,165 )
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:                
Redemption of Long-term Debt     (2,144 )     (2,115 )
Proceeds from Issuance of Long-term Debt     5,567       4,047  
Net Short-term Bank Borrowings     11,000       5,000  
Deferred Debt Issuance Expense     (75 )     (33 )
Proceeds from Issuance of Common Stock     596       592  
Payment of Common Dividends     (7,325 )     (6,893 )
Payment of Preferred Dividends     (72 )     (72 )
Construction Advances and Contributions-Net     1,040       278  
                 
NET CASH PROVIDED BY  FINANCING ACTIVITIES     8,587       804  
NET CHANGES IN CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH     (567 )     (190 )
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD     6,397       4,318  
CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH AT END OF PERIOD   $ 5,830     $ 4,128  
                 
                 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF NON-CASH ACTIVITY:                
Utility Plant received as Construction Advances and Contributions   $ 2,064     $ 1,131  
                 
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOWS INFORMATION:                
   Cash Paid During the Year for:                
Interest   $ 2,711     $ 2,594  
Interest Capitalized   $ 125     $ 94  
Income Taxes   $ 1,989     $ 714  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.        

  3

Index  

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CAPITAL STOCK

AND LONG-TERM DEBT

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

    June 30,   December 31,
    2018   2017
Common Stock, No Par Value        
Shares Authorized -    40,000        
Shares Outstanding -  2018 - 16,392; 2017 - 16,352   $ 156,251     $ 155,120  
                 
Retained Earnings     79,826       74,055  
TOTAL COMMON EQUITY   $ 236,077     $ 229,175  
                 
Cumulative Preferred Stock, No Par Value:                
Shares Authorized - 126                
Shares Outstanding - 24                
   Convertible:                
Shares Outstanding, $7.00 Series - 10     1,005       1,005  
Shares Outstanding, $8.00 Series -   3     349       349  
   Nonredeemable:                
Shares Outstanding, $7.00 Series -   1     79       79  
Shares Outstanding, $4.75 Series - 10     1,000       1,000  
TOTAL PREFERRED STOCK   $ 2,433     $ 2,433  
                 
Long-term Debt:                
   8.05%, Amortizing Secured Note, due December 20, 2021   $ 1,055     $ 1,180  
   6.25%, Amortizing Secured Note, due May 19, 2028     4,165       4,375  
   6.44%, Amortizing Secured Note, due August 25, 2030     3,407       3,547  
   6.46%, Amortizing Secured Note, due September 19, 2031     3,687       3,827  
   4.22%, State Revolving Trust Note, due December 31, 2022     253       279  
   3.60%, State Revolving Trust Note, due May 1, 2025     1,743       1,851  
   3.30% State Revolving Trust Note, due March 1, 2026     372       392  
   3.49%, State Revolving Trust Note, due January 25, 2027     408       427  
   4.03%, State Revolving Trust Note, due December 1, 2026     527       553  
   4.00% to 5.00%, State Revolving Trust Bond, due August 1, 2021     162       162  
   0.00%, State Revolving Fund Bond, due August 1, 2021     124       128  
   3.64%, State Revolving Trust Note, due July 1, 2028     246       256  
   3.64%, State Revolving Trust Note, due January 1, 2028     80       84  
   3.45%, State Revolving Trust Note, due August 1, 2031     935       962  
   6.59%, Amortizing Secured Note, due April 20, 2029     3,779       3,953  
   7.05%, Amortizing Secured Note, due January 20, 2030     2,896       3,021  
   5.69%, Amortizing Secured Note, due January 20, 2030     5,940       6,197  
   4.45%, Amortizing Secured Note, due April 20, 2040     9,607       9,827  
   4.47%, Amortizing Secured Note, due April 20, 2040     3,566       3,646  
   3.75%, State Revolving Trust Note, due July 1, 2031     2,015       2,075  
   2.00%, State Revolving Trust Note, due February 1, 2036     1,090       1,115  
   3.75%, State Revolving Trust Note, due November 30, 2030     1,057       1,090  
   0.00% Construction Loans           3,874  
   First Mortgage Bonds:                
 0.00%, Series X, due August 1, 2018     54       55  
 4.25% to 4.63%, Series Y, due August 1, 2018     61       61  
 0.00%, Series Z, due August 1, 2019     221       224  
 5.25% to 5.75%, Series AA, due August 1, 2019     300       300  
 0.00%, Series BB, due August 1, 2021     471       482  
 4.00% to 5.00%, Series CC, due August 1, 2021     636       636  
 0.00%, Series EE, due August 1, 2023     2,231       2,296  
 3.00% to 5.50%, Series FF, due August 1, 2024     3,495       3,495  
 0.00%, Series GG, due August 1, 2026     799       813  
 4.00% to 5.00%, Series HH, due August 1, 2026     880       880  
 0.00%, Series II, due August 1, 2024     594       610  
 3.40% to 5.00%, Series JJ, due August 1, 2027     750       750  
 0.00%, Series KK, due August 1, 2028     969       988  
 5.00% to 5.50%, Series LL, due August 1, 2028     1,095       1,095  
 0.00%, Series MM, due August 1, 2030     1,203       1,237  
 3.00% to 4.375%, Series NN, due August 1, 2030     1,505       1,505  
 0.00%, Series OO, due August 1, 2031     2,057       2,107  
 2.00% to 5.00%, Series PP, due August 1, 2031     740       740  
 5.00%, Series QQ, due October 1, 2023     9,915       9,915  
 3.80%, Series RR, due October 1, 2038     22,500       22,500  
 4.25%, Series SS, due October 1, 2047     23,000       23,000  
 0.00%, Series TT, due August 1, 2032     2,208       2,258  
 3.00% to 3.25%, Series UU, due August 1, 2032     845       845  
 0.00%, Series VV, due August 1, 2033     2,243       2,290  
 3.00% to 5.00%, Series WW, due August 1, 2033     830       830  
 0.00%, Series XX, due August 1, 2047     11,259       11,259  
 3.00% to 5.00%, Series YY, due August 1, 2047     3,860       3,860  
 0.00%, Series 2018A, due August 1, 2047     7,076        
 3.00% to 5.00%, Series 2018B, due August 1, 2047     2,365        
SUBTOTAL LONG-TERM DEBT     151,276       147,852  
Add: Premium on Issuance of Long-term Debt     1,369       1,367  
Less: Unamortized Debt Expense     (3,280 )     (3,309 )
Less: Current Portion of Long-term Debt     (7,236 )     (6,865 )
TOTAL LONG-TERM DEBT   $ 142,129     $ 139,045  

 

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.  

  4

Index  

 

   

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation and Recent Developments

 

Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) is the parent company and sole shareholder of Tidewater Utilities, Inc. (Tidewater), Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc. (TESI), Pinelands Water Company (Pinelands Water) and Pinelands Wastewater Company (Pinelands Wastewater) (collectively, Pinelands), Utility Service Affiliates, Inc. (USA), Utility Service Affiliates  (Perth Amboy) Inc. (USA-PA), and Twin Lakes Utilities, Inc. (Twin Lakes). Southern Shores Water Company, LLC (Southern Shores) and White Marsh Environmental Systems, Inc. (White Marsh) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Tidewater. The financial statements for Middlesex and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (the Company) are reported on a consolidated basis. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

 

The consolidated notes within the 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K (the 2017 Form 10-K) are applicable to these financial statements and, in the opinion of the Company, the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary (including normal recurring accruals) to present fairly the financial position as of June 30, 2018, the results of operations for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2018 and 2017 and cash flows for the six month periods ended June 30, 2018 and 2017. Information included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2017, has been derived from the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2017 included in the 2017 Form 10-K.

 

Recent Developments

 

USA-PA currently operates the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey’s water and wastewater systems under a 20-year agreement, which expires in December 2018. In July 2018, through a competitive proposal process, USA-PA was awarded a $67 million base professional services contract to continue to operate the water and wastewater systems through December 31, 2028.

 

Recent Accounting Guidance

 

Revenue Recognition - In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance, which replaces most of the existing guidance with a single set of principles for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements. Disclosures related to Revenue Recognition are included in Note 9, Revenue Recognition from Contracts with Customers .

 

Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities - In January 2016, the FASB issued guidance which (i) requires all investments in equity securities, including other ownership interests such as partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies, to be carried at fair value through net income, (ii) requires an incremental recognition and disclosure requirement related to the presentation of fair value changes of financial liabilities for which the fair value option has been elected, (iii) amends several disclosure requirements, including the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate fair value or a description of the changes in the methods and assumptions used to estimate fair value, and (iv) requires disclosure of the fair value of financial assets and liabilities measured at amortized cost at the amount that would be received to sell the asset or paid to transfer the liability. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

  5

Index  

 

 

Statement of Cash Flows - In August 2016, the FASB issued guidance which amends the previous guidance on the classification of certain cash receipts and payments in the statement of cash flows. The primary purpose of the amendment is to reduce the diversity in practice that has resulted from the lack of consistent principles on this topic. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

Restricted Cash - In November 2016, the FASB issued guidance related to the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows, which requires entities to a) include restricted cash balances in its cash and cash-equivalent balances in the statement of cash flows and b) include a reconciliation of cash and cash-equivalents per the statement of financial position as compared to the statement of cash flows. Changes in restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents that result from transfers between cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents will not be presented as cash flow activities in the statement of cash flows. In addition, an entity with a material balance of amounts described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents must disclose information about the nature of the restrictions. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements. As a result of adopting this guidance, the consolidated statement of cash flows for the six months ended June 30, 2017 was revised, which resulted in a $0.4 million increase in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at the Beginning and End of the Period.

 

Employee Benefit Plans-Net Periodic Benefit Cost – In March 2017, the FASB issued guidance which requires entities to (1) disaggregate the current-service-cost component from the other components of net benefit cost and present it with other current compensation costs for related employees in the income statement and (2) present the other components elsewhere in the income statement and outside of income from operations if that subtotal is presented. In addition, the guidance requires entities to disclose the income statement lines that contain the other components if they are not presented on appropriately described separate lines. The guidance was effective January 1, 2018 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements. See Note 8, Employee Benefit Plans for more information. As a result of adopting this guidance, the consolidated statement of income for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 was revised, which resulted in increases in Operations and Maintenance expense and Other Income (Expense), net of $0.2 million and $0.4 million, respectively.

 

Leases - In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance related to leases which will require lessees to recognize a lease liability (a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis) and a right-of-use asset (an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term). In January 2018, the FASB issued additional guidance related to leases which permits entities to forgo the evaluation of existing land easement arrangements to determine if they contain a lease as part of the adoption of this guidance. Land easement arrangements, or modifications to existing arrangements, entered into after adoption of this guidance will need to be evaluated to determine if they meet the definition of a lease. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures, but, based on the Company’s current leasing activity, does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

There are no other new adopted or proposed accounting guidance that the Company is aware of that could have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

Note 2 Rate and Regulatory Matters

 

Middlesex – In March 2018, Middlesex’s petition to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) seeking permission to increase its base water rates was concluded, based on a negotiated settlement, resulting in an increase in annual operating revenues of $5.5 million. In its initial October 2017 filing with the NJBPU, Middlesex had sought an increase of $15.3 million to recover costs for capital infrastructure investments Middlesex has made, or has committed to make, to drinking water infrastructure since the last filing in New Jersey in 2015 as well as increased operations and maintenance costs. During the pendency of this rate matter, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the Tax Act) was signed into law. Under the Tax Act the maximum corporate income tax rate was reduced from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. Because income tax is one of the cost components used to determine a regulated utility’s revenue requirement, Middlesex was able to reduce its original rate increase request by $4.9 million to $10.4 million. The new base water rates are designed to recover the increased operating costs as well as a return on invested capital in rate base of $245.5 million, based on an authorized return on equity of 9.6%. As part of the settlement, Middlesex received approval for regulatory accounting treatment of accumulated deferred income tax benefits associated with required adoption of tangible property regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The settlement agreement allowed for a four-year amortization period for $28.7 million of deferred income tax benefits as well as immediate and prospective recognition of the tangible property regulations tax benefits in future years. The rate increase became effective April 1, 2018.

 

  6

Index  

 

Tidewater - Effective July 1, 2018, Tidewater revised its Delaware Public Service Commission (DEPSC)-approved Distribution System Improvement Charge (DSIC) rate, which is expected to generate $0.2 million of revenues in 2018. A DSIC is a rate-mechanism that allows water utilities to recover investments in, and generate a return on, qualifying capital improvements to their water distribution system made between base rate proceedings.

 

Tax Act - On December 22, 2017, the Tax Act was signed into law making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code, including a corporate tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017. Tariff rates charged to customers in the Company’s regulated companies include recovery of income taxes at the statutory rate in effect at the time those rates became effective. The conclusion of Middlesex’s base rate case and the resulting rates implemented April 1, 2018 reflect the impact of the Tax Act on its revenue requirement.

 

In March 2018, the Company submitted compliance filings with the DEPSC proposing to reduce rates charged to its Delaware customers to reflect the impact of the Tax Act. It is uncertain at this time when the DEPSC will act upon the rate reduction proposals or whether it will accept the proposed methodologies.

 

As of June 30, 2018, the Company has recorded regulatory liabilities of $32.6 million for excess income taxes collected through rates due to the lower income tax rate under the Tax Act. These regulatory liabilities are overwhelmingly related to accelerated tax depreciation deduction timing differences, which are subject to IRS normalization rules. The IRS rules limit how quickly the excess taxes attributable to accelerated tax depreciation can be returned to customers.

 

Note 3 – Capitalization

 

Common Stock - During the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, there were 15,026 shares (approximately $0.6 million) and 15,954 common shares (approximately $0.6 million), respectively, respectively, issued under the Middlesex Water Company Investment Plan.

 

Long-term Debt - In April 2018, the NJBPU approved Middlesex’s request to borrow up to $57.0 million under the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (NJIB) program to fund the construction of a large-diameter transmission pipeline from the Carl J. Olsen (CJO) water treatment plant and interconnect with our distribution system. Middlesex currently expects to close on the NJIB construction loan in the third quarter of 2018 with funding requisitions beginning in August 2018 through the end of 2019.

 

In April 2018, the NJBPU approved Middlesex’s request to borrow up to $55.0 million under the NJIB program to fund upgrades to the Company’s CJO water treatment plant. Middlesex currently expects to close on the NJIB construction loan in the fourth quarter of 2018 with funding requisitions beginning late in 2018 and through 2020.

 

In March 2018, the NJBPU approved Middlesex’s request to borrow up to $14.0 million under the NJIB program to fund the 2018 RENEW Program, which is an ongoing initiative to eliminate all unlined water distribution mains in the Middlesex system. Middlesex expects to close on the NJIB construction loan in the third quarter of 2018 with funding requisitions beginning in September 2018 through early 2019.

 

  7

Index  

 

In March 2018, the DEPSC approved Tidewater’s request to borrow up to $0.9 million under the Delaware State Revolving Fund (SRF) program to fund the replacement of an entire water distribution system of a small Delaware subdivision. Tidewater closed on the SRF loan in May 2018 and expects to complete the project in the fourth quarter of 2018.

 

In November 2017, Middlesex closed out three of its NJIB construction loans (booster station upgrade, RENEW 2015 and RENEW 2016 projects) by issuing to the NJIB first mortgage bonds designated as Series XX ($11.3 million) and Series YY ($3.9 million). The interest rate on the Series XX bond is zero and the interest rate on the Series YY bond range between 3.0% and 5.0%. Through June 30, 2018, Middlesex has drawn down $14.9 million and expects to draw down the remaining proceeds during the third quarter of 2018. The final maturity date for both bonds is August 1, 2047, with scheduled debt service payments over the life of the loan.

 

In May 2018, Middlesex closed out its RENEW 2017 construction loan by issuing to the NJIB first mortgage bonds designated as Series 2018A ($7.1 million) and Series 2018B ($2.4 million). The interest rate on the Series 2018A bond is zero and the interest rate on the Series 2018B bond ranges between 3.0% and 5.0%. Through June 30, 2018, Middlesex has drawn down $7.1 million and expects to draw down the remaining proceeds during the third quarter of 2018. The final maturity date for both bonds is August 1, 2047, with scheduled debt service payments over the life of the loan.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - The following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in estimating its fair value disclosure for financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value. The carrying amounts reflected in the condensed consolidated balance sheets for cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, accounts payable and notes payable approximate their respective fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. The fair value of First Mortgage and State Revolving Fund Bonds (collectively, the Bonds) issued by Middlesex is based on quoted market prices for similar issues. Under the fair value hierarchy, the fair value of cash and cash equivalents is classified as a Level 1 measurement and the fair value of notes payable and the Bonds in the table below are classified as Level 2 measurements. The carrying amount and fair value of the Bonds were as follows:

 

 

  June 30, 2018 December 31, 2017
  Carrying Fair Carrying Fair
  Amount Value Amount Value
Bonds $  104,449 $ 106,188 $95,322  $98,036

 

For other long-term debt for which there was no quoted market price and there is not an active trading market, it was not practicable to estimate their fair value (for details, including carrying value, interest rate and due date on these series of long-term debt, please refer to those series noted as “Amortizing Secured Note”, “State Revolving Trust Note” and “Construction Loans” on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Capital Stock and Long-Term Debt). The carrying amount of these instruments was $46.8 million and $52.5 million at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Customer advances for construction have carrying amounts of $21.8 million and $21.4 million at June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively. Their relative fair values cannot be accurately estimated since future refund payments depend on several variables, including new customer connections, customer consumption levels and future rate increases.

 

  8

Index  

 

 

Note 4 – Earnings Per Share

 

Basic earnings per share (EPS) are computed on the basis of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period presented. Diluted EPS assumes the conversion of both the Convertible Preferred Stock $7.00 Series and the Convertible Preferred Stock $8.00 Series.

 

    (In Thousands Except per Share Amounts)
    Three Months Ended June 30,
    2018   2017
Basic:           Income   Shares   Income   Shares
Net Income   $ 8,675       16,388     $ 5,381       16,332  
Preferred Dividend     (36 )             (36 )        
Earnings Applicable to Common Stock   $ 8,639       16,388     $ 5,345       16,332  
                                 
Basic EPS   $ 0.53             $ 0.33          
                                 
Diluted:                                
Earnings Applicable to Common Stock   $ 8,639       16,388     $ 5,345       16,332  
$7.00 Series Preferred Dividend     17       115       17       115  
$8.00 Series Preferred Dividend     6       41       6       41  
Adjusted Earnings Applicable to  Common Stock   $ 8,662       16,544     $ 5,368       16,488  
                                 
Diluted EPS   $ 0.52             $ 0.33          

 

    (In Thousands Except per Share Amounts)
    Six Months Ended June 30,
    2018   2017
Basic:       Income   Shares   Income   Shares
Net Income   $ 13,169       16,371     $ 9,822       16,316  
Preferred Dividend     (72 )             (72 )        
Earnings Applicable to Common Stock   $ 13,097       16,371     $ 9,750       16,316  
                                 
Basic EPS   $ 0.80             $ 0.60          
                                 
Diluted:                                
Earnings Applicable to Common Stock   $ 13,097       16,371     $ 9,750       16,316  
$7.00 Series Preferred Dividend     34       115       34       115  
$8.00 Series Preferred Dividend     12       41       12       41  
Adjusted Earnings Applicable to  Common Stock   $ 13,143       16,527     $ 9,796       16,472  
                                 
Diluted EPS   $ 0.80             $ 0.59          

 

  9

Index  

 

 

Note 5 – Business Segment Data

 

The Company has identified two reportable segments. One is the regulated business of collecting, treating and distributing water on a retail and wholesale basis to residential, commercial, industrial and fire protection customers in parts of New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. This segment also includes regulated wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. The Company is subject to regulations as to its rates, services and other matters by New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania with respect to utility services within these states. The other segment is primarily comprised of non-regulated contract services for the operation and maintenance of municipal and private water and wastewater systems in New Jersey and Delaware. Inter-segment transactions relating to operational costs are treated as pass-through expenses. Finance charges on inter-segment loan activities are based on interest rates that are below what would normally be charged by a third party lender.

 

    (In Thousands)
    Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended
    June 30,   June 30,
Operations by Segments:   2018   2017   2018   2017
Revenues:                
   Regulated   $ 31,168     $ 29,278     $ 58,374     $ 55,771  
   Non – Regulated     3,882       3,863       7,982       7,613  
Inter-segment Elimination     (131 )     (127 )     (260 )     (239 )
Consolidated Revenues   $ 34,919     $ 33,014     $ 66,096     $ 63,145  
                                 
Operating Income:                                
   Regulated   $ 9,988     $ 8,672     $ 15,613     $ 15,687  
   Non – Regulated     733       686       1,458       1,246  
Consolidated Operating Income   $ 10,721     $ 9,358     $ 17,071     $ 16,933  
                                 
Net Income:                                
   Regulated   $ 8,151     $ 4,972     $ 12,134     $ 9,111  
   Non – Regulated     524       409       1,035       711  
Consolidated Net Income   $ 8,675     $ 5,381     $ 13,169     $ 9,822  
                                 
Capital Expenditures:                                
  Regulated   $ 18,350     $ 11,588     $ 28,328     $ 21,160  
   Non – Regulated     16             49       5  
Total Capital Expenditures   $ 18,366     $ 11,588     $ 28,377     $ 21,165  
                                 
    As of     As of                  
    June 30,     December 31,                  
    2018     2017                  
Assets:                                
   Regulated   $ 732,592     $ 661,816                  
   Non – Regulated     6,819       7,093                  
Inter-segment Elimination     (9,667 )     (7,769 )                
Consolidated Assets   $ 729,744     $ 661,140                  

  10

Index  

 

 

Note 6 – Short-term Borrowings

 

As of June 30, 2018, the Company has established lines of credit aggregating $92.0 million. At June 30, 2018, the outstanding borrowings under these credit lines were $39.0 million at a weighted average interest rate of 3.18%.

 

The weighted average daily amounts of borrowings outstanding under the Company’s credit lines and the weighted average interest rates on those amounts were as follows:

 

    (In Thousands)
    Three Months   Six Months
    June 30,   June 30,
    2018   2017   2018   2017
Average Daily Amounts Outstanding   $ 31,555     $ 15,582     $ 29,721     $ 14,221  
Weighted Average Interest Rates     3.10%       2.08%       2.94%       1.95%  

 

The maturity dates for the $39.0 million outstanding as of June 30, 2018 are in July 2018 through September 2018 and are extendable at the discretion of the Company.

 

Interest rates for short-term borrowings under the lines of credit are below the prime rate with no requirement for compensating balances.

 

Note 7 – Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

 

Water Supply - Middlesex has an agreement with the New Jersey Water Supply Authority (NJWSA) for the purchase of untreated water through November 30, 2023, which provides for an average purchase of 27.0 million gallons a day (mgd). Pricing is set annually by the NJWSA through a public rate making process. The agreement has provisions for additional pricing in the event Middlesex overdrafts or exceeds certain monthly and annual thresholds.

 

Middlesex also has an agreement with a non-affiliated regulated water utility for the purchase of treated water. This agreement, which expires February 27, 2021, provides for the minimum purchase of 3.0 mgd of treated water with provisions for additional purchases.

 

Tidewater contracts with the City of Dover, Delaware to purchase 15.0 million gallons of treated water annually.

 

Purchased water costs are shown below:

 

    (In Thousands)
    Three Months Ended   Six Months Ended
    June 30,   June 30,
    2018   2017   2018   2017
                 
Treated   $ 703     $ 795     $ 1,591     $ 1,574  
Untreated     850       573       1,780       1,232  
Total Costs   $ 1,553     $ 1,368     $ 3,371     $ 2,806  

 

Guarantees - As part of an agreement with the County of Monmouth, New Jersey (County), Middlesex serves as guarantor of the performance of Applied Water Management, Inc. (AWM), an unaffiliated wastewater treatment contractor, to operate a County-owned leachate pretreatment facility at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. The performance guaranty is effective through 2028 unless another guarantor, acceptable to the County, replaces Middlesex before such date. Under agreements with AWM and Natural Systems Utilities, LLC (NSU), the parent company of AWM, Middlesex earns a fee for providing the performance guaranty. In addition, Middlesex may provide operational support to the facility, as needed, and AWM and NSU, serving as guarantor to Middlesex with respect to the performance of AWM, agree to indemnify Middlesex against any claims that may arise under the Middlesex guaranty to the County.

 

  11

Index  

 

If requested to perform under the guaranty to the County and, if AWM and NSU, as guarantor to Middlesex, do not fulfill their obligations to indemnify Middlesex against any claims that may arise under the Middlesex guaranty to the County, Middlesex would be required to fulfill the remaining operational commitment of AWM. As of both June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the liability recognized in Other Non-Current Liabilities on the balance sheet for the guaranty is less than $0.1 million.

 

Leases - The Company has entered into office space operating leases. Rental expenses under operating leases were less than $0.1 million for each of the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017. The operating leases for these facilities will expire in 2028.

 

Construction - The Company has forecasted to spend approximately $78 million for its construction program in 2018. The actual timing and amount of capital expenditures is dependent on project scheduling and refinement of engineering estimates for certain projects.

 

Litigation - The Company is a defendant in lawsuits in the normal course of business. We believe the resolution of pending claims and legal proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

Change in Control Agreements - The Company has Change in Control Agreements with certain of its officers that provide compensation and benefits in the event of termination of employment in connection with a change in control of the Company.

 

Note 8 – Employee Benefit Plans

 

Pension Benefits - The Company’s Pension Plan covers all active employees hired prior to April 1, 2007. For the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company made Pension Plan cash contributions of $0.8 million and $1.0 million, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company made Pension Plan cash contributions of $1.3 million and $1.5 million, respectively. The Company expects to make Pension Plan cash contributions of approximately $2.0 million over the remainder of the current year. Employees hired after March 31, 2007 are not eligible to participate in this plan, but do participate in a defined contribution plan that provides an annual contribution at the discretion of the Company, based upon a percentage of the participants’ eligible compensation. In order to be eligible for a contribution, the participant must be employed by the Company on December 31st of the year to which the contribution relates. The Company also maintains an unfunded supplemental retirement benefit plan for certain active and retired Company officers and currently pays $0.3 million in annual benefits to the retired participants.

 

Other Postretirement Benefits - The Company’s retirement plan other than pensions (Other Benefits Plan) covers substantially all of its current retired employees. Employees hired after March 31, 2007 are not eligible to participate in this plan. Coverage includes healthcare and life insurance. For each of the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company made Other Benefits Plan cash contributions of $0.2 million, respectively. For each of the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, the Company made Other Benefits Plan cash contributions of $0.4 million and $0.2 million, respectively. The Company expects to make Other Benefits Plan cash contributions of approximately $1.2 million over the remainder of the current year.

 

  12

Index  

 

 

The following tables set forth information relating to the Company’s periodic costs for its employee retirement benefit plans:

 

    (In Thousands)
    Pension Benefits   Other Benefits
    Three Months Ended June 30,
    2018   2017   2018   2017
                 
Service Cost   $ 607     $ 600     $ 284     $ 272  
Interest Cost     765       786       474       491  
Expected Return on Assets     (1,218 )     (1,122 )     (637 )     (601 )
Amortization of Unrecognized Losses     415       391       447       445  
Amortization of Unrecognized Prior Service Cost (Credit)                 (402 )     (432 )
Net Periodic Benefit Cost*   $ 569     $ 655     $ 166     $ 175  

 

 

    Pension Benefits   Other Benefits
    Six Months Ended June 30,
    2018   2017   2018   2017
                 
Service Cost   $ 1,213     $ 1,200     $ 567     $ 544  
Interest Cost     1,530       1,572       949       982  
Expected Return on Assets     (2,435 )     (2,245 )     (1,275 )     (1,203 )
Amortization of Unrecognized Losses     829       783       894       890  
Amortization of Unrecognized Prior Service Cost (Credit)                 (803 )     (864 )
Net Periodic Benefit Cost*   $ 1,137     $ 1,310     $ 332     $ 349  
                                 
*Service cost is included in Operations and Maintenance expense on Consolidated Statements of Income; all other amounts are included in Other Income/Expense, net.

 

Note 9 – Revenue Recognition from Contracts with Customers

 

The Company’s revenues are primarily generated from regulated tariff-based sales of water and wastewater services and non-regulated operation and maintenance contracts for services on water and wastewater systems owned by others. Revenue from contracts with customers is recognized when control of a promised good or service is transferred to customers at an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods and services.

 

The Company’s regulated revenue from contracts with customers is derived from tariff-based sales that result from the obligation to provide water and wastewater services to residential, industrial, commercial, fire-protection and wholesale customers. The Company’s residential customers are billed quarterly while most of the Company’s industrial, commercial, fire-protection and wholesale customers are billed monthly. Payments by customers are due between 15 to 30 days after the invoice date. The Company recognizes revenue as the water and wastewater services are delivered to customers as well as records unbilled revenues estimated from the last meter reading date to the end of the accounting period utilizing factors such as historical customer data, regional weather indicators and general economic conditions in its service territories. Unearned Revenues and Advance Service Fees include fixed service charge billings in advance to Tidewater customers that are recognized as service is provided to the customer.

 

  13

Index  

 

Non-regulated service contract revenues consist of base service fees as well as fees for additional billable services provided to customers, are billed monthly and are due within 30 days after the invoice date. The Company considers the amounts billed to represent the value of these services provided to customers. These contracts expire between December 2018 and 2022 and thus contain remaining performance obligations for which the Company expects to recognize revenue in the future. These contracts also contain customary termination provisions.

 

Almost all of the amounts included in operating revenues and accounts receivable are from contracts with customers. The Company records its allowance for doubtful accounts based on historical write-offs combined with an evaluation of current economic conditions within its service territories.

 

The Company’s contracts do not contain any significant financing components.

 

The Company’s operating revenues are comprised of the following:

 

    (In Thousands)  
    Three Months Ended June 30,     Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2018     2017     2018     2017  
Regulated Tariff Sales                                
Residential   $ 17,892     $ 17,024     $ 33,515     $ 32,183  
Commercial     3,771       3,493       6,880       6,447  
Industrial     2,689       2,395       5,001       4,578  
Fire Protection     3,073       2,911       5,961       5,824  
Wholesale     3,680       3,397       6,892       6,631  
Non-Regulated Contract Operations     3,781       3,762       7,780       7,411  
Total Revenue from Contracts with Customers   $ 34,886     $ 32,982     $ 66,029     $ 63,074  
Other Regulated Revenues     63       48       125       98  
Other Non-Regulated Revenues     101       111       202       212  
Inter-segment Elimination     (131 )     (127 )     (260 )     (239 )
Total Revenue   $ 34,919     $ 33,014     $ 66,096     $ 63,145  

 

Note 10 – Income Taxes

 

As part of its 2014 Federal income tax return, the Company adopted the final IRS tangible property regulations and changed its accounting method for the tax treatment of expenditures that qualified as deductible repairs. The adoption resulted in a net reduction of $17.6 million in taxes previously remitted to the IRS, for which the Company has already sought and received the tax refunds. While the Company believes that its treatment of qualifying tangible property repair costs is proper, a reserve provision against refunded taxes of $2.3 million was recorded in 2015 at the time of filing its change in accounting method. This was based on a possible challenge by the IRS during an audit examination. The Company’s 2014 federal income tax return was subsequently selected for examination by the IRS in 2016. During the second quarter of 2018, the Company received information from the IRS regarding certain aspects of the its adopted accounting method used to calculate qualifying tangible property repair cost deductions and has determined that it should increase its reserve provision to $3.7 million. As the IRS examination continues and pending its completion, the tax liability could be different than the recorded reserve provision. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2018, the Company has recorded $0.4 million in interest expense due to this reserve provision.

  14

Index  

 

Item 2.       Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) included elsewhere herein and with the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this periodic report and in the documents incorporated by reference constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933. The Company intends that these statements be covered by the safe harbors created under those laws.  They include, but are not limited to statements as to:

 

- expected financial condition, performance, prospects and earnings of the Company;
- strategic plans for growth;
- the amount and timing of rate increases and other regulatory matters, including the recovery of certain costs recorded as regulatory assets;
- the Company’s expected liquidity needs during the upcoming fiscal year and beyond and the sources and availability of funds to meet its liquidity needs;
- expected customer rates, consumption volumes, service fees, revenues, margins, expenses and operating results;
- financial projections;
- the expected amount of cash contributions to fund the Company’s retirement benefit plans, anticipated discount rates and rates of return on retirement benefit plan assets;
- the ability of the Company to pay dividends;
- the Company’s compliance with environmental laws and regulations and estimations of the materiality of any related costs;
- the safety and reliability of the Company’s equipment, facilities and operations;
- trends; and
- the availability and quality of our water supply.

These forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results and outcomes include, but are not limited to:

 

- effects of general economic conditions;
- competition for growth in non-franchised markets to be potentially served by the Company;
- ability of the Company to adequately control selected operating expenses which are necessary to maintain safe and proper utility services, and which may be beyond the Company’s control;
- availability of adequate supplies of water;
- actions taken by government regulators, including decisions on rate increase requests;
- new or modified water quality standards;
- weather variations and other natural phenomena impacting utility operations;
- financial and operating risks associated with acquisitions and/or privatizations;
- acts of war or terrorism;
- changes in the pace of housing development;
- availability and cost of capital resources; and
- other factors discussed elsewhere in this quarterly report.

 

Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which only speak to the Company’s understanding as of the date of this report. The Company does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

 

15  

Index  

For an additional discussion of factors that may affect the Company’s business and results of operations, see Item 1A. - Risk Factors in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

 

Overview

 

Middlesex Water Company (Middlesex or the Company) has operated as a water utility in New Jersey since 1897, in Delaware through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Tidewater Utilities, Inc. (Tidewater), since 1992 and in Pennsylvania through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Twin Lakes Utilities, Inc. (Twin Lakes), since 2009. We are in the business of collecting, treating and distributing water for domestic, commercial, municipal, industrial and fire protection purposes. We also operate two New Jersey municipal water and wastewater systems under contract and provide regulated wastewater services in New Jersey and Delaware through our subsidiaries. We are regulated as to rates charged to customers for water and wastewater services, as to the quality of water service we provide and as to certain other matters in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Only our Utility Service Affiliates, Inc. (USA), Utility Service Affiliates (Perth Amboy), Inc. (USA-PA) and White Marsh Environmental Services, Inc. (White Marsh) subsidiaries are not regulated utilities.

 

Our New Jersey water utility system (the Middlesex System) provides water services to approximately 61,000 retail customers, primarily in central New Jersey. The Middlesex System also provides water service under contract to municipalities in central New Jersey with a total population of approximately 219,000. In partnership with our subsidiary, USA-PA, we operate the water supply system and wastewater system for the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey (Perth Amboy). Our Bayview system provides water services in Downe Township, New Jersey. Our other New Jersey subsidiaries, Pinelands Water Company (Pinelands Water) and Pinelands Wastewater Company (Pinelands Wastewater) (collectively, Pinelands), provide water and wastewater services to approximately 2,500 customers in Southampton Township, New Jersey.

 

USA operates the Borough of Avalon, New Jersey’s (Avalon) water utility, sewer utility and storm water system under a ten-year operations and maintenance contract expiring in 2022. USA also provides unregulated water and wastewater services under contract with several New Jersey municipalities. Under a marketing agreement with HomeServe USA (HomeServe), our New Jersey and Delaware residential customers are offered a menu of water and wastewater related home maintenance service program contracts. HomeServe is a leading national provider of such home maintenance service programs. USA receives a service fee for the billing, cash collection and other administrative matters associated with HomeServe’s service contracts. The agreement expires in 2021.

 

Our Delaware subsidiaries, Tidewater and Southern Shores Water Company, LLC (Southern Shores), provide water services to approximately 45,000 retail customers in New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties, Delaware. Tidewater’s subsidiary, White Marsh, services approximately 4,000 customers in Delaware and Maryland through various operations and maintenance contracts.

 

Our Tidewater Environmental Services, Inc. (TESI) subsidiary provides wastewater services to approximately 3,500 residential retail customers in Sussex Counties, Delaware.

 

Our Pennsylvania subsidiary, Twin Lakes, provides water services to approximately 120 retail customers in the Township of Shohola, Pike County, Pennsylvania.

 

The majority of our revenue is generated from retail and contract water services to customers in our franchised and contracted service areas. We record water service revenue as such service is rendered and include estimates for amounts unbilled at the end of each month for services provided after the last billing cycle to the end of the month. Fixed service charges are billed in advance by our subsidiary, Tidewater, and are recognized in revenue as the service is provided.

 

16  

Index  

Our ability to increase operating income and net income is based significantly on four factors: weather, adequate and timely rate relief, effective cost management, and customer growth. These factors are evident in the discussions below which compare our results of operations with the prior period.

 

Recent Developments

 

Capital Construction Program - The Company’s multi-year capital construction program encompasses numerous projects designed to upgrade and replace utility infrastructure as well as enhance the integrity and reliability of assets to better serve the current and future generations of water and wastewater customers. The Company plans to invest approximately $78 million in 2018 in connection with this plan for projects that include, but are not limited to:

· Construction of a 4.6 mile water transmission pipeline to provide critical resiliency and redundancy to the Company’s water transmission system in New Jersey;
· Replacement of five miles of distribution water mains including service lines, valves, fire hydrants and meters in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey;
· Enhanced treatment process at the Company’s largest water treatment plant in Edison, New Jersey, to mitigate the formation of disinfection by-products that can develop during treatment;
· Additional elevated storage tanks to supplement water supply during emergencies and peak usage periods;
· Upgrades to water interconnections with neighboring utilities for greater resiliency and emergency response capability;
· Relocation of water meters from inside customers’ premises to exterior meter pits to allow quicker access by crews in emergencies, enhanced customer safety and convenience and reduced unmetered water; and
· Additional standby emergency power generation.

 

Middlesex Base Water Rate Increase Approved - In March 2018, Middlesex’s petition to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities seeking permission to increase base water rates was concluded based on a negotiated settlement which resulted in an increase in annual operating revenues of $5.5 million. The new base water rates became effective April 1, 2018 and are designed to recover increased operating costs as well as a return on invested capital in rate base of $245.5 million, and reflect an authorized return on equity of 9.6%. Part of Middlesex’s filing also included a request for regulatory accounting treatment for $28.7 million of accumulated deferred tax benefits associated with required adoption of tangible property regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The settlement agreement allowed for a four-year amortization period for the deferred tax benefits as well as immediate and prospective recognition of the tangible property regulations tax benefits in future years, which is expected to lower the Company’s income tax expense and, consequently, its effective income tax rate.

 

Contract Operations - USA-PA operates Perth Amboy’s water and wastewater collection systems under contract, which expires on December 31, 2018. In July 2018, through a competitive proposal process, USA-PA was awarded a $67 million base professional services contract to continue to operate the water and wastewater systems through December 31, 2028.

 

Outlook

 

Our ability to increase operating income and net income is based significantly on four factors: weather, adequate and timely rate relief, effective cost management, and customer growth (which are evident in comparison discussions in the Results of Operations section below). Changes in customer water usage habits, as well as increases in capital expenditures and operating costs, are significant factors in determining the timing and extent of rate increase requests. As operating costs are anticipated to increase in 2018 in a variety of categories, we continue to implement plans to further streamline operations and further reduce, and mitigate increases in, operating costs.

 

17  

Index  

Organic residential customer growth for 2018 is expected to be consistent with that experienced in recent years.

 

Our strategy for profitable growth is focused on five key areas:

 

· Timely and adequate recovery of prudent investments in utility plant required to maintain appropriate utility services;
· Operate municipal, commercial and industrial water and wastewater systems under contract;
· Prudent acquisitions of investor- and municipally-owned water and wastewater utilities;
· Invest in, and/or operate under contract, industrial and commercial treatment projects that are complementary to the provision of water and wastewater services and related competencies; and
· Invest in other products, services and opportunities that complement our core water and wastewater competencies.

 

Operating Results by Segment

 

The discussion of the Company’s operating results is on a consolidated basis and includes significant factors by subsidiary. The Company has two operating segments, Regulated and Non-Regulated. The operations of the Regulated segment are subject to regulations promulgated by state public utility commissions as to rates and level of service. Rates and level service in the Non-Regulated segment are subject to the terms of individually-negotiated and executed contracts with municipal, industrial and other clients. Both segments are subject to federal and state environmental, water and wastewater quality and other associated legal and regulatory requirements.

 

The segments in the tables included below consist of the following companies: Regulated-Middlesex, Tidewater, Pinelands, Southern Shores, TESI and Twin Lakes; Non-Regulated-USA, USA-PA, and White Marsh.

 

Results of Operations – Three Months Ended June 30, 2018

 

    Three Months Ended June 30,  
    2018     2017  
    Regulated     Non-
Regulated
    Total     Regulated     Non-
Regulated
    Total  
Revenues   $ 31,138     $ 3,781     $ 34,919     $ 29,252     $ 3,762     $ 33,014  
Operations and maintenance expenses     13,918       2,907       16,825       13,914       2,942       16,856  
Depreciation expense     3,690       46       3,736       3,337       48       3,385  
Other taxes     3,542       95       3,637       3,329       86       3,415  
  Operating income     9,988       733       10,721       8,672       686       9,358  
                                                 
Other income, net     764       21       785       380       30       410  
Interest expense     2,068             2,068       1,469             1,469  
Income taxes     533       230       763       2,611       307       2,918  
  Net income   $ 8,151     $ 524     $ 8,675     $ 4,972     $ 409     $ 5,381  

18  

Index  

 

Operating Revenues

 

Operating revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $1.9 million from the same period in 2017. This increase was related to the following factors:

 

· Middlesex System revenues increased $1.6 million primarily due to the NJBPU-approved base rate increase effective April 1, 2018;
· Tidewater System revenues increased $0.2 million due to additional customers; and
· All other revenue categories increased $0.1 million.

 

Operation and Maintenance Expense

 

Operation and maintenance expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2018 were slightly below the same period in 2017.

 

Depreciation

 

Depreciation expense for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.4 million from the same period in 2017 due to a higher level of utility plant in service.

 

Other Taxes

 

Other taxes for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.2 million from the same period in 2017 primarily due to higher revenue related taxes on increased revenues in our Middlesex system.

 

Other Income, net

 

Other Income, net for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.4 million from the same period in 2017 primarily due to the sale of wastewater franchise rights by our TESI subsidiary.

 

Interest Charges

 

Interest charges for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.6 million from the same period in 2017 due to accrued interest associated with the IRS examination of the Company’s 2014 federal income tax return (see Note 10 – Income Taxes for further discussion of this matter), higher average amounts of long-term debt outstanding and higher average short-term debt outstanding at increased interest rates in 2018 as compared to 2017.

 

Income Taxes

 

Income taxes for the three months ended June 30, 2018 decreased $2.2 million from the same period in 2017, primarily due to regulatory accounting treatment of tangible property regulations tax deductions, which was approved in Middlesex’s most recent base rate case (see “ Middlesex Base Water Rate Increase Approved” in Recent Developments for further discussion of this matter) and a lower effective tax rate resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, partially offset by higher pre-tax income .

 

Net Income and Earnings Per Share

 

Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2018 increased $3.3 million as compared with the same period in 2017. Basic earnings per share were $0.53 and $0.33 for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Diluted earnings per share were $0.52 and $0.33 for the three months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

19  

Index  

 

Results of Operations – Six Months Ended June 30, 2018

 

    (In Thousands)  
    Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2018     2017  
    Regulated     Non-
Regulated
    Total     Regulated     Non-
Regulated
    Total  
Revenues   $ 58,316     $ 7,780     $ 66,096     $ 55,734     $ 7,411     $ 63,145  
Operations and maintenance expenses     28,626       6,033       34,659       26,906       5,889       32,795  
Depreciation expense     7,254       91       7,345       6,596       97       6,693  
Other taxes     6,823       198       7,021       6,545       179       6,724  
  Operating income     15,613       1,458       17,071       15,687       1,246       16,933  
                                                 
Other income, net     1,213       36       1,249       705       30       735  
Interest expense     3,206             3,206       2,472             2,472  
Income taxes     1,486       459       1,945       4,809       565       5,374  
  Net income   $ 12,134     $ 1,035     $ 13,169     $ 9,111     $ 711     $ 9,822  

Operating Revenues

 

Operating revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $3.0 million from the same period in 2017. This increase was related to the following factors:

 

· Middlesex System revenues increased $1.9 million due to the following:
o Effective April 1, 2018, a NJBPU-approved base rate increase resulted in higher revenues of $1.5 million;
o Higher water usage from commercial and industrial customers of $0.2 million;
o Higher Purchased Water Adjustment Clause (PWAC) revenues of $0.3 million due to the November 2017 implementation of an increased PWAC tariff rate. A PWAC is a rate mechanism that allows for the recovery of increased purchased water costs between base rate case filings. The PWAC tariff was reset to zero with the implementation of the April 2018 base rate increase;
· Tidewater System revenues increased $0.6 million due to additional customers;
· Revenues in our unregulated companies increased $0.4 million primarily due to new White Marsh contracts to operate water and wastewater facilities; and
· All other revenue categories increased $0.1 million.

 

Operation and Maintenance Expense

 

Operation and maintenance expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $1.9 million from the same period in 2017, primarily related to the following factors:

 

· Variable production costs increased $0.6 million due to higher purchased water resulting from increased winter weather related main break activity and higher water treatment costs due to intermittent changes in raw water quality;
· Labor costs increased $0.6 million due to higher overtime related to increased weather related main break activity, increased headcount and increased average labor rates; and
· Employee health and liability insurance costs increased $0.7 million due to higher net policy premiums.

 

Depreciation

 

Depreciation expense for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.7 million from the same period in 2017 due to a higher level of utility plant in service.

 

Other Taxes

 

Other taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.3 million from the same period in 2017 primarily due to higher revenue related taxes on increased revenues in our Middlesex system.

 

20  

Index  

Other Income, net

 

Other Income, net for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.5 million from the same period in 2017 primarily due to higher Allowance for Funds Used During Construction resulting from a higher level of capital projects in progress and the sale of wastewater franchise rights at our TESI subsidiary.

 

Interest Charges

 

Interest charges for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $0.7 million from the same period in 2017 due to accrued interest associated with the IRS examination of the Company’s 2014 federal income tax return (see Note 10 – Income Taxes for further discussion of this matter), higher average amounts of long-term debt outstanding and average short-term debt outstanding at increased interest rates in 2018 as compared to 2017.

 

Income Taxes

 

Income taxes for the six months ended June 30, 2018 decreased $3.4 million from the same period in 2017, primarily due to regulatory accounting treatment of tangible property regulations tax deductions, which were approved in Middlesex’s most recent base rate case (see “ Middlesex Base Water Rate Increase Approved” in Recent Developments for further discussion of this matter) and a lower effective tax rate resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, partially offset by higher pre-tax income .

 

Net Income and Earnings Per Share

 

Net income for the six months ended June 30, 2018 increased $3.3 million as compared with the same period in 2017. Basic earnings per share were $0.80 and $0.60 for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Diluted earnings per share were $0.80 and $0.59 for the six months ended June 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Operating Cash Flows

 

Cash flows from operations are largely based on four factors: weather, adequate and timely rate increases, effective cost management and growth. The effect of those factors on net income is discussed in “Results of Operations.”

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2018, cash flows from operating activities decreased $0.9 million to $19.2 million. The decrease in cash flows from operating activities primarily resulted from higher vendor and income tax payments. The $19.2 million of net cash flow from operations enabled us to fund approximately 43% of utility plant expenditures internally for the period.

 

Investing Cash Flows

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2018, cash flows used in investing activities increased $7.2 million to $28.4 million. The increase in cash flows used in investing activities resulted from increased utility plant expenditures.

 

For further discussion on the Company’s future capital expenditures and expected funding sources, see “ Capital Expenditures and Commitments ” below.

 

21  

Index  

 

Financing Cash Flows

 

For the six months ended June 30, 2018, cash flows from financing activities increased by $7.8 million due primarily to increases in short-term and long-term debt funding.

 

Capital Expenditures and Commitments

 

To fund our capital program, we use internally generated funds, short-term and long-term debt borrowings, proceeds from sales of common stock under the Middlesex Water Company Investment Plan (the Investment Plan) and proceeds from sales offerings to the public of our common stock. See below for a more detailed discussion regarding the funding of our capital program.

 

The capital investment program for 2018 is currently estimated to be approximately $78 million. Through June 30, 2018, we have expended $28 million and expect to incur approximately $50 million for capital projects for the remainder of 2018.

 

We currently project that we may expend approximately $190 million for capital projects in 2019 and 2020. The actual amount and timing of capital expenditures is dependent on project scheduling and refinement of engineering estimates for certain capital projects.

 

To pay for our capital program for the remainder of 2018 we plan on utilizing:

· Internally generated funds;
· Proceeds from the Investment Plan;
· Proceeds from the New Jersey and Delaware State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs (approximately $33 million for the remainder of 2018 depending on construction timing). SRF programs provide low cost financing for projects that meet certain water quality and system improvement benchmarks; and
· Short-term borrowings, if necessary, through $92.0 million of active lines of credit with several financial institutions. As of June 30, 2018, there remains $53.0 million of available credit under these lines.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements – See Note 1 of the Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

 

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures of Market Risk

 

We are exposed to market risk associated with changes in interest rates and commodity prices. The Company is subject to the risk of fluctuating interest rates in the normal course of business. Our policy is to manage interest rates through the use of fixed rate long-term debt and, to a lesser extent, short-term debt. The Company’s interest rate risk related to existing fixed rate, long-term debt is not material due to the term of the majority of our First Mortgage Bonds, which have final maturity dates ranging from 2018 to 2047. Over the next twelve months, approximately $7.2 million of the current portion of existing long-term debt instruments will mature. Applying a hypothetical change in the rate of interest charged by 10% on those borrowings, would not have a material effect on our earnings.

 

Our risks associated with commodity price increases for chemicals, electricity and other commodities are reduced through contractual arrangements and the ability to recover price increases through rates. Non-performance by these commodity suppliers could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

 

We are exposed to credit risk for both our Regulated and Non-Regulated business segments. Our Regulated operations serve residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers while our Non-Regulated operations engage in business activities with developers, government entities and other customers. Our primary credit risk is exposure to customer default on contractual obligations and the associated loss that may be incurred due to the non-payment of customer accounts receivable balances. Our credit risk is managed through established credit and collection policies which are in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and involve monitoring of customer exposure and the use of credit risk mitigation measures such as letters of credit or prepayment arrangements. Our credit portfolio is diversified with no significant customer or industry concentrations. In addition, our Regulated businesses are generally able to recover all prudently incurred costs including uncollectible customer accounts receivable expenses and collection costs through rates.

 

22  

Index  

The Company's retirement benefit plan assets are exposed to fluctuating market prices of debt and equity securities. Changes to the Company's retirement benefit plan asset values can impact the Company's retirement benefit plan expense, funded status and future minimum funding requirements. Our risk is mitigated by our ability to recover retirement benefit plan costs through rates for regulated utility services charged to our customers.

 

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures was conducted by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer along with the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the Company’s Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of the end of the period covered by this Report. There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in Company reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.

 

PART II.  OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

 

None.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

The information about risk factors does not differ materially from those set forth in Part I, Item 1A. of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

 

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

None.

 

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

 

None.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

 

Not applicable.

 

23  

Index  

 

Item 5. Other Information

 

None.

 

Item 6.

Exhibits  

   
10.46 Copy of Loan Agreement by and Between New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust and Middlesex Water Company dated as of May 1, 2018 (Series 2018A).
   

10.47

Copy of Loan Agreement by and Between New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust and Middlesex Water Company dated as of May 1, 2018 (Series 2018B).

   
31.1  Section 302 Certification by Dennis W. Doll pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

31.2 Section 302 Certification by A. Bruce O’Connor pursuant to Rules 13a-14 and 15d-14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

32.1 Section 906 Certification by Dennis W. Doll pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

32.2 Section 906 Certification by A. Bruce O’Connor pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

 

101.INS XBRL Instance Document

 

101.SCH XBRL Schema Document

 

101.CAL XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document

 

101.LAB XBRL Labels Linkbase Document

 

101.PRE XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document

 

101.DEF XBRL Definition Linkbase Document

 

24  

Index  

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

  MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY  
       
  By: /s/A. Bruce O’Connor              
    A. Bruce O’Connor  
    Vice President, Treasurer and  
    Chief Financial Officer  
     (Principal Accounting Officer)  

 

 

Date: August 2, 2018

 

25  

 

  Exhibit 10.46

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOAN AGREEMENT

BY AND BETWEEN

THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY,

ACTING BY AND THROUGH THE NEW JERSEY

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION,

AND

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

 

 

 

 

 

 

DATED AS OF MAY 1, 2018

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

    Page
ARTICLE I
 
DEFINITIONS
 
SECTION 1.01. Definitions 2
     
ARTICLE II
 
REPRESENTATIONS AND COVENANTS OF BORROWER
 
SECTION 2.01. Representations of Borrower 6
SECTION 2.02. Particular Covenants of Borrower 9
     
ARTICLE III
 
LOAN TO BORROWER; AMOUNTS PAYABLE; GENERAL AGREEMENTS
 
SECTION 3.01. Loan; Loan Term 14
SECTION 3.02. Disbursement of Loan Proceeds 15
SECTION 3.03. Amounts Payable 16
SECTION 3.03A. Amounts on Deposit in Project Loan Account after Completion of Project Draws 17
SECTION 3.04. Unconditional Obligations 17
SECTION 3.05. Loan Agreement to Survive Loan 18
SECTION 3.06. Disclaimer of Warranties and Indemnification 18
SECTION 3.07. Option to Prepay Loan Repayments 19
SECTION 3.08. Priority of Loan and I-Bank Loan 19
SECTION 3.09. Approval of the New Jersey State Treasurer 20
     
ARTICLE IV
 
ASSIGNMENT OF LOAN AGREEMENT AND BORROWER BOND
 
SECTION 4.01. Assignment and Transfer by State 21
SECTION 4.02. Assignment by Borrower 21
     
ARTICLE V
 
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
 
SECTION 5.01. Events of Default 22
SECTION 5.02. Notice of Default 23
SECTION 5.03. Remedies on Default 23
SECTION 5.04. Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses 23

 

- i -

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SECTION 5.05. Application of Moneys 23
SECTION 5.06. No Remedy Exclusive; Waiver; Notice 23
SECTION 5.07. Retention of State’s Rights 24
     
ARTICLE VI
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
SECTION 6.01. Notices 25
SECTION 6.02. Binding Effect 25
SECTION 6.03. Severability 25
SECTION 6.04. Amendments, Supplements and Modifications 25
SECTION 6.05. Execution in Counterparts 26
SECTION 6.06. Applicable Law and Regulations 26
SECTION 6.07. Consents and Approvals 26
SECTION 6.08. Captions 26
SECTION 6.09. Further Assurances 26

 

 

SCHEDULE A Certain Additional Loan Agreement Provisions S-1
     
EXHIBIT A (1) Description of Project and Environmental Infrastructure System A-1
  (2) Description of Loan A-2
     
EXHIBIT B Basis for Determination of Allowable Project Costs B-1
     
EXHIBIT C Estimated Disbursement Schedule C-1
     
EXHIBIT D Specimen Borrower Bond D-1
     
EXHIBIT E Opinions of Borrower’s Bond Counsel and General Counsel E-1
     
EXHIBIT F Additional Covenants and Requirements F-1
     
EXHIBIT G General Administrative Requirements for the New Jersey Water Bank G-1
     

- ii -

 

NEW JERSEY WATER BANK FUND LOAN AGREEMENT

THIS LOAN AGREEMENT, made and entered into as of May 1, 2018 by and between THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, acting by and through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and the Borrower (capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall have, unless the context otherwise requires, the meanings ascribed thereto in Section 1.01 hereof);

WITNESSETH THAT:

WHEREAS, the Borrower has, in accordance with the Regulations, made timely application to the State for a Loan to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS, the State has approved the Borrower’s application for a Loan from Federal Funds, if and when received by and available to the State, and moneys from repayments of loans previously made from such Federal Funds, in the amount of the loan commitment set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS, the New Jersey State Legislature has approved an appropriations act that authorizes an expenditure of said proceeds, Federal Funds or related moneys to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS, the Borrower, in accordance with the Business Corporation Law and all other applicable law, will issue a Borrower Bond to the State evidencing said Loan at the Loan Closing; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with the New Jersey Infrastructure Trust Act, P.L. 1985, c. 334, as amended, and the Regulations, the Borrower has been awarded an I-Bank Loan for a portion of the Costs of the Project plus, if applicable to the Borrower, capitalized interest on the I-Bank Loan and certain costs of issuance.

NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the award of the Loan by the State, the Borrower agrees to complete the Project and to perform under this Loan Agreement in accordance with the conditions, covenants and procedures set forth herein and attached hereto as part hereof, as follows:

 

 

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 1.01.        Definitions .

(a)       The following terms as used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Administrative Fee” means an annual fee of up to one percent (1.0%) of the initial principal amount of the Loan or such lesser amount, if any, as may be authorized by any act of the New Jersey State Legislature and as the State may approve from time to time.

“Authorized Officer” means, in the case of the Borrower, any person or persons authorized pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors of the Borrower to perform any act or execute any document relating to the Loan, the Borrower Bond or this Loan Agreement.

“Bond Counsel” means a law firm appointed or approved by the State, as the case may be, having a reputation in the field of municipal law whose opinions are generally acceptable by purchasers of municipal bonds.

“Borrower” means the corporation that is a party to and is described in Schedule A to this Loan Agreement, and its successors and assigns.

“Borrower Bond” means the general obligation bond, note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness authorized, executed, attested and delivered by the Borrower to the State and authenticated on behalf of the Borrower to evidence the Loan, a specimen of which is attached hereto as Exhibit D and made a part hereof.

“Borrowers” means any other Local Government Unit or Private Entity (as such terms are defined in the Regulations) authorized to construct, operate and maintain Environmental Infrastructure Facilities that have entered into Loan Agreements with the State pursuant to which the State will make Loans to such recipients from Federal Funds.

"Business Corporation Law" means the "New Jersey Business Corporation Act", constituting Chapter 263 of the Pamphlet Laws of 1968 of the State (codified at N.J.S.A. 14A:1-1 et seq. ), as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented, including any regulations promulgated thereunder, any successor code thereto and any administrative or judicial interpretations thereof.

“Costs” means those costs that are eligible, reasonable, necessary, allocable to the Project and permitted by generally accepted accounting principles, including Allowances and Building Costs (as defined in the Regulations), as shall be determined on a project-specific basis in accordance with the Regulations as set forth in Exhibit B hereto, as the same may be amended by subsequent eligible costs as evidenced by a certificate of an authorized officer of the State.

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“Department” means the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

“Environmental Infrastructure Facilities” means Water Supply Facilities (as such term is defined in the Regulations).

“Environmental Infrastructure System” means the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrower, including the Project, described in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof for which the Borrower is borrowing the Loan under this Loan Agreement.

“Event of Default” means any occurrence or event specified in Section 5.01 hereof.

“Excess Project Funds” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03A hereof.

“Federal Funds” means those funds awarded to the State pursuant to the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1251 et seq. ) or the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. §300f et seq. ), as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“I-Bank” means the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (f/k/a the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust), a public body corporate and politic with corporate succession duly created and validly existing under and by virtue of P.L. 1985, c. 334, as amended (N.J.S.A. 58:11B-1 et seq. ).

“I-Bank Loan” means the loan made to the Borrower by the I-Bank pursuant to the I-Bank Loan Agreement.

“I-Bank Loan Agreement” means the loan agreement by and between the Borrower and the I-Bank dated as of May 1, 2018 to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Project.

“Loan” means the loan made by the State to the Borrower to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Project pursuant to this Loan Agreement. For all purposes of this Loan Agreement, the principal amount of the Loan at any time shall be the amount of the loan commitment set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof (such amount being also specified as the initial aggregate principal amount of the Borrower Bond) less any amount of such principal amount that has been repaid by the Borrower under this Loan Agreement and less any adjustment made for low bid or final building costs pursuant to the provisions of N.J.A.C. 7:22-3.26 and the appropriations act of the New Jersey State Legislature authorizing the expenditure of moneys to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project.

“Loan Agreement” means this Loan Agreement, including Schedule A and the Exhibits attached hereto, as it may be supplemented, modified or amended from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof.

“Loan Agreements” means any other loan agreements entered into by and between the State and one or more of the Borrowers pursuant to which the State will make Loans to such Borrowers from Federal Funds.

“Loan Closing” means the date upon which the Borrower shall deliver its Borrower Bond, as previously authorized, executed, attested and, if applicable, authenticated, to the State.

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“Loan Repayments” means the sum of (i) the repayments of the principal amount of the Loan payable by the Borrower pursuant to Section 3.03(a) of this Loan Agreement and (ii) any late charges incurred hereunder, but shall not include the Administrative Fee.

“Loan Term” means the term of this Loan Agreement provided in Sections 3.01 and 3.03 hereof and in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

“Loans” means the loans made by the State to the Borrowers under the Loan Agreements from moneys from Federal Funds.

“Master Program Trust Agreement” means that certain Master Program Trust Agreement, dated as of November 1, 1995, by and among the Trust, the State, United States Trust Company of New York, as Master Program Trustee thereunder, The Bank of New York (NJ), in several capacities thereunder, and First Fidelity Bank, N.A. (predecessor to Wachovia Bank, National Association), in several capacities thereunder, as supplemented by that certain Agreement of Resignation of Outgoing Master Program Trustee, Appointment of Successor Master Program Trustee and Acceptance Agreement, dated as of November 1, 2001, by and among United States Trust Company of New York, as Outgoing Master Program Trustee, State Street Bank and Trust Company, N.A. (predecessor to U.S. Bank Trust National Association), as Successor Master Program Trustee, and the I-Bank, as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time in accordance with its terms.

“Prime Rate” means the prevailing commercial interest rate announced by the Trustee from time to time in the State as its prime lending rate.

“Project” means the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrower described in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof, which constitutes a project for which the State is permitted to make a loan to the Borrower pursuant to the Regulations, all or a portion of the Costs of which is financed or refinanced by the State through the making of the Loan under this Loan Agreement and which may be identified under either the Drinking Water or Clean Water Project Lists with the Project Number specified in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto.

“Regulations” means the rules and regulations, as applicable, now or hereafter promulgated under N.J.A.C. 7:22-3 et seq. , 7:22-4 et seq. , 7:22-5 et seq. , 7:22-6 et seq. , 7:22-7 et seq. , 7:22-8 et seq. , 7:22-9 et seq. and 7:22-10 et seq. , as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“State” means the State of New Jersey, acting, unless otherwise specifically indicated, by and through the Department, and its successors and assigns.

“Trustee” means, initially, ZB, National Association d/b/a Zions Bank, the Trustee appointed by the I-Bank and its successors as Trustee under the Bond Resolution (as defined in the I-Bank Loan Agreement), as provided in Article X of the Bond Resolution.

(b)       In addition to the capitalized terms defined in subsection (a) of this Section 1.01, certain additional capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the meanings ascribed to such additional capitalized terms in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof.

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(c)       Except as otherwise defined herein or where the context otherwise requires, words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa, and words importing persons shall include firms, associations, corporations, agencies and districts. Words importing one gender shall include the other gender.

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ARTICLE II

REPRESENTATIONS AND COVENANTS OF BORROWER

SECTION 2.01.        Representations of Borrower . The Borrower represents for the benefit of the State as follows:

(a)        Organization and Authority .

(i)       The Borrower is a corporation duly created and validly existing under and pursuant to the Constitution and statutes of the State of New Jersey, including the Business Corporation Law.

(ii)       The acting officers of the Borrower who are contemporaneously herewith performing or have previously performed any action contemplated in this Loan Agreement either are or, at the time any such action was performed, were the duly appointed or elected officers of such Borrower empowered by applicable New Jersey law and, if applicable, authorized by resolution of the Borrower to perform such actions. To the extent any such action was performed by an officer no longer the duly acting officer of such Borrower, all such actions previously taken by such officer are still in full force and effect.

(iii)       The Borrower has full legal right and authority and all necessary licenses and permits required as of the date hereof to own, operate and maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System, to carry on its activities relating thereto, to execute, attest and deliver this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, to authorize the authentication of the Borrower Bond, to sell the Borrower Bond to the State, to undertake and complete the Project and to carry out and consummate all transactions contemplated by this Loan Agreement.

(iv)       The proceedings of the Borrower’s board of directors approving this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, authorizing the execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, authorizing the sale of the Borrower Bond to the State, authorizing the authentication of the Borrower Bond on behalf of the Borrower and authorizing the Borrower to undertake and complete the Project, including, without limitation, the Borrower Bond Resolution (collectively, the “Proceedings”), have been duly and lawfully adopted in accordance with the Business Corporation Law and other applicable New Jersey law at a meeting or meetings that were duly called and held in accordance with the Borrower By-Laws and at which quorums were present and acting throughout.

(v)       By official action of the Borrower taken prior to or concurrent with the execution and delivery hereof, including, without limitation, the Proceedings, the Borrower has duly authorized, approved and consented to all necessary action to be taken by the Borrower for: (A) the execution, attestation, delivery and performance of this Loan Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby; (B) the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the State upon the terms set forth herein; and (C)

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the execution, delivery and due performance of any and all other certificates, agreements and instruments that may be required to be executed, delivered and performed by the Borrower in order to carry out, give effect to and consummate the transactions contemplated by this Loan Agreement.

(vi)       This Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond have each been duly authorized by the Borrower and duly executed, attested and delivered by Authorized Officers of the Borrower, and the Borrower Bond has been duly sold by the Borrower to the State, duly authenticated by the trustee or paying agent, if applicable, under the Borrower Bond Resolution and duly issued by the Borrower in accordance with the terms of the Borrower Bond Resolution; and assuming that the State has all the requisite power and authority to authorize, execute, attest and deliver, and has duly authorized, executed, attested and delivered, this Loan Agreement, and assuming further that this Loan Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the State, enforceable against the State in accordance with its terms, each of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Borrower, enforceable against the Borrower in accordance with its respective terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be affected by bankruptcy, insolvency or other laws or the application by a court of legal or equitable principles affecting creditors' rights; and the information contained under "Description of Loan" in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof is true and accurate in all respects.

(b)        Full Disclosure . There is no fact that the Borrower has not disclosed to the State in writing on the Borrower’s application for the Loan or otherwise that materially adversely affects or (so far as the Borrower can now foresee) that will materially adversely affect the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, or the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments or otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

(c)        Pending Litigation . There are no proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened against or affecting the Borrower in any court or before any governmental authority or arbitration board or tribunal that, if adversely determined, would materially adversely affect (i) the undertaking or completion of the Project, (ii) the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, (iii) the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments, (iv) the authorization, execution, attestation or delivery of this Loan Agreement or the Borrower Bond, (v) the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the State, (vi) the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, or (vii) the Borrower’s ability otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, which proceedings have not been previously disclosed in writing to the State either in the Borrower’s application for the Loan or otherwise.

(d)        Compliance with Existing Laws and Agreements . (i) The authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond by the Borrower, (ii) the authentication of the Borrower Bond by the trustee or paying agent under the Borrower Bond Resolution, as the case may be, and the sale of the Borrower Bond to the State,

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(iii) the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, (iv) the observation and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements hereunder and thereunder, (v) the consummation of the transactions provided for in this Loan Agreement, the Borrower Bond Resolution and the Borrower Bond, and (vi) the undertaking and completion of the Project will not (A) other than the lien, charge or encumbrance created hereby, by the Borrower Bond, by the Borrower Bond Resolution and by any other outstanding debt obligations of the Borrower that are at parity with the Borrower Bond as to lien on, and source and security for payment thereon from, the revenues of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System, result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Borrower pursuant to, (B) result in any breach of any of the terms, conditions or provisions of, or (C) constitute a default under, any existing resolution, outstanding debt or lease obligation, trust agreement, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other instrument to which the Borrower is a party or by which the Borrower, its Environmental Infrastructure System or any of its properties or assets may be bound, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or other document pursuant to which the Borrower was established or any laws, ordinances, injunctions, judgments, decrees, rules, regulations or existing orders of any court or governmental or administrative agency, authority or person to which the Borrower, its Environmental Infrastructure System or its properties or operations is subject.

(e)        No Defaults . No event has occurred and no condition exists that, upon the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the State, the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution or the receipt of the amount of the Loan, would constitute an Event of Default hereunder. The Borrower is not in violation of, and has not received notice of any claimed violation of, any term of any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it, its Environmental Infrastructure System or its properties may be bound, which violation would materially adversely affect the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System or the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments, to pay all other amounts due hereunder or otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

(f)        Governmental Consent . The Borrower has obtained all permits and approvals required to date by any governmental body or officer for the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, for the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the State, for the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, for the making, observance and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond and for the undertaking or completion of the Project and the financing or refinancing thereof, including, but not limited to, if required, the approval by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (the “BPU”) of the issuance by the Borrower of the Borrower Bond to the State and any other approvals required therefor by the BPU; and the Borrower has complied with all applicable provisions of law requiring any notification, declaration, filing or registration with any governmental body or officer in connection with the making, observance and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond or with the undertaking or completion of the Project and the financing or refinancing thereof. No consent, approval or authorization of, or filing, registration or qualification with, any

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governmental body or officer that has not been obtained is required on the part of the Borrower as a condition to the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the State, the undertaking or completion of the Project or the consummation of any transaction herein contemplated.

(g)        Compliance with Law. The Borrower:

(i)       is in compliance with all laws, ordinances, governmental rules and regulations to which it is subject, the failure to comply with which would materially adversely affect (A) the ability of the Borrower to conduct its activities or to undertake or complete the Project, (B) the ability of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and to pay all other amounts due hereunder, or (C) the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System; and

(ii)       has obtained all licenses, permits, franchises or other governmental authorizations presently necessary for the ownership of its properties or for the conduct of its activities that, if not obtained, would materially adversely affect (A) the ability of the Borrower to conduct its activities or to undertake or complete the Project, (B) the ability of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and to pay all other amounts due hereunder, or (C) the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System.

(h)        Use of Proceeds . The Borrower will apply the proceeds of the Loan from the State as described in Exhibit B attached hereto and made a part hereof (i) to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project; and (ii) where applicable, to reimburse the Borrower for a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project, which portion was paid or incurred in anticipation of reimbursement by the State and is eligible for such reimbursement under and pursuant to the Regulations, the Code and any other applicable law. All of such costs constitute Costs for which the State is authorized to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to the Regulations.

SECTION 2.02. Particular Covenants of Borrower.

(a)        Promise to Pay . The Borrower unconditionally and irrevocably promises in accordance with the terms of and to the extent provided in the Borrower Bond Resolution, to make punctual payment of the principal of the Loan and the Borrower Bond, and all other amounts due under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond according to their respective terms.

(b)        Performance Under Loan Agreement; Rates . The Borrower covenants and agrees (i) to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations in the performance of this Loan Agreement; (ii) to maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System in good repair and operating condition; (iii) to cooperate with the State in the observance and performance of the respective duties, covenants, obligations and agreements of the Borrower and the State under this Loan Agreement; and (iv) to establish, levy and collect rents, rates and other charges for the products and services provided by its Environmental Infrastructure System, which rents, rates

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and other charges shall be at least sufficient to comply with all covenants pertaining thereto contained in, and all other provisions of, any bond resolution, trust indenture or other security agreement, if any, relating to any bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued or to be issued by the Borrower, including without limitation rents, rates and other charges, together with other available moneys, sufficient to pay the principal of, and interest if any on, the Borrower Bond, plus all other amounts due hereunder.

(c)        Revenue Obligation; No Prior Pledges . The Borrower shall not be required to make payments under this Loan Agreement except from the revenues of its Environmental Infrastructure System and from such other funds of such Environmental Infrastructure System legally available therefor and from any other sources pledged to such payment pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 2.02. In no event shall the Borrower be required to make payments under this Loan Agreement from any revenues or receipts not derived from its Environmental Infrastructure System or pledged pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 2.02. Except for (i) loan repayments required with respect to the I-Bank Loan, (ii) the debt service on any future bonds or notes of the Borrower issued at parity with the Borrower Bond under the Borrower Bond Resolution, and (iii) the debt service on any bonds, notes or evidences of indebtedness of the Borrower at parity with the Borrower Bond under the Borrower Bond Resolution and currently outstanding or issued on the date hereof, the revenues derived by the Borrower from its Environmental Infrastructure System, after the payment of all costs of operating and maintaining the Environmental Infrastructure System, are and will be free and clear of any pledge, lien, charge or encumbrance thereon or with respect thereto prior to, or of equal rank with, the obligation of the Borrower to make Loan Repayments under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, and all corporate or other action on the part of the Borrower to that end has been and will be duly and validly taken.

(d)        Completion of Project and Provision of Moneys Therefor . The Borrower covenants and agrees (i) to exercise its best efforts in accordance with prudent environmental infrastructure utility practice to complete the Project and to accomplish such completion on or before the estimated Project completion date set forth in Exhibit C hereto and made a part hereof; (ii) to comply with the terms and provisions contained in Exhibit G hereto; and (iii) to provide from its own fiscal resources all moneys, in excess of the total amount of loan proceeds it receives under the Loan and I-Bank Loan, required to complete the Project.

(e)       See Section 2.02(e) as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto, made a part hereof and incorporated in this Section 2.02(e) by reference as if set forth in full herein.

(f)       Reserved.

(g)        Operation and Maintenance of Environmental Infrastructure System . The Borrower covenants and agrees that it shall, in accordance with prudent environmental infrastructure utility practice, (i) at all times operate the properties of its Environmental Infrastructure System and any business in connection therewith in an efficient manner, (ii) maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System in good repair, working order and operating condition, and (iii) from time to time make all necessary and proper repairs, renewals, replacements, additions, betterments and improvements with respect to its Environmental

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Infrastructure System so that at all times the business carried on in connection therewith shall be properly and advantageously conducted.

(h)        Records and Accounts .

(i)       The Borrower shall keep accurate records and accounts for its Environmental Infrastructure System (the “System Records”) separate and distinct from its other records and accounts (the “General Records”). Such System Records shall be audited annually by an independent or certified public accountant, which may be part of the annual audit of the General Records of the Borrower. Such System Records and General Records shall be made available for inspection by the State at any reasonable time upon prior written notice, and a copy of such annual audit(s) therefor, including all written comments and recommendations of such accountant, shall be furnished to the State within 150 days of the close of the fiscal year being so audited or, with the consent of the State, such additional period as may be provided by law.

(ii)       Within thirty (30) days following receipt of any Loan proceeds, including without limitation the “Allowance for Administrative Costs” or the “Allowance for Planning and Design” set forth in Exhibit B hereto, the Borrower shall allocate such proceeds to an expenditures in a manner that satisfies the requirements of Treasury Regulation §1.148-6(d) and transmit a copy of each such allocation to the State. No portion of the Allowance for Administrative Costs will be allocated to a cost other than a cost described in N.J.A.C. 7:22-5.11(a) 3, 4 or 6. No portion of the Allowance for Planning and Design will be allocated to a cost other than a cost described N.J.A.C. 7:22-5.12, or other costs of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System which are “capital expenditures,” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.150-1. The Borrower shall retain records of such allocations for at least until the date that is three years after the scheduled maturity date of the Loan. The Borrower shall make such records available to the State within 15 days of any request by the State.

(i)        Inspections; Information . The Borrower shall permit the State and any party designated by the State, at any and all reasonable times during construction of the Project and thereafter upon prior written notice, to examine, visit and inspect the property, if any, constituting the Project and to inspect and make copies of any accounts, books and records, including (without limitation) its records regarding receipts, disbursements, contracts, investments and any other matters relating thereto and to its financial standing, and shall supply such reports and information as the State may reasonably require in connection therewith.

(j)        Insurance . The Borrower shall maintain or cause to be maintained, in force, insurance policies with responsible insurers or self-insurance programs providing against risk of direct physical loss, damage or destruction of its Environmental Infrastructure System at least to the extent that similar insurance is usually carried by utilities constructing, operating and maintaining Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the nature of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System, including liability coverage, all to the extent available at reasonable cost but in no case less than will satisfy all applicable regulatory requirements.

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(k)        Costs of Project . The Borrower certifies that the building cost of the Project, as listed in Exhibit B hereto and made a part hereof, is a reasonable and accurate estimation thereof, and it will supply to the State a certificate from a licensed professional engineer authorized to practice in the State stating that such building cost is a reasonable and accurate estimation and that the useful life of the Project exceeds the maturity date of the Borrower Bond.

(l)        Delivery of Documents . Concurrently with the delivery of this Loan Agreement (as previously authorized, executed and attested) at the Loan Closing, the Borrower will cause to be delivered to the State each of the following items:

(i)       an opinion of the Borrower’s bond counsel substantially in the form of Exhibit E hereto; provided, however, that the State may permit portions of such opinion to be rendered by general counsel to the Borrower and may permit variances in such opinion from the form set forth in Exhibit E if such variances are acceptable to the State;

(ii)       counterparts of this Loan Agreement as previously executed and attested by the parties hereto;

(iii)       copies of those resolutions finally adopted by the board of directors of the Borrower and requested by the State, including, without limitation, (A) the resolution of the Borrower authorizing the execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement, (B) the Borrower Bond Resolution, as amended and supplemented as of the date of the Loan Closing, authorizing the execution, attestation, authentication, sale and delivery of the Borrower Bond to the State, (C) the resolution of the Borrower confirming the details of the sale of the Borrower Bond to the State, each of said resolutions of the Borrower being certified by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower as of the date of the Loan Closing, (D) the resolution of the BPU approving the issuance by the Borrower of the Borrower Bond to the State and setting forth any other approvals required therefor by the BPU, if applicable, and (E) any other Proceedings; and

(iv)       the certificates of insurance coverage as required pursuant to the terms of Section 3.06(c) hereof and such other certificates, documents, opinions and information as the State may require in Exhibit F hereto, if any.

(m)        Execution and Delivery of Borrower Bond . Concurrently with the delivery of this Loan Agreement at the Loan Closing, the Borrower shall also deliver to the State the Borrower Bond, as previously executed, attested and, if applicable, authenticated.

(n)        Notice of Material Adverse Change . The Borrower shall promptly notify the State of any material adverse change in the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, or in the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments and otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

(o)        Continuing Representations . The representations of the Borrower contained herein shall be true at the time of the execution of this Loan Agreement and at all times during the term of this Loan Agreement.

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(p)        Additional Covenants and Requirements . (i) No later than the Loan Closing and, if necessary, in connection with the making of the Loan, additional covenants and requirements have been included in Exhibit F hereto and made a part hereof. Such covenants and requirements may include, but need not be limited to, the maintenance of specified levels of Environmental Infrastructure System rates, the issuance of additional debt of the Borrower, and the transfer of revenues and receipts from the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System. The Borrower agrees to observe and comply with each such additional covenant and requirement, if any, included in Exhibit F hereto. (ii) Additional defined terms, covenants, representations and requirements have been included in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof. Such additional defined terms, covenants, representations and requirements are incorporated in this Loan Agreement by reference thereto as if set forth in full herein and the Borrower hereby agrees to observe and comply with each such additional term, covenant, representation and requirement included in Schedule A as if the same were set forth in their entirety where reference thereto is made in this Loan Agreement.

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ARTICLE III

LOAN TO BORROWER; AMOUNTS PAYABLE; GENERAL AGREEMENTS

SECTION 3.01.        Loan; Loan Term .

(a)       The State hereby agrees (i) to make the Loan as described in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, to the Borrower, and (ii) to disburse proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower in accordance with Section 3.02 and Exhibit C hereof. The Borrower hereby agrees to borrow and accept the Loan from the State upon the terms set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof. The Borrower hereby agrees to borrow and accept the Loan from the State upon the terms set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof. The Borrower agrees that the aggregate principal amount set forth in Exhibit A-2 hereto shall constitute the initial principal amount of the Loan (as the same may be adjusted downward in accordance with the definition thereof), and the State shall have no obligation thereafter to loan any additional amounts to the Borrower.

(b)       Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 3.01 to the contrary, the State shall be under no obligation (i) to make the Loan to the Borrower if (1) at the Loan Closing, the Borrower does not deliver to the State a Borrower Bond and such other documents as are required pursuant to Section 2.02(l) hereof, or (2) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing pursuant to this Loan Agreement, or (ii) to disburse the proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower in accordance with section 3.02 and Exhibit C hereof, unless each of the conditions precedent to such disbursement, as set forth in section 3.02 hereof, have been satisfied in full. The State intends to disburse the proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower at the times and in the amounts set forth in Exhibit C hereof in order to pay a portion of the Costs of the Project, subject to compliance by the Borrower with the procedures for disbursement as set forth in Section 3.02 hereof; nevertheless, due to unforeseen circumstances, there may not be a sufficient amount on deposit in the State Fund on a given disbursement date in order for the State to make the disbursement in the amount indicated in Exhibit C hereof so as to satisfy a Loan disbursement request by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.02 hereof, in which case (1) the State shall have no obligation hereunder to make such disbursement until such time as sufficient funds are on deposit in the State Fund, and (2) the obligations of the Borrower hereunder shall not be affected.

(c)       The Borrower shall have no legal or equitable interest in the Federal Funds received by and available to the State or in moneys from repayments of loans previously made from Federal Fund by the State.

(d)       The Borrower shall use the proceeds of the Loan strictly in compliance with the provisions of Section 2.01(h) hereof.

(e)       The payment obligations of the Borrower created pursuant to the terms of this Loan Agreement and the obligations of the Borrower to pay the principal of and other amounts due under the Borrower Bond are each direct, general, irrevocable and unconditional obligations of the Borrower payable from any source legally available to the Borrower in accordance with the terms of and to the extent provided in the Borrower Bond Resolution.

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SECTION 3.02.        Disbursement of Loan Proceeds .

(a)       The State shall disburse Federal Funds to the Borrower (i) upon receipt of a requisition executed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower in a form satisfying the requirements of the Regulations, and (ii) consistent with the schedule for disbursement as set forth in Exhibit C hereof.

(b)       The State shall not be under any obligation to disburse any Loan proceeds to the Borrower pursuant to this Loan Agreement, unless:

(i)       the Loan Closing shall have occurred on the date established therefor by the State;

(ii)       there shall be Federal Funds for disbursement, as determined by the State in its sole and absolute discretion;

(iii)       in accordance with the “New Jersey Infrastructure Trust Act”, P.L. 1985, c. 334, as amended (N.J.S.A. 58:11B-1 et seq. ), and the Regulations, the Borrower shall have timely applied for, shall have been awarded and, prior to or simultaneously with the Loan Closing, shall have closed a I-Bank Loan for a portion of the Allowable Costs (as defined in such Regulations) of the Project, plus the amount of: (i) capitalized interest during the Project construction period, if any, (ii) the cost of funding reserve capacity for the Project, if any, as well as that portion of the Debt Service Reserve Fund (as defined in the I-Bank Loan Agreement) (to the extent the I-Bank establishes a Debt Service Reserve Fund pursuant to the Bond Resolution) attributable to the cost of funding such reserve capacity for the Project, (iii) certain issuance expenses related thereto, including, if applicable, a municipal bond insurance policy premium, and (iv) if applicable, an amount sufficient to pay the interest that accrued on the short-term loan by the I-Bank to the Borrower;

(iv)       the Borrower shall have on hand moneys to pay for the greater of (A) that portion of the total Costs of the Project that is not eligible to be funded from the Loan or the I-Bank Loan, or (B) that portion of the total Costs of the Project that exceeds the actual amounts of the loan commitments made by the State and the I-Bank, respectively, for the Loan and the I-Bank Loan; and

(v)       no Event of Default nor any event that, with the passage of time or service of notice or both, would constitute an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing hereunder.

(c)       Notwithstanding any provision of this Loan Agreement to the contrary, the State, at the request of the Borrower but at the sole discretion of the State, may disburse Loan proceeds to the Borrower from Federal Funds either prior to or subsequent to the scheduled date for disbursement thereof as such scheduled date is identified in the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, provided that (A) the Borrower has otherwise satisfied the requirements of this Section 3.02, and (B) such disbursement, in a manner that is inconsistent with the disbursement schedule as set forth in Exhibit C hereof, does not conflict with any restrictions set forth in the Regulations.

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In the event that, in the submission of its requisition(s), the Borrower fails to comply with the disbursement schedule as set forth in Exhibit C hereof, and such non-compliance by the Borrower consists of (i) a failure to timely seek disbursement of Loan proceeds which failure results in an amount of non-disbursed funds, subsequent to the date on which such funds should have been disbursed pursuant to the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, that, in the aggregate, represents twenty-five percent (25%) of the original principal amount of the Loan, or (ii) a failure to timely seek disbursement of Loan proceeds which failure results in an amount of funds disbursed earlier than the date on which such funds were scheduled to have been disbursed pursuant to the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, that, in the aggregate, represents twenty-five percent (25%) of the original principal amount of the Loan, then the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower providing a revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department. Any reference to Exhibit C in Section 3.01, Section 3.02 and Section 3.03A hereof shall mean Exhibit C as such exhibit may have been revised from time to time pursuant to the provisions of the preceding sentence.

 

SECTION 3.03.        Amounts Payable .

(a)       The Borrower shall repay the Loan at zero-interest in principal installments payable to the Trustee semiannually on the Principal Payment Dates, in accordance with the schedule set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, as the same may be amended or modified by the State, in particular, without limitation, to make any adjustments to the amount of the Loan in accordance with the definition thereof; provided, however, that the amount of any reduction in the principal amount of the Loan pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:22-3.26 shall be credited to the principal payments set forth in Exhibit A-2 in inverse order of their maturity. The obligations of the Borrower under the Borrower Bond shall be deemed to be amounts payable under this Section 3.03. Each payment made to the Trustee pursuant to the Borrower Bond shall be deemed to be a credit against the corresponding obligation of the Borrower under this Section 3.03, and any such payment made to the Trustee shall fulfill the Borrower’s obligation to pay such amount hereunder and under the Borrower Bond. Each payment made to the Trustee pursuant to this Section 3.03 shall be applied to the principal of the Loan.

(b)       In addition to the principal payments on the Loan required by subsection (a) of this Section 3.03, the Borrower shall pay a late charge for any such payment that is received by the Trustee later than its due date in an amount equal to the greater of twelve percent (12%) per annum or the Prime Rate plus one half of one percent per annum on such late payment from its due date to the date actually paid; provided, however, that such late charge payable on the Loan shall not be in excess of the maximum interest rate permitted by law.

(c)       In addition to the Loan Repayments payable under subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 3.03, the Borrower shall pay one-half of the Administrative Fee, if any, to the Trustee semiannually on each February 1 and August 1, commencing August 1, 2018.

(d)       Upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to the Borrower, an Authorized Officer of the State may, in the sole discretion of such Authorized Officer, prescribe the particular method by which payments pursuant to, and in satisfaction of, this Section 3.03 shall be made by the Borrower. Such method as prescribed by an Authorized Officer of the State may include,

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without limitation, the automatic debit by the State or the Trustee of the respective amounts of such payments, as required by this Section 3.03, from an account that shall be identified by the Borrower in writing and recorded on file with the State. In the absence of any such written notice to the Borrower by an Authorized Officer of the State pursuant to this subsection (d), the Borrower shall implement the payments required pursuant to, and in satisfaction of, this Section 3.03 either via electronic transfer of immediately available funds or via check.

SECTION 3.03A.       Amounts on Deposit in Project Loan Account after Completion of Project Draws.

(a)        If, on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to the disbursement schedule contained in Exhibit C hereto, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower (i) stating that the Borrower has not yet completed the Project, (ii) stating that the Borrower intends to complete the Project, (iii) setting forth the amount of remaining Loan Proceeds required to complete the Project, and (iv) providing a revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department.

(b)        If, on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to the revised disbursement schedule certified to the I-Bank and the Department in accordance with Section 3.03A(a) hereof, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower (i) stating that the Borrower has not yet completed the Project, (ii) stating that the Borrower intends to complete the Project, (iii) setting forth the amount of remaining Loan Proceeds required to complete the Project, and (iv) providing a further revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department.

(c)        If (i) the Borrower fails to provide the certificate described in paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Section 3.03A, when due, or (ii) a certificate provided pursuant to paragraphs (a) or (b) of this Section 3.03A states that the Borrower does not require all or any portion of the amount on deposit in the Project Loan Account for completion of the Project, or (iii) on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to a further revised disbursement schedule certified to the I-Bank and the Department in accordance with Section 3.03A(b) hereof, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, then such amounts on deposit in the Project Loan Account, which are amounts that have not been certified by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower as being required to complete the Project (“Excess Project Funds”), be applied by the State as a prepayment of the Borrower’s Loan Repayments, and shall be applied to the principal payments (including premium, if any) on the Loan in inverse order of their maturity.

SECTION 3.04.        Unconditional Obligations. The obligation of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and all other payments required hereunder and the obligation to perform and observe the other duties, covenants, obligations and agreements on its part contained herein shall be absolute and unconditional, and shall not be abated, rebated, set-off,

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reduced, abrogated, terminated, waived, diminished, postponed or otherwise modified in any manner or to any extent whatsoever while any Loan Repayments remain unpaid, for any reason, regardless of any contingency, act of God, event or cause whatsoever, including (without limitation) any acts or circumstances that may constitute failure of consideration, eviction or constructive eviction, the taking by eminent domain or destruction of or damage to the Project or Environmental Infrastructure System, commercial frustration of the purpose, any change in the laws of the United States of America or of the State or any political subdivision of either or in the rules or regulations of any governmental authority, any failure of the State to perform and observe any agreement, whether express or implied, or any duty, liability or obligation arising out of or connected with the Project or this Loan Agreement, or any rights of set-off, recoupment, abatement or counterclaim that the Borrower might otherwise have against the State, the Trustee or any other party or parties; provided, however, that payments hereunder shall not constitute a waiver of any such rights. The Borrower shall not be obligated to make any payments required to be made by any other Borrowers under separate Loan Agreements.

SECTION 3.05.        Loan Agreement to Survive Loan. The Borrower acknowledges that its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements set forth in Sections 3.06(a) and (b) hereof shall survive the payment in full of the Loan.

SECTION 3.06.        Disclaimer of Warranties and Indemnification .

(a)       The Borrower acknowledges and agrees that: (i) the State does not make any warranty or representation, either express or implied, as to the value, design, condition, merchantability or fitness for particular purpose or fitness for any use of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project or any portions thereof or any other warranty or representation with respect thereto; (ii) in no event shall the State or its agents be liable or responsible for any incidental, indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of this Loan Agreement or the Project or the existence, furnishing, functioning or use of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project or any item or products or services provided for in this Loan Agreement; and (iii) to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower shall indemnify and hold the State harmless against, and the Borrower shall pay any and all, liability, loss, cost, damage, claim, judgment or expense of any and all kinds or nature and however arising and imposed by law, which the State may sustain, be subject to or be caused to incur by reason of any claim, suit or action based upon personal injury, death or damage to property, whether real, personal or mixed, or upon or arising out of contracts entered into by the Borrower, the Borrower’s ownership of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project, or the acquisition, construction or installation of the Project.

(b)       It is mutually agreed by the Borrower and the State that the State and its commissioners, officers, agents, servants or employees shall not be liable for, and shall be indemnified and saved harmless by the Borrower in any event from, any action performed under this Loan Agreement and any claim or suit of whatsoever nature, except in the event of loss or damage resulting from their own negligence or willful misconduct.

(c)       In connection with its obligation to provide the insurance required under Section 2.02(j) hereof: (i) the Borrower shall include, or cause to be included, the State and its employees and officers as additional “named insureds” on (A) any certificate of liability

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insurance procured by the Borrower (or other similar document evidencing the liability insurance coverage procured by the Borrower) and (B) any certificate of liability insurance procured by any contractor or subcontractor for the Project, and from the later of the date of the Loan Closing or the date of the initiation of construction of the Project until the date the Borrower receives the written certificate of Project completion from the State, the Borrower shall maintain said liability insurance covering the State and said employees and officers in good standing; and (ii) the Borrower shall include the State as an additional “named insured” on any certificate of insurance providing against risk of direct physical loss, damage or destruction of the Environmental Infrastructure System, and during the Loan Term the Borrower shall maintain said insurance covering the State in good standing.

The Borrower shall provide the State with a copy of each of any such original, supplemental, amendatory or reissued certificates of insurance (or other similar documents evidencing the insurance coverage) required pursuant to this Section 3.06(c).

SECTION 3.07.        Option to Prepay Loan Repayments. The Borrower may prepay the Loan Repayments, in whole or in part, upon not less than ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the State; provided, however, that, with respect to any prepayment other than those required by Section 3.03A hereof, any such full or partial prepayment may only be made (i) if the Borrower is not then in arrears on its I-Bank Loan, (ii) if the Borrower is contemporaneously making a full or partial prepayment of the I-Bank Loan such that, after the prepayment of the Loan and the I-Bank Loan, the I-Bank gives its consent required under Section 3.07(iii) of the I-Bank Loan Agreement, (iii) upon the prior written approval of the State; and (iv) provided that the Borrower shall agree to pay all costs and expenses of the State in connection with such prepayment. Prepayments shall be applied to the principal payments on the portion of the Loan to be prepaid in inverse order of their maturity.

SECTION 3.08.        Priority of Loan and I-Bank Loan .

(a)       The Borrower hereby agrees that, to the extent allowed by law, including, without limitation, the appropriations act of the New Jersey State Legislature authorizing the expenditure of I-Bank bond proceeds to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project, or the Borrower Bond Resolution, any loan repayments then due and payable on the Borrower’s I-Bank Loan, including, without limitation, any administrative fees and any late payment charges then due and payable under the I-Bank Loan Agreement, shall be satisfied by the Trustee before any Loan Repayments then due and payable hereunder on the Loan shall be satisfied by the Trustee. The Borrower agrees not to interfere with any such action by the Trustee.

(b)       The Borrower hereby acknowledges that in the event the Borrower fails or is unable to pay promptly to the Trustee in full any loan repayments on the I-Bank Loan, then any Loan Repayments paid by the Borrower on the Loan under this Loan Agreement and received by the Trustee during the time of any such loan repayment deficiency under the I-Bank Loan Agreement shall be applied by the Trustee first to satisfy such I-Bank Loan Agreement loan repayment deficiency as a credit against the obligations of the Borrower to make loan repayments of that portion of interest under the I-Bank Loan Agreement that is allocable to the interest payable on the I-Bank Bonds (as defined in the I-Bank Loan Agreement) and to make payments of that portion of interest under the bond or note issued by the Borrower to the I-Bank

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that is allocable to the interest payable on the I-Bank Bonds, second , to the extent available, to make loan repayments of principal under the I-Bank Loan Agreement and payments of principal on the bond or note issued by the Borrower to the I-Bank pursuant to the I-Bank Loan Agreement, third , to the extent available, to the payment of the administrative fee payable under the I-Bank Loan Agreement and to make payments of that portion of interest under the bond or note issued by the Borrower to the I-Bank that is allocable to the administrative fee payable under the I-Bank Loan Agreement, fourth , to the extent available, to the payment of late charges payable under the I-Bank Loan Agreement and to make payments of that portion of interest under the bond issued by the Borrower to the I-Bank that is allocable to the late charges payable under the I-Bank Loan Agreement, and finally , to the extent available, to make Loan Repayments on the Loan.

(c)       The Borrower hereby further acknowledges that any Loan Repayments paid by the Borrower on the Loan under this Loan Agreement shall be applied according to the provisions of the Master Program Trust Agreement.

SECTION 3.09.        Approval of the New Jersey State Treasurer. The Borrower and the State hereby acknowledge that prior to or simultaneously with the Loan Closing the New Jersey State Treasurer, in satisfaction of the requirements of Section 9a of the Act, issued the “Certificate of the New Jersey State Treasurer Regarding the Approval of the I-Bank Loan and the Fund Loan” (the “Treasurer’s Certificate”). Pursuant to the terms of the Treasurer’s Certificate, the New Jersey State Treasurer approved the Loan and the terms and conditions thereof as established by the provisions of this Loan Agreement.

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ARTICLE IV

ASSIGNMENT OF LOAN AGREEMENT AND BORROWER BOND

SECTION 4.01.        Assignment and Transfer by State . The Borrower hereby approves and consents to any assignment or transfer of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond that the State deems to be necessary in connection with the environmental infrastructure loan program of the State under the Regulations.

SECTION 4.02.        Assignment by Borrower . Neither this Loan Agreement nor the Borrower Bond may be assigned by the Borrower for any reason, unless the following conditions shall be satisfied: (i) the State shall have approved said assignment in writing; (ii) the assignee shall have expressly assumed in writing the full and faithful observance and performance of the Borrower’s duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and, to the extent permitted under applicable law, the Borrower Bond; and (iii) immediately after such assignment, the assignee shall not be in default in the observance or performance of any duties, covenants, obligations or agreements of the Borrower under this Loan Agreement or the Borrower Bond.

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ARTICLE V

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

SECTION 5.01.        Events of Default . If any of the following events occur, it is hereby defined as and declared to be and to constitute an “Event of Default”:

(a)       failure by the Borrower to pay, or cause to be paid, any Loan Repayment required to be paid hereunder when due, which failure shall continue for a period of fifteen (15) days;

(b)       failure by the Borrower to make, or cause to be made, any required payments of principal, redemption premium, if any, and interest on any bonds, notes or other obligations of the Borrower issued under the Borrower Bond Resolution (other than the Loan and the Borrower Bond) or otherwise secured by all or a portion of the property pledged under the Borrower Bond Resolution, after giving effect to the applicable grace period;

(c)       failure by the Borrower to pay, or cause to be paid, any late charges incurred hereunder or any portion thereof when due or to observe and perform any duty, covenant, obligation or agreement on its part to be observed or performed under this Loan Agreement, other than as referred to in subsection (a) of this Section 5.01 or other than the obligations of the Borrower contained in Section 2.02(d)(ii) hereof and in Exhibit F hereto, which failure shall continue for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice, specifying such failure and requesting that it be remedied, is given to the Borrower by the State, unless the State shall agree in writing to an extension of such time prior to its expiration; provided, however, that if the failure stated in such notice is correctable but cannot be corrected within the applicable period, the State may not unreasonably withhold its consent to an extension of such time up to 120 days from the delivery of the written notice referred to above if corrective action is instituted by the Borrower within the applicable period and diligently pursued until the Event of Default is corrected;

(d)       any representation made by or on behalf of the Borrower contained in this Loan Agreement, or in any instrument furnished in compliance with or with reference to this Loan Agreement or the Loan, is false or misleading in any material respect;

(e)       a petition is filed by or against the Borrower under any federal or State bankruptcy or insolvency law or other similar law in effect on the date of this Loan Agreement or thereafter enacted, unless in the case of any such petition filed against the Borrower such petition shall be dismissed within thirty (30) days after such filing and such dismissal shall be final and not subject to appeal; or the Borrower shall become insolvent or bankrupt or shall make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or a custodian (including, without limitation, a receiver, liquidator or trustee of the Borrower or any of its property) shall be appointed by court order or take possession of the Borrower or its property or assets if such order remains in effect or such possession continues for more than thirty (30) days;

(f)       the Borrower shall generally fail to pay its debts as such debts become due; and

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(g)       failure of the Borrower to observe or perform such additional duties, covenants, obligations, agreements or conditions as are required by the State and specified in Exhibit F attached hereto and made a part hereof.

SECTION 5.02.        Notice of Default . The Borrower shall give the State prompt telephonic notice of the occurrence of any Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01(e) or (f) hereof and of the occurrence of any other event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default at such time as any senior administrative or financial officer of the Borrower becomes aware of the existence thereof.

SECTION 5.03.        Remedies on Default . Whenever an Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01 hereof shall have occurred and be continuing, the State shall have the right to take whatever action at law or in equity may appear necessary or desirable to collect the amounts then due and thereafter to become due hereunder or to enforce the observance and performance of any duty, covenant, obligation or agreement of the Borrower hereunder.

In addition, if an Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01(a) hereof shall have occurred and be continuing, the State shall, to the extent allowed by applicable law, have the right to declare all Loan Repayments and all other amounts due hereunder (including, without limitation, payments under the Borrower Bond) to be immediately due and payable, and upon notice to the Borrower the same shall become due and payable without further notice or demand.

SECTION 5.04.        Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses . The Borrower shall on demand pay to the State the reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys and other reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, the reasonably allocated costs of in-house counsel and legal staff) incurred by the State in the collection of Loan Repayments or any other sum due hereunder or in the enforcement of the observation or performance of any other duties, covenants, obligations or agreements of the Borrower upon an Event of Default.

SECTION 5.05.        Application of Moneys . Any moneys collected by the State pursuant to Section 5.03 hereof shall be applied (a) first to pay any attorneys’ fees or other fees and expenses owed by the Borrower pursuant to Section 5.04 hereof, (b) second , to the extent available, to pay principal due and payable on the Loan (to the extent permitted by Section 3.08(b) hereof), (c) third , to the extent available, to pay any other amounts due and payable hereunder, and (d) fourth , to the extent available, to pay principal on the Loan and other amounts payable hereunder as such amounts become due and payable.

SECTION 5.06.        No Remedy Exclusive; Waiver; Notice . No remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the State is intended to be exclusive, and every such remedy shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to every other remedy given under this Loan Agreement or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity. No delay or omission to exercise any right, remedy or power accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right, remedy or power or shall be construed to be a waiver thereof, but any such right, remedy or power may be exercised from time to time and as often as may be deemed expedient. In order to entitle the State to exercise any remedy reserved to it in this Article V, it shall not be necessary to give any notice other than such notice as may be required in this Article V.

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SECTION 5.07.        Retention of State’s Rights . Notwithstanding any assignment or transfer of this Loan Agreement pursuant to the provisions hereof, or anything else to the contrary contained herein, the State shall have the right upon the occurrence of an Event of Default to take any action, including (without limitation) bringing an action against the Borrower at law or in equity, as the State may, in its discretion, deem necessary to enforce the obligations of the Borrower to the State pursuant to Section 5.03 hereof.

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ARTICLE VI

MISCELLANEOUS

SECTION 6.01.        Notices . All notices, certificates or other communications hereunder shall be sufficiently given and shall be deemed given when hand delivered or mailed by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the Borrower at the address specified in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof and to the State and the Trustee at the following addresses:

(a)       State:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Municipal Finance and Construction Element

401 East State Street – 3rd Floor

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0425

Attention: Assistant Director

New Jersey Department of the Treasury

Office of Public Finance

State Street Square – 5th Floor

Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0002

Attention: Director

(b)       Trustee:

ZB, National Association d/b/a Zions Bank

401 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1729

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Attention: Corporate Trust Department

Any of the foregoing parties may designate any further or different addresses to which subsequent notices, certificates or other communications shall be sent by notice in writing given to the others.

SECTION 6.02.        Binding Effect . This Loan Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the State and the Borrower and their respective successors and assigns.

SECTION 6.03.        Severability . In the event any provision of this Loan Agreement shall be held illegal, invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate, render unenforceable or otherwise affect any other provision hereof.

SECTION 6.04.        Amendments, Supplements and Modifications . This Loan Agreement may not be amended, supplemented or modified without the prior written consent of the State and the Borrower.

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SECTION 6.05.        Execution in Counterparts . This Loan Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which shall constitute but one and the same instrument.

SECTION 6.06.        Applicable Law and Regulations . This Loan Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey, including the Regulations, which Regulations are, by this reference thereto, incorporated herein as part of this Loan Agreement.

SECTION 6.07.        Consents and Approvals . Whenever the written consent or approval of the State shall be required under the provisions of this Loan Agreement, such consent or approval may only be given by the State.

SECTION 6.08.        Captions . The captions or headings in this Loan Agreement are for convenience only and shall not in any way define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provisions or sections of this Loan Agreement.

SECTION 6.09.        Further Assurances . The Borrower shall, at the request of the State, authorize, execute, attest, acknowledge and deliver such further resolutions, conveyances, transfers, assurances, financing statements and other instruments as may be necessary or desirable for better assuring, conveying, granting, assigning and confirming the rights, security interests and agreements granted or intended to be granted by this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the State and the Borrower have caused this Loan Agreement to be executed, sealed and delivered as of the date first above written.

 

   

THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY

ACTING BY AND THROUGH THE

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

 

 

 

[SEAL]   By: /s/Michele Putnam
     

Michele Putnam

Acting Assistant Commissioner

Water Resource Management

Department of Environmental Protection

ATTEST:

 

     
       
/s/Eugene J. Chebra, P.E.      

Eugene J. Chebra, P.E.

Assistant Director

Municipal Finance and Construction Element

Department of Environmental Protection

     
   

 

 

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

 

[SEAL]

     
       
    By: /s/A. Bruce O’Connor
ATTEST:     A. Bruce O’Connor, Vice

 

 

    President, Treasurer and Chief
/s/Jay L. Kooper      
Jay L. Kooper, Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary
     

 

[signature page] 

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SCHEDULE A

Certain Additional Loan Agreement Provisions

In addition to the terms defined in subsection (a) of Section 1.01 of this Loan Agreement, certain additional capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the meanings ascribed to such additional capitalized terms in this Schedule A.

Additional Definitions:

“Borrower” means Middlesex Water Company, a corporation duly created and validly existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

“Borrower Bond Resolution” means the indenture of the Borrower dated as of April 1, 1927 and entitled “Indenture of Mortgage”, as amended and supplemented from time to time, in particular by a supplemental indenture detailing the terms of the Borrower Bond dated as of May 1, 2018 and entitled “Fifty-First Supplemental Indenture”, pursuant to which the Borrower Bond has been issued.

“Principal Payment Dates” means February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2018.

SECTION 2.02(e):

Disposition of Environmental Infrastructure System . The Borrower shall not permit the disposition of all or substantially all of its Environmental Infrastructure System, directly or indirectly, including, without limitation, by means of sale, lease, abandonment, sale of stock, statutory merger or otherwise (collectively, a "Disposition"), except on ninety (90) days' prior written notice to the State, and, in any event, shall not permit a Disposition unless the Borrower shall, in accordance with Section 4.02 hereof, assign this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond and its rights and interests hereunder and thereunder to the purchaser or lessee of the Environmental Infrastructure System, and such purchaser or lessee shall assume all duties, covenants, obligations and agreements of the Borrower under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

 

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Exhibit 10.47

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOAN AGREEMENT

BY AND BETWEEN

NEW JERSEY INFRASTRUCTURE BANK

(f/k/a the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust)

 

AND

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

 

 

 

 

DATED AS OF MAY 1, 2018

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   

 

Page

 
ARTICLE I
 
DEFINITIONS
 
SECTION 1.01. Definitions 2
     
ARTICLE II
 
REPRESENTATIONS AND COVENANTS OF BORROWER
 
SECTION 2.01. Representations of Borrower 7
SECTION 2.02. Particular Covenants of Borrower 11
     
ARTICLE III
 
LOAN TO BORROWER; AMOUNTS PAYABLE; GENERAL AGREEMENTS
 
SECTION 3.01. Loan; Loan Term 21
SECTION 3.02. Disbursement of Loan Proceeds 22
SECTION 3.03. Amounts Payable 23
SECTION 3.03A. Amounts on Deposit in Project Loan Account After Completion of Project Draws 25
SECTION 3.04. Unconditional Obligations 27
SECTION 3.05. Loan Agreement to Survive Bond Resolution and I-Bank Bonds 28
SECTION 3.06. Disclaimer of Warranties and Indemnification 28
SECTION 3.07. Option to Prepay Loan Repayments 29
SECTION 3.08. Priority of Loan and Fund Loan 30
SECTION 3.09. Approval of the New Jersey State Treasurer 30
     
ARTICLE IV
 
ASSIGNMENT OF LOAN AGREEMENT AND BORROWER BOND
 
SECTION 4.01. Assignment and Transfer by I-Bank 31
SECTION 4.02. Assignment by Borrower 31
     
ARTICLE V
 
EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES
 
SECTION 5.01. Events of Default 32
SECTION 5.02. Notice of Default 33
SECTION 5.03. Remedies on Default 33

 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
     
SECTION 5.04. Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses 33
SECTION 5.05. Application of Moneys 34
SECTION 5.06. No Remedy Exclusive; Waiver; Notice 34
SECTION 5.07. Retention of I-Bank’s Rights 34
     
ARTICLE VI
 
MISCELLANEOUS
 
SECTION 6.01. Notices 35
SECTION 6.02. Binding Effect 35
SECTION 6.03. Severability 35
SECTION 6.04. Amendments, Supplements and Modifications 35
SECTION 6.05. Execution in Counterparts 36
SECTION 6.06. Applicable Law and Regulations 36
SECTION 6.07. Consents and Approvals 36
SECTION 6.08. Captions 36
SECTION 6.09. Benefit of Loan Agreement; Compliance with Bond Resolution 36
SECTION 6.10. Further Assurances 36
     
     

 

SCHEDULE A   Certain Additional Loan Agreement Provisions S-1
     
EXHIBIT A (1) Description of Project and Environmental Infrastructure System A-1
  (2) Description of Loan A-2
     
EXHIBIT B Basis for Determination of Allowable Project Costs B-1
     
EXHIBIT C Estimated Disbursement Schedule C-1
     
EXHIBIT D Specimen Borrower Bond D-1
     
EXHIBIT E Opinions of Borrower's Bond Counsel and General Counsel E-1
     
EXHIBIT F Additional Covenants and Requirements F-1
     
EXHIBIT G General Administrative Requirements for the  New Jersey Water Bank G-1
     
EXHIBIT H Form of Continuing Disclosure Agreement H-1

 

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NEW JERSEY INFRASTRUCTURE BANK LOAN AGREEMENT

THIS LOAN AGREEMENT , made and entered into as of May 1, 2018, by and between the NEW JERSEY INFRASTRUCTURE BANK (f/k/a the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust), a public body corporate and politic with corporate succession, and the Borrower (capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall have, unless the context otherwise requires, the meanings ascribed thereto in Section 1.01 hereof);

WITNESSETH THAT:

WHEREAS , the I-Bank, in accordance with the Act, the Bond Resolution and a financial plan approved by the State Legislature in accordance with Sections 22 and 22.1 of the Act, will issue its I-Bank Bonds on or prior to the Loan Closing for the purpose of making the Loan to the Borrower and the Loans to the Borrowers from the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to finance a portion of the Costs of Environmental Infrastructure Facilities;

WHEREAS , the Borrower has, in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, made timely application to the I-Bank for a Loan to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS , the State Legislature, in accordance with Sections 20 and 20.1 of the Act, has in the form of an appropriations act approved a project priority list that includes the Project and that authorizes an expenditure of proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS , the I-Bank has approved the Borrower’s application for a Loan from available proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project;

WHEREAS , in accordance with the applicable Bond Act (as defined in the Fund Loan Agreement), and the Regulations, the Borrower has been awarded a Fund Loan for a portion of the Costs of the Project; and

WHEREAS , the Borrower, in accordance with the Act, the Regulations, the Business Corporation Law and all other applicable law, will issue a Borrower Bond to the I-Bank evidencing said Loan at the Loan Closing.

NOW, THEREFORE , for and in consideration of the award of the Loan by the I-Bank, the Borrower agrees to complete the Project and to perform under this Loan Agreement in accordance with the conditions, covenants and procedures set forth herein and attached hereto as part hereof, as follows:

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ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 1.01.        Definitions.

(a)        The following terms as used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Act” means the “New Jersey Infrastructure Trust Act”, constituting Chapter 334 of the Pamphlet Laws of 1985 of the State (codified at N.J.S.A. 58:11B-1 et seq. ), as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“Administrative Fee” means that portion of Interest on the Loan or Interest on the Borrower Bond payable hereunder as an annual fee of up to four-tenths of one percent (.40%) of the initial principal amount of the Loan or such lesser amount, if any, as may be authorized by any act of the State Legislature and as the I-Bank may approve from time to time.

“Authorized Officer” means, in the case of the Borrower, any person or persons authorized pursuant to a resolution of the board of directors of the Borrower to perform any act or execute any document relating to the Loan, the Borrower Bond or this Loan Agreement.

“Bond Counsel” means a law firm appointed or approved by the I-Bank, as the case may be, having a reputation in the field of municipal law whose opinions are generally acceptable by purchasers of municipal bonds.

"Borrower" means the corporation that is a party to and is described in Schedule A to this Loan Agreement, and its successors and assigns

“Borrower Bond” means the general obligation bond, note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness, authorized, executed, attested and delivered by the Borrower to the I-Bank and, if applicable, authenticated on behalf of the Borrower to evidence the Loan, a specimen of which is attached hereto as Exhibit D and made a part hereof.

“Borrowers” means any other Local Government Unit or Private Entity (as such terms are defined in the Regulations) authorized to construct, operate and maintain Environmental Infrastructure Facilities that have entered into Loan Agreements with the I-Bank pursuant to which the I-Bank will make Loans to such recipients from moneys on deposit in the Project Fund, excluding the Project Loan Account.

“Business Corporation Law” means the “New Jersey Business Corporation Act”, constituting Chapter 263 of the Pamphlet Laws of 1968 of the State (codified at N.J.S.A. 14A:1-1, et seq .), as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented, including any regulations promulgated thereunder, any successor code thereto and any administrative or judicial interpretations thereof.

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“Costs” means those costs that are eligible, reasonable, necessary, allocable to the Project and permitted by generally accepted accounting principles, including Allowances and Building Costs (as defined in the Regulations), as shall be determined on a project-specific basis in accordance with the Regulations as set forth in Exhibit B hereto, as the same may be amended by subsequent eligible costs as evidenced by a certificate of an authorized officer of the I-Bank.

“Debt Service Reserve Fund” means the Debt Service Reserve Fund, if any, as defined in the Bond Resolution.

“Department” means the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

“Environmental Infrastructure Facilities” means Water Supply Facilities (as such terms are defined in the Regulations).

“Environmental Infrastructure System” means the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrower, including the Project, described in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof for which the Borrower is borrowing the Loan under this Loan Agreement.

“Event of Default” means any occurrence or event specified in Section 5.01 hereof.

“Excess Project Funds” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03A hereof.

“Fund Loan” means the loan made to the Borrower by the State, acting by and through the Department, pursuant to the Fund Loan Agreement dated as of May 1, 2018 by and between the Borrower and the State, acting by and through the Department, to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Project.

“Fund Loan Agreement” means the loan agreement dated as of May 1, 2018 by and between the Borrower and the State, acting by and through the Department, regarding the terms and conditions of the Fund Loan.

“I-Bank” means the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (f/k/a the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust), a public body corporate and politic with corporate succession duly created and validly existing under and by virtue of the Act.

“I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments” means the repayments of the principal amount of the Loan plus the payment of any premium associated with prepaying the principal amount of the Loan in accordance with Section 3.07 hereof plus the Interest Portion.

“I-Bank Bonds” means bonds authorized by Section 2.03 of the Bond Resolution, together with any refunding bonds authenticated, if applicable, and delivered pursuant to Section 2.04 of the Bond Resolution, in each case issued in order to finance (i) the portion of the Loan deposited in the Project Loan Account, (ii) the portion of the Loans deposited in the balance of the Project Fund, (iii) any capitalized interest related to such bonds, (iv) a portion of the costs of issuance related to such bonds, and (v) that portion of the Debt Service Reserve Fund (to the extent the I-Bank establishes a Debt Service Reserve Fund pursuant to the Bond Resolution), if any, allocable to the Loan or Loans, as the case may be, a portion of which includes the funding

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of reserve capacity, if applicable, for the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrower or Borrowers, as the case may be, or to refinance any or all of the above.

“Interest on the Loan” or “Interest on the Borrower Bond” means the sum of (i) the Interest Portion, (ii) the Administrative Fee, and (iii) any late charges incurred hereunder.

“Interest Portion” means that portion of Interest on the Loan or Interest on the Borrower Bond payable hereunder that is necessary to pay the Borrower’s proportionate share of interest on the I-Bank Bonds (i) as set forth in Exhibit A-2 hereof under the column heading entitled “Interest”, or (ii) with respect to any prepayment of I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments in accordance with Section 3.07 or 5.03 hereof, to accrue on any principal amount of I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments to the date of the optional redemption or acceleration, as the case may be, of the I-Bank Bonds allocable to such prepaid or accelerated I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment.

“Loan” means the loan made by the I-Bank to the Borrower to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Project pursuant to this Loan Agreement, as further described in Schedule A attached hereto.

“Loan Agreement” means this Loan Agreement, including Schedule A and the Exhibits attached hereto, as it may be supplemented, modified or amended from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof and of the Bond Resolution.

“Loan Agreements” means any other loan agreements entered into by and between the I-Bank and one or more of the Borrowers pursuant to which the I-Bank will make Loans to such Borrowers from moneys on deposit in the Project Fund, excluding the Project Loan Account, financed with the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds.

“Loan Closing” means the date upon which the I-Bank shall issue and deliver the I-Bank Bonds and the Borrower shall deliver its Borrower Bond, as previously authorized, executed, attested and, if applicable, authenticated, to the I-Bank.

“Loan Repayments” means the sum of (i) I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments, (ii) the Administrative Fee, and (iii) any late charges incurred hereunder.

“Loan Term” means the term of this Loan Agreement provided in Sections 3.01 and 3.03 hereof and in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

“Loans” means the loans made by the I-Bank to the Borrowers under the Loan Agreements from moneys on deposit in the Project Fund, excluding the Project Loan Account.

“Master Program Trust Agreement” means that certain Master Program Trust Agreement, dated as of November 1, 1995, by and among the I-Bank, the State, United States Trust Company of New York, as Master Program Trustee thereunder, The Bank of New York (NJ), in several capacities thereunder, and First Fidelity Bank, N.A. (predecessor to Wachovia Bank, National Association), in several capacities thereunder, as supplemented by that certain Agreement of Resignation of Outgoing Master Program Trustee, Appointment of Successor Master Program Trustee and Acceptance Agreement, dated as of November 1, 2001, by and among United States Trust Company of New York, as Outgoing Master Program Trustee, State

 - 4 -

 

Street Bank and Trust Company, N.A. (predecessor to U.S. Bank Trust National Association), as Successor Master Program Trustee, and the I-Bank, as the same may be amended and supplemented from time to time in accordance with its terms.

“Official Statement” means the Official Statement relating to the issuance of the I-Bank Bonds.

“Preliminary Official Statement” means the Preliminary Official Statement relating to the issuance of the I-Bank Bonds.

“Prime Rate” means the prevailing commercial interest rate announced by the Trustee from time to time in the State as its prime lending rate.

“Project” means the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrower described in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof, which constitutes a project for which the I-Bank is permitted to make a loan to the Borrower pursuant to the Act, the Regulations and the Bond Resolution, all or a portion of the Costs of which is financed or refinanced by the I-Bank through the making of the Loan under this Loan Agreement and which may be identified under either the Drinking Water or Clean Water Project Lists with the Project Number specified in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto.

“Project Fund” means the Project Fund as defined in the Bond Resolution.

“Project Loan Account” means the project loan account established on behalf of the Borrower in the Project Fund in accordance with the Bond Resolution to finance all or a portion of the Costs of the Project.

“Regulations” means the rules and regulations, as applicable, now or hereafter promulgated under N.J.A.C. 7:22-3 et seq. , 7:22-4 et seq. , 7:22-5 et seq. , 7:22-6 et seq. , 7:22-7 et seq. , 7:22-8 et seq. , 7:22-9 et seq. and 7:22-10 et seq. , as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented.

“State” means the State of New Jersey.

“Trustee” means, initially, ZB, National Association d/b/a Zions Bank, the Trustee appointed by the I-Bank and its successors as Trustee under the Bond Resolution, as provided in Article X of the Bond Resolution.

(b)        In addition to the capitalized terms defined in subsection (a) of this Section 1.01, certain additional capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the meanings ascribed to such additional capitalized terms in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof.

(c)        Except as otherwise defined herein or where the context otherwise requires, words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa, and words importing persons shall

 - 5 -

 

include firms, associations, corporations, agencies and districts. Words importing one gender shall include the other gender.

 

 

 - 6 -

 

ARTICLE II

REPRESENTATIONS AND COVENANTS OF BORROWER

SECTION 2.01.        Representations of Borrower. The Borrower represents for the benefit of the I-Bank, the Trustee and the holders of the I-Bank Bonds as follows:

(a)        Organization and Authority .

(i)        The Borrower is a corporation duly created and validly existing under and pursuant to the Constitution and statutes of the State, including the Business Corporation Law.

(ii)        The acting officers of the Borrower who are contemporaneously herewith performing or have previously performed any action contemplated in this Loan Agreement either are or, at the time any such action was performed, were the duly appointed or elected officers of such Borrower empowered by applicable State law and, if applicable, authorized by resolution of the Borrower to perform such actions. To the extent any such action was performed by an officer no longer the duly acting officer of such Borrower, all such actions previously taken by such officer are still in full force and effect.

(iii)        The Borrower has full legal right and authority and all necessary licenses and permits required as of the date hereof to own, operate and maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System, to carry on its activities relating thereto, to execute, attest and deliver this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, to authorize the authentication of the Borrower Bond, to sell the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, to undertake and complete the Project and to carry out and consummate all transactions contemplated by this Loan Agreement.

(iv)        The proceedings of the Borrower’s board of directors approving this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, authorizing the execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, authorizing the sale of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, authorizing the authentication of the Borrower Bond on behalf of the Borrower and authorizing the Borrower to undertake and complete the Project, including, without limitation, the Borrower Bond Resolution (collectively, the “Proceedings”), have been duly and lawfully adopted in accordance with the Business Corporation Law and other applicable State law at a meeting or meetings that were duly called and held in accordance with the Borrower By-Laws and at which quorums were present and acting throughout.

(v)        By official action of the Borrower taken prior to or concurrent with the execution and delivery hereof, including, without limitation, the Proceedings, the Borrower has duly authorized, approved and consented to all necessary action to be taken by the Borrower for: (A) the

 - 7 -

 

execution, attestation, delivery and performance of this Loan Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby; (B) the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the I-Bank upon the terms set forth herein; (C) the approval of the inclusion, if such inclusion is deemed necessary in the sole discretion of the I-Bank, in the Preliminary Official Statement and the Official Statement of all statements and information relating to the Borrower set forth in “APPENDIX B” thereto (the “Borrower Appendices”) and any amendment thereof or supplement thereto; and (D) the execution, delivery and due performance of any and all other certificates, agreements and instruments that may be required to be executed, delivered and performed by the Borrower in order to carry out, give effect to and consummate the transactions contemplated by this Loan Agreement, including, without limitation, the designation of the Borrower Appendices portion of the Preliminary Official Statement, if any, as “deemed final” for the purposes and within the meaning of Rule 15c2-12 (“Rule 15c2-12”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended or supplemented, including any successor regulation or statute thereto.

(vi)        This Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond have each been duly authorized by the Borrower and duly executed, attested and delivered by Authorized Officers of the Borrower, and the Borrower Bond has been duly sold by the Borrower to the I-Bank, duly authenticated by the trustee or paying agent, if applicable, under the Borrower Bond Resolution and duly issued by the Borrower in accordance with the terms of the Borrower Bond Resolution; and assuming that the I-Bank has all the requisite power and authority to authorize, execute, attest and deliver, and has duly authorized, executed, attested and delivered, this Loan Agreement, and assuming further that this Loan Agreement is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the I-Bank, enforceable against the I-Bank in accordance with its terms, each of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Borrower, enforceable against the Borrower in accordance with its respective terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be affected by bankruptcy, insolvency or other laws or the application by a court of legal or equitable principles affecting creditors' rights; and the information contained under “Description of Loan” in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof is true and accurate in all respects.

(b)        Full Disclosure . There is no fact that the Borrower has not disclosed to the I-Bank in writing on the Borrower’s application for the Loan or otherwise that materially adversely affects or (so far as the Borrower can now foresee) that will materially adversely affect the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, or the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments and any other payments required under this Loan Agreement or otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

(c)        Pending Litigation . There are no proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the Borrower, threatened against or affecting the Borrower in any court or before any governmental authority or arbitration board or tribunal that, if adversely determined, would materially adversely affect (i) the

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undertaking or completion of the Project, (ii) the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, (iii) the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments or any other payments required under this Loan Agreement, (iv) the authorization, execution, attestation or delivery of this Loan Agreement or the Borrower Bond, (v) the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the I-Bank, (vi) the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, or (vii) the Borrower’s ability otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, which proceedings have not been previously disclosed in writing to the I-Bank either in the Borrower’s application for the Loan or otherwise.

(d)        Compliance with Existing Laws and Agreements . (i) The authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond by the Borrower, (ii) the authentication of the Borrower Bond by the trustee or paying agent under the Borrower Bond Resolution, as the case may be, and the sale of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, (iii) the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, (iv) the observation and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements hereunder and thereunder, (v) the consummation of the transactions provided for in this Loan Agreement, the Borrower Bond Resolution and the Borrower Bond, and (vi) the undertaking and completion of the Project will not (A) other than the lien, charge or encumbrance created hereby, by the Borrower Bond, by the Borrower Bond Resolution and by any other outstanding debt obligations of the Borrower that are at parity with the Borrower Bond as to lien on, and source and security for payment thereon from, the revenues of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System, result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties or assets of the Borrower pursuant to, (B) result in any breach of any of the terms, conditions or provisions of, or (C) constitute a default under, any existing resolution, outstanding debt or lease obligation, trust agreement, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other instrument to which the Borrower is a party or by which the Borrower, its Environmental Infrastructure System or any of its properties or assets may be bound, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or other document pursuant to which the Borrower was established or any laws, ordinances, injunctions, judgments, decrees, rules, regulations or existing orders of any court or governmental or administrative agency, authority or person to which the Borrower, its Environmental Infrastructure System or its properties or operations is subject.

(e)        No Defaults . No event has occurred and no condition exists that, upon the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the I-Bank, the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution or the receipt of the amount of the Loan, would constitute an Event of Default hereunder. The Borrower is not in violation of, and has not received notice of any claimed violation of, any term of any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it, its Environmental Infrastructure System or its properties may be bound, which violation would materially adversely affect the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System or the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments, to pay all other amounts due hereunder or otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

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(f)        Governmental Consent . The Borrower has obtained all permits and approvals required to date by any governmental body or officer for the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, for the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the I-Bank, for the adoption of the Borrower Bond Resolution, for the making, observance and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond and for the undertaking or completion of the Project and the financing or refinancing thereof, including, but not limited to, if required, the approval by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (the “BPU”) of the issuance by the Borrower of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, as required by Section 9a of the Act, and any other approvals required therefor by the BPU; and the Borrower has complied with all applicable provisions of law requiring any notification, declaration, filing or registration with any governmental body or officer in connection with the making, observance and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond or with the undertaking or completion of the Project and the financing or refinancing thereof. No consent, approval or authorization of, or filing, registration or qualification with, any governmental body or officer that has not been obtained is required on the part of the Borrower as a condition to the authorization, execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, the issuance of the Borrower Bond and the sale thereof to the I-Bank, the undertaking or completion of the Project or the consummation of any transaction herein contemplated.

(g)        Compliance with Law . The Borrower:

(i)        is in compliance with all laws, ordinances, governmental rules and regulations to which it is subject, the failure to comply with which would materially adversely affect (A) the ability of the Borrower to conduct its activities or to undertake or complete the Project, (B) the ability of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and to pay all other amounts due hereunder, or (C) the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System; and

(ii)        has obtained all licenses, permits, franchises or other governmental authorizations presently necessary for the ownership of its properties or for the conduct of its activities that, if not obtained, would materially adversely affect (A) the ability of the Borrower to conduct its activities or to undertake or complete the Project, (B) the ability of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and to pay all other amounts due hereunder, or (C) the condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System.

(h)        Use of Proceeds . The Borrower will apply the proceeds of the Loan from the I-Bank as described in Exhibit B attached hereto and made a part hereof (i) to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project; and (ii) where applicable, to reimburse the Borrower for a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project, which portion was paid or incurred in anticipation of reimbursement by the I-Bank and is eligible for such reimbursement under and pursuant to the

 - 10 -

 

Regulations, the Code and any other applicable law. All of such costs constitute Costs for which the I-Bank is authorized to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to the Act and the Regulations.

(i)        Official Statement . The descriptions and information set forth in the Borrower Appendices, if any, contained in the Official Statement relating to the Borrower, its operations and the transactions contemplated hereby, as of the date of the Official Statement, were and, as of the date of delivery hereof, are true and correct in all material respects, and did not and do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact that is necessary to make the statements contained therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

(j)        Preliminary Official Statement . As of the date of the Preliminary Official Statement, the descriptions and information set forth in the Borrower Appendices, if any, contained in the Preliminary Official Statement relating to the Borrower, its operations and the transactions contemplated hereby (i) were “deemed final” by the Borrower for the purposes and within the meaning of Rule 15c2-12 and (ii) were true and correct in all material respects, and did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

SECTION 2.02.        Particular Covenants of Borrower.

(a)        Promise to Pay . The Borrower unconditionally and irrevocably promises in accordance with the terms of and to the extent provided in the Borrower Bond Resolution, to make punctual payment of the principal and redemption premium, if any, of the Loan and the Borrower Bond, the Interest on the Loan, the Interest on the Borrower Bond and all other amounts due under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond according to their respective terms.

(b)        Performance Under Loan Agreement; Rates . The Borrower covenants and agrees (i) to comply with all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations in the performance of this Loan Agreement; (ii) to maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System in good repair and operating condition; (iii) to cooperate with the I-Bank in the observance and performance of the respective duties, covenants, obligations and agreements of the Borrower and the I-Bank under this Loan Agreement; and (iv) to establish, levy and collect rents, rates and other charges for the products and services provided by its Environmental Infrastructure System, which rents, rates and other charges shall be at least sufficient to comply with all covenants pertaining thereto contained in, and all other provisions of, any bond resolution, trust indenture or other security agreement, if any, relating to any bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued or to be issued by the Borrower, including without limitation rents, rates and other charges, together with other available moneys, sufficient to pay the principal of and Interest on the Borrower Bond, plus all other amounts due hereunder.

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(c)        Borrower Bond; No Prior Liens . Except for (i) the Borrower Bond, (ii) any bonds or notes at parity with the Borrower Bond and currently outstanding or issued on the date hereof, (iii) any future bonds or notes of the Borrower issued under the Borrower Bond Resolution at parity with the Borrower Bond, and (iv) any Permitted Encumbrances (as defined in the Borrower Bond Resolution), the assets of the Borrower that are subject to the Borrower Bond Resolution are and will be free and clear of any pledge, lien, charge or encumbrance thereon or with respect thereto prior to, or of equal rank with, the Borrower Bond, and all corporate or other action on the part of the Borrower to that end has been and will be duly and validly taken.

(d)        Completion of Project and Provision of Moneys Therefor . The Borrower covenants and agrees (i) to exercise its best efforts in accordance with prudent environmental infrastructure utility practice to complete the Project and to accomplish such completion on or before the estimated Project completion date set forth in Exhibit C hereto and made a part hereof; (ii) to comply with the terms and provisions contained in Exhibit G hereto; and (iii) to provide from its own fiscal resources all moneys, in excess of the total amount of loan proceeds it receives under the Loan and Fund Loan, required to complete the Project.

(e)        See Section 2.02(e) as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto, made a part hereof and incorporated in this Section 2.02(e) by reference as if set forth in full herein.

(f)        Exclusion of Interest from Federal Gross Income and Compliance with Code .

(i)        The Borrower covenants and agrees that it shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would result in the loss of the exclusion of the interest on any I-Bank Bonds now or hereafter issued from gross income for purposes of federal income taxation as that status is governed by Section 103(a) of the Code.

(ii)        The Borrower shall not directly or indirectly use, or permit the use of, any proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to pays costs of a facility that is not a facility described in Section 142(a)(4), (5) or (6) of the Code, or property that is functionally related and subordinate thereto. All of the costs paid by the Borrower with proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds will be properly chargeable to a capital account (or would be so chargeable with a proper election or with the application of the definition of “placed in service” under Treasury Regulations §1.150-2(c)) under general federal income tax principles to such a facility. No costs paid by the Borrower with proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds will be for the acquisition of any property, or an interest therein, which was first used by another person, within the meaning of Section 147(d) of the Code, other than possibly land. No more than twenty-five percent of the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds will be used (directly or indirectly) for the acquisition of land or an interest therein. No costs paid by the Borrower with proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds will be for “costs of issuance,” within the meaning of Section 147(g) of the Code, of the I-Bank Bonds.

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(iii)        The Borrower shall not directly or indirectly use or permit the use of any proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds (or amounts replaced with such proceeds) or any other funds or take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the I-Bank Bonds (assuming solely for this purpose that the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds loaned to the Borrower represent all of the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds) to be “arbitrage bonds” within the meaning of Section 148(a) of the Code.

(iv)        The Borrower shall not directly or indirectly use or permit the use of any proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to pay the principal of or the interest or redemption premium on or any other amount in connection with the retirement or redemption of any issue of state or local governmental obligations (“refinancing of indebtedness”), unless the Borrower shall (A) establish to the satisfaction of the I-Bank, prior to the issuance of the I-Bank Bonds, that such refinancing of indebtedness will not adversely affect the exclusion from gross income for federal income tax purposes of the interest on the I-Bank Bonds, and (B) provide to the I-Bank an opinion of Bond Counsel to that effect in form and substance satisfactory to the I-Bank.

(v)        The Borrower shall not directly or indirectly use or permit the use of any proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to reimburse the Borrower for an expenditure with respect to a Costs of the Borrower’s Project paid by the Borrower prior to the issuance of the I-Bank Bonds, unless (A) the allocation by the Borrower of the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to reimburse such expenditure complies with the requirements of Treasury Regulations §1.150-2 necessary to enable the reimbursement allocation to be treated as an expenditure of the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds for purposes of applying Sections 103 and 141-150, inclusive, of the Code, or (B) such proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds will be used for refinancing of indebtedness that was used to pay Costs of the Borrower’s Project or to reimburse the Borrower for expenditures with respect to Costs of the Borrower’s Project paid by the Borrower prior to the issuance of such indebtedness in accordance with a reimbursement allocation for such expenditures that complies with the requirements of Treasury Regulations §1.150-2.

(vi)        The Borrower shall not directly or indirectly use or permit the use of any proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to pay any costs which are not Costs of the Borrower’s Project that constitute a “capital expenditure” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.150-1.

(vii)        The Borrower shall not use the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds (assuming solely for this purpose that the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds loaned to the Borrower represent all of the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds) in any manner that would cause the I-Bank Bonds to be considered “federally guaranteed” within the meaning of Section 149(b) of the Code or “hedge bonds” within the meaning of Section 149(g) of the Code.

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(viii)        The Borrower shall not issue any debt obligations that (A) are sold at substantially the same time as the I-Bank Bonds and finance or refinance the Loan made to the Borrower, (B) are sold pursuant to the same plan of financing as the I-Bank Bonds and finance or refinance the Loan made to the Borrower, and (C) are reasonably expected to be paid out of substantially the same source of funds as the I-Bank Bonds and finance or refinance the Loan made to the Borrower.

(ix)        Neither the Borrower nor any “related party” (within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.150-1) shall purchase I-Bank Bonds in an amount related to the amount of the Loan.

(x)        The Borrower will not issue or permit to be issued obligations that will constitute an “advance refunding” of the Borrower Bond within the meaning of Section 149(d)(5) of the Code without the express written consent of the I-Bank, which consent may only be delivered by the I-Bank after the I-Bank has received notice from the Borrower of such contemplated action no later than sixty (60) days prior to any such contemplated action, and which consent is in the sole discretion of the I-Bank.

(xi)        See Section 2.02(f)(xi) as set forth in Schedule A attached hereto, made a part hereof and incorporated in this Section 2.02(f)(xi) by reference as if set forth in full herein.

(xii)        No “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds held by the Borrower (other than amounts in a “bona fide debt service fund”) will be held in a “commingled fund” (as such terms are defined in Treasury Regulations §1.148-1(b)).

(xiii)        Based upon all of the objective facts and circumstances in existence on the date of issuance of the I-Bank Bonds used to finance the Project, (A) within six months of the date of issuance of the I-Bank Bonds used to finance the Project, the Borrower will incur a substantial binding obligation to a third party to expend on the Project at least five percent (5%) of the “net sale proceeds” (within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.148-1) of the Loan used to finance the Project (treating an obligation as not being binding if it is subject to contingencies within the control of the Borrower, the I-Bank or a “related party” (within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.150-1)), (B) completion of the Project and the allocation to expenditures of the “net sale proceeds” of the Loan used to finance the Project will proceed with due diligence, and (C) all of the proceeds of the Loan used to finance the Project (other than amounts deposited into the Debt Service Reserve Fund (to the extent the I-Bank establishes a Debt Service Reserve Fund pursuant to the Bond Resolution) allocable to that portion of the Loan used to finance reserve capacity, if any) and investment earnings thereon will be spent prior to the period ending three (3) years subsequent to the date of issuance of the I-Bank Bonds used to finance the Project. Accordingly, the proceeds of the Loan deposited in the Project Loan Account used to finance the Project will be eligible for the 3-year arbitrage temporary period since the

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expenditure test, time test and due diligence test, as set forth in Treasury Regulations §1.148-2(e)(2), will be satisfied.

(xiv)        The weighted average maturity of the Loan does not exceed 120% of the average reasonably expected economic life of the Project financed or refinanced with the Loan, determined in the same manner as under Section 147(b) of the Code. Accordingly, the term of the Loan will not be longer than is reasonably necessary for the governmental purposes of the Loan within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.148-1(c)(4).

(xv)        The Borrower shall, within thirty (30) days of date the Borrower concludes that no additional proceeds of the Loan will be required to pay costs of the Project, provide to the I-Bank a certificate of the Borrower evidencing such conclusion.

For purposes of this subsection and subsection (h) of this Section 2.02, quoted terms not otherwise defined, shall have the meanings given thereto by Sections 148 and 150 of the Code, including, particularly, Treasury Regulations §§1.148-1 through 1.148-11, inclusive, and Treasury Regulations §1.150-(1) and (2), and any successor Treasury Regulations applicable to the I-Bank Bonds.

(g)        Operation and Maintenance of Environmental Infrastructure System . The Borrower covenants and agrees that it shall, in accordance with prudent environmental infrastructure utility practice, (i) at all times operate the properties of its Environmental Infrastructure System and any business in connection therewith in an efficient manner, (ii) maintain its Environmental Infrastructure System in good repair, working order and operating condition, and (iii) from time to time make all necessary and proper repairs, renewals, replacements, additions, betterments and improvements with respect to its Environmental Infrastructure System so that at all times the business carried on in connection therewith shall be properly and advantageously conducted.

(h)        Records and Accounts .

(i)        The Borrower shall keep accurate records and accounts for its Environmental Infrastructure System (the “System Records”) separate and distinct from its other records and accounts (the “General Records”). Such System Records shall be audited annually by an independent certified public accountant, which may be part of the annual audit of the General Records of the Borrower. Such System Records and General Records shall be made available for inspection by the I-Bank at any reasonable time upon prior written notice, and a copy of such annual audit(s) therefor, including all written comments and recommendations of such accountant, shall be furnished to the I-Bank within 150 days of the close of the fiscal year being so audited or, with the consent of the I-Bank, such additional period as may be provided by law.

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(ii)        Within thirty (30) days following receipt of any Loan proceeds, including without limitation the “Allowance for Administrative Costs” or the “Allowance for Planning and Design” set forth in Exhibit B hereto, the Borrower shall allocate such proceeds to an expenditures in a manner that satisfies the requirements of Treasury Regulation §1.148-6(d) and transmit a copy of each such allocation to the I-Bank. No portion of the Allowance for Administrative Costs will be allocated to a cost other than a cost described in N.J.A.C. 7:22-5.11(a) 3, 4 or 6. No portion of the Allowance for Planning and Design will be allocated to a cost other than a cost described N.J.A.C. 7:22-5.12, or other costs of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System which are “capital expenditures,” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations §1.150-1. The Borrower shall retain records of such allocations for at least until the date that is three years after the scheduled maturity date of the I-Bank Bonds. The Borrower shall make such records available to the I-Bank within 15 days of any request by the I-Bank.

(iii)        Unless otherwise advised in writing by the I-Bank, in furtherance of the covenant of the Borrower contained in subsection (f) of this Section 2.02 not to cause the I-Bank Bonds to be arbitrage bonds, the Borrower shall keep, or cause to be kept, accurate records of each investment it makes in any “nonpurpose investment” acquired with, or otherwise allocated to, “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds not held by the Trustee and each “expenditure” it makes allocated to “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds. Such records shall include the purchase price, including any constructive “payments” (or in the case of a “payment” constituting a deemed acquisition of a “nonpurpose investment” (e.g., a “nonpurpose investment” first allocated to “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds after it is actually acquired because it is deposited in a sinking fund for the I-Bank Bonds)), the “fair market value” of the “nonpurpose investment” on the date first allocated to the “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds, nominal interest rate, dated date, maturity date, type of property, frequency of periodic payments, period of compounding, yield to maturity, amount actually or constructively received on disposition (or in the case of a “receipt” constituting a deemed disposition of a “nonpurpose investment” (e.g., a “nonpurpose investment” that ceases to be allocated to the “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds because it is removed from a sinking fund for the I-Bank Bonds)), the “fair market value” of the “nonpurpose investment” on the date it ceases to be allocated to the “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds, the purchase date and disposition date of the “nonpurpose investment” and evidence of the “fair market value” of such property on the purchase date and disposition date (or deemed purchase or disposition date) for each such “nonpurpose investment”. The purchase date, disposition date and the date of determination of “fair market value” shall be the date on which a contract to purchase or sell the “nonpurpose investment” becomes binding, i.e., the trade date rather than the settlement date. For purposes of the calculation of purchase price and disposition price, brokerage or selling commissions, administrative expenses or similar expenses shall not increase the purchase price of an item and shall not reduce the amount actually or constructively received upon disposition of an item, except to the extent such costs constitute “qualified administrative costs”.

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(iv)        Within thirty (30) days of the last day of the fifth and each succeeding fifth “bond year” (which, unless otherwise advised by the I-Bank, shall be the five-year period ending on the date five years subsequent to the date immediately preceding the date of issuance of the I-Bank Bonds and each succeeding fifth “bond year”) and within thirty (30) days of the date the last bond that is part of the I-Bank Bonds is discharged (or on any other periodic basis requested in writing by the I-Bank), the Borrower shall (A) calculate, or cause to be calculated, the “rebate amount” as of the “computation date” or “final computation date” attributable to any “nonpurpose investment” made by the Borrower and (B) remit the following to the I-Bank: (1) an amount of money that when added to the “future value” as of the “computation date” of any previous payments made to the I-Bank on account of rebate equals the “rebate amount”, (2) the calculations supporting the “rebate amount” attributable to any “nonpurpose investment” made by the Borrower allocated to “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds, and (3) any other information requested by the I-Bank relating to compliance with Section 148 of the Code (e.g., information related to any “nonpurpose investment” of the Borrower for purposes of application of the “universal cap”).

(v)        The Borrower covenants and agrees that it will account for “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds, investments allocable to the I-Bank Bonds and expenditures of “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds in accordance with Treasury Regulations §1.148-6. All allocations of “gross proceeds” of the I-Bank Bonds to expenditures will be recorded on the books of the Borrower kept in connection with the I-Bank Bonds no later than 18 months after the later of the date the particular Costs of the Borrower’s Project is paid or the date the portion of the project financed by the I-Bank Bonds is placed in service. All allocations of proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds to expenditures will be made no later than the date that is 60 days after the fifth anniversary of the date the I-Bank Bonds are issued or the date 60 days after the retirement of the I-Bank Bonds, if earlier. Such records and accounts will include the particular Costs paid, the date of the payment and the party to whom the payment was made.

(vi)        From time to time as directed by the I-Bank, the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank a written report demonstrating compliance by the Borrower with the provisions of Section 2.02(f) of this Loan Agreement, each such written report to be submitted by the Borrower to the I-Bank in the form of a full and complete written response to a questionnaire provided by the I-Bank to the Borrower. Each such questionnaire shall be provided by the I-Bank to the Borrower not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the date established by the I-Bank for receipt from the Borrower of the full and complete written response to the questionnaire.

(i)        Inspections; Information . The Borrower shall permit the I-Bank and the Trustee and any party designated by any of such parties, at any and all reasonable times during construction of the Project and thereafter upon prior written notice, to examine, visit and inspect the property, if any, constituting the Project and to inspect and make copies of any accounts, books and records, including (without limitation) its records regarding receipts, disbursements, contracts,

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investments and any other matters relating thereto and to its financial standing, and shall supply such reports and information as the I-Bank and the Trustee may reasonably require in connection therewith.

(j)        Insurance . The Borrower shall maintain or cause to be maintained, in force, insurance policies with responsible insurers or self-insurance programs providing against risk of direct physical loss, damage or destruction of its Environmental Infrastructure System at least to the extent that similar insurance is usually carried by utilities constructing, operating and maintaining Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the nature of the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System, including liability coverage, all to the extent available at reasonable cost but in no case less than will satisfy all applicable regulatory requirements.

(k)        Costs of Project . The Borrower certifies that the building cost of the Project, as listed in Exhibit B hereto and made a part hereof, is a reasonable and accurate estimation thereof, and it will supply to the I-Bank a certificate from a licensed professional engineer authorized to practice in the State stating that such building cost is a reasonable and accurate estimation and that the useful life of the Project exceeds the maturity date of the Borrower Bond.

(l)        Delivery of Documents . Concurrently with the delivery of this Loan Agreement (as previously authorized, executed and attested) at the Loan Closing, the Borrower will cause to be delivered to the I-Bank and the Trustee each of the following items:

(i)        an opinion of the Borrower’s bond counsel substantially in the form of Exhibit E hereto; provided, however, that the I-Bank may permit portions of such opinion to be rendered by general counsel to the Borrower and may permit variances in such opinion from the form set forth in Exhibit E if, in the opinion of the I-Bank, such variances are not to the material detriment of the interests of the holders of the I-Bank Bonds;

(ii)        counterparts of this Loan Agreement as previously executed and attested by the parties hereto;

(iii)        copies of those resolutions finally adopted by the board of directors of the Borrower and requested by the I-Bank, including, without limitation, (A) the resolution of the Borrower authorizing the execution, attestation and delivery of this Loan Agreement, (B) the Borrower Bond Resolution, as amended and supplemented as of the date of the Loan Closing, authorizing the execution, attestation, authentication, sale and delivery of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, (C) the resolution of the Borrower, if any, confirming the details of the sale of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank, (D) the resolution of the Borrower, if any, declaring its official intent to reimburse expenditures for the Costs of the Project from the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds, each of said resolutions of the Borrower being certified by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower as of the date of the Loan Closing, (E) the resolution of the BPU approving the issuance by the Borrower of the Borrower Bond to the I-Bank

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and setting forth any other approvals required therefor by the BPU, if applicable, and (F) any other Proceedings;

(iv)        if the Loan is being made to reimburse the Borrower for all or a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project or to refinance indebtedness or reimburse the Borrower for the repayment of indebtedness previously incurred by the Borrower to finance all or a portion of the Costs of the Borrower’s Project, an opinion of Bond Counsel, in form and substance satisfactory to the I-Bank, to the effect that such reimbursement or refinancing will not adversely affect the exclusion from gross income for federal income tax purposes of the interest on the I-Bank Bonds; and

(v)        the certificates of insurance coverage as required pursuant to the terms of Section 3.06(d) hereof and such other certificates, documents, opinions and information as the I-Bank may require in Exhibit F hereto, if any.

(m)        Execution and Delivery of Borrower Bond . Concurrently with the delivery of this Loan Agreement at the Loan Closing, the Borrower shall also deliver to the I-Bank the Borrower Bond, as previously executed, attested and, if applicable, authenticated, upon the receipt of a written certification of the I-Bank that a portion of the net proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds shall be deposited in the Project Loan Account simultaneously with the delivery of the Borrower Bond.

(n)        Notice of Material Adverse Change . The Borrower shall promptly notify the I-Bank of any material adverse change in the properties, activities, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Borrower or its Environmental Infrastructure System, or in the ability of the Borrower to make all Loan Repayments and otherwise to observe and perform its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

(o)        Continuing Representations . The representations of the Borrower contained herein shall be true at the time of the execution of this Loan Agreement and at all times during the term of this Loan Agreement.

(p)        Continuing Disclosure Covenant . To the extent that the I-Bank, in its sole discretion, determines, at any time prior to the termination of the Loan Term, that the Borrower is a material “obligated person”, as the term “obligated person” is defined in Rule 15c2-12, with materiality being determined by the I-Bank pursuant to criteria established, from time to time, by the I-Bank in its sole discretion and set forth in a bond resolution or official statement of the I-Bank, the Borrower hereby covenants that it will authorize and provide to the I-Bank, for inclusion in any preliminary official statement or official statement of the I-Bank, all statements and information relating to the Borrower deemed material by the I-Bank for the purpose of satisfying Rule 15c2-12 as well as Rule 10b-5 promulgated pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended or supplemented, including any successor regulation or statute thereto (“Rule 10b-5”), including certificates and written representations of the Borrower evidencing its compliance with Rule

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15c2-12 and Rule 10b-5; and the Borrower hereby further covenants that the Borrower shall execute and deliver the Continuing Disclosure Agreement, in substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit H, with such revisions thereto prior to execution and delivery thereof as the I-Bank shall determine to be necessary, desirable or convenient, in its sole discretion, for the purpose of satisfying Rule 15c2-12 and the purposes and intent thereof, as Rule 15c2-12, its purposes and intent may hereafter be interpreted from time to time by the SEC or any court of competent jurisdiction; and pursuant to the terms and provisions of the Continuing Disclosure Agreement, the Borrower shall thereafter provide on-going disclosure with respect to all statements and information relating to the Borrower in satisfaction of the requirements set forth in Rule 15c2-12 and Rule 10b-5, including, without limitation, the provision of certificates and written representations of the Borrower evidencing its compliance with Rule 15c2-12 and Rule 10b-5.

(q)        Additional Covenants and Requirements . (i) No later than the Loan Closing and, if necessary, in connection with the I-Bank’s issuance of the I-Bank Bonds or the making of the Loan, additional covenants and requirements have been included in Exhibit F hereto and made a part hereof. Such covenants and requirements may include, but need not be limited to the maintenance of specified levels of Environmental Infrastructure System rates, the issuance of additional debt of the Borrower, the use by or on behalf of the Borrower of certain proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds as such use relates to the exclusion from gross income for federal income tax purposes of the interest on any I-Bank Bonds, the transfer of revenues and receipts from the Borrower’s Environmental Infrastructure System, compliance with Rule 15c2-12, Rule 10b-5 and any other applicable federal or state securities laws, and matters in connection with the appointment of the Trustee under the Bond Resolution and any successors thereto. The Borrower hereby agrees to observe and comply with each such additional covenant and requirement, if any, included in Exhibit F hereto as if the same were set forth herein in its entirety. (ii) Additional defined terms, covenants, representations and requirements have been included in Schedule A attached hereto and made a part hereof. Such additional defined terms, covenants, representations and requirements are incorporated in this Loan Agreement by reference thereto as if set forth in full herein and the Borrower hereby agrees to observe and comply with each such additional term, covenant, representation and requirement included in Schedule A as if the same were set forth in its entirety where reference thereto is made in this Loan Agreement.

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ARTICLE III

LOAN TO BORROWER; AMOUNTS PAYABLE; GENERAL AGREEMENTS

SECTION 3.01.        Loan; Loan Term.

(a)        The I-Bank hereby agrees (i) to make the Loan, as described in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, to the Borrower, and (ii) to disburse the proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower in accordance with Section 3.02 and Exhibit C hereof. The Borrower hereby agrees to borrow and accept the Loan from the I-Bank upon the terms set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof. The Borrower agrees that the amount actually deposited in the Project Loan Account at the Loan Closing plus the Borrower’s allocable share of (i) certain costs of issuance and underwriter’s discount for all I-Bank Bonds issued to finance the Loan; (ii) capitalized interest during the Project construction period, if applicable; and (iii) that portion of the Debt Service Reserve Fund (to the extent the I-Bank establishes a Debt Service Reserve Fund pursuant to the Bond Resolution) attributable to the cost of funding reserve capacity for the Project, if applicable, shall constitute the initial principal amount of the Loan (as the same may be adjusted downward in accordance with the definition thereof), and neither the I-Bank nor the Trustee shall have any obligation thereafter to loan any additional amounts to the Borrower.

(b)        Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section 3.01 to the contrary, the I-Bank shall be under no obligation (i) to make the Loan to the Borrower if (1) at the Loan Closing, the Borrower does not deliver to the I-Bank a Borrower Bond and such other documents as are required pursuant to Section 2.02(l) hereof, or (2) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing pursuant to, and as defined in, the Bond Resolution or pursuant to this Loan Agreement, or (ii) to disburse the proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower in accordance with Section 3.02 and Exhibit C hereof, unless each of the conditions precedent to such disbursement, as set forth in Section 3.02 hereof, have been satisfied in full. The I-Bank intends to disburse the proceeds of the Loan to the Borrower at the times and in the amounts set forth in Exhibit C hereof in order to pay a portion of the Costs of the Project, subject to compliance by the Borrower with the procedures for disbursement as set forth in Section 3.02 hereof; nevertheless, due to unforeseen circumstances, there may not be a sufficient amount on deposit in the Project Loan Account on a given disbursement date in order for the I-Bank to make the disbursement in the amount indicated in Exhibit C hereof so as to satisfy a Loan disbursement request by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.02 hereof, in which case (1) the I-Bank shall have no obligation hereunder to make such disbursement until such time as sufficient funds are on deposit in the Project Loan Account, and (2) the obligations of the Borrower hereunder shall not be affected.

(c)        The Borrower shall use the proceeds of the Loan strictly in compliance with the provisions of Section 2.01(h) hereof.

(d)        The payment obligations of the Borrower created pursuant to the terms of this Loan Agreement and the

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obligations of the Borrower to pay the principal of the Borrower Bond, Interest on the Borrower Bond and other amounts due under the Borrower Bond are direct, general, irrevocable and unconditional obligations of the Borrower payable from any source legally available to the Borrower in accordance with the terms of and to the extent provided in the Borrower Bond Resolution.

SECTION 3.02.        Disbursement of Loan Proceeds.

(a)        The Trustee, as the agent of the I-Bank, shall disburse the amounts on deposit in the Project Loan Account to the Borrower upon (i) receipt of a requisition executed by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower, and approved by the I-Bank, in a form satisfying the requirements of Section 5.02(3) of the Bond Resolution, and (ii) consistent with the schedule for disbursement as set forth in Exhibit C hereof.

(b)        The I-Bank and the Trustee shall not be required to disburse any Loan proceeds to the Borrower pursuant to this Loan Agreement, unless:

(i)        the proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds shall be available for disbursement, as determined by the I-Bank in its sole and absolute discretion;

(ii)        in accordance with the Bond Act, and the Regulations, the Borrower shall have timely applied for, shall have been awarded and, prior to or simultaneously with the Loan Closing, shall have closed, a Fund Loan for a portion of the Allowable Costs (as defined in such Regulations) of the Project;

(iii)        the Borrower shall have on hand moneys to pay for the greater of (A) that portion of the total Costs of the Project that is not eligible to be funded from the Fund Loan or the Loan, or (B) that portion of the total Costs of the Project that exceeds the actual amounts of the loan commitments made by the State and the I-Bank, respectively, for the Fund Loan and the Loan; and

(iv)        no Event of Default nor any event that, with the passage of time or service of notice or both, would constitute an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing hereunder.

(c)        Notwithstanding any provision of this Loan Agreement to the contrary, the I-Bank and the Trustee, at the request of the Borrower but at the sole discretion of the I-Bank, may disburse Loan proceeds to the Borrower from the Project Loan Account either prior to or subsequent to the scheduled date for disbursement thereof as such scheduled date is identified in the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, provided that (A) the Borrower has otherwise satisfied the requirements of this Section 3.02, and (B) such disbursement, in a manner that is inconsistent with the

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disbursement schedule as set forth in Exhibit C hereof, does not conflict with any restrictions set forth in the Regulations.

In the event that, in the submission of its requisition(s), the Borrower fails to comply with the disbursement schedule as set forth in Exhibit C hereof, and such non-compliance by the Borrower consists of (i) a failure to timely seek disbursement of Loan proceeds which failure results in an amount of non-disbursed funds remaining on deposit in the Project Loan Account, subsequent to the date on which such funds should have been disbursed pursuant to the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, that, in the aggregate, represents twenty-five percent (25%) of the original deposit to such Project Loan Account, or (ii) a failure to timely seek disbursement of Loan proceeds which failure results in an amount of funds disbursed from the Project Loan Account earlier than the date on which such funds were scheduled to have been disbursed pursuant to the disbursement schedule set forth in Exhibit C hereof, that, in the aggregate, represents twenty-five percent (25%) of the original deposit to such Project Loan Account, then the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower providing a revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department. Any reference to Exhibit C in Section 3.01, Section 3.02 and Section 3.03A hereof shall mean Exhibit C as such exhibit may have been revised from time to time pursuant to the provisions of the preceding sentence.

 

SECTION 3.03.        Amounts Payable.

(a)        The Borrower shall repay the Loan in installments payable to the Trustee as follows:

(i)        the principal of the Loan shall be repaid annually on the Principal Payment Dates, in accordance with the schedule set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, as the same may be amended or modified by any credits applicable to the Borrower as set forth in the Bond Resolution;

(ii)        the Interest Portion described in clause (i) of the definition thereof shall be paid semiannually on the Interest Payment Dates, in accordance with the schedule set forth in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, as the same may be amended or modified by any credits applicable to the Borrower as set forth in the Bond Resolution; and

(iii)        the Interest Portion described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof shall be paid upon the date of optional redemption or acceleration, as the case may be, of the I-Bank Bonds allocable to any prepaid or accelerated I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment.

The obligations of the Borrower under the Borrower Bond shall be deemed to be amounts payable under this Section 3.03. Each Loan Repayment, whether satisfied through a direct payment by the Borrower to the Trustee or (with respect to the Interest Portion) through the use

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of I-Bank Bond proceeds and income thereon on deposit in the Interest Account (as defined in the Bond Resolution) to pay interest on the I-Bank Bonds, shall be deemed to be a credit against the corresponding obligation of the Borrower under this Section 3.03 and shall fulfill the Borrower’s obligation to pay such amount hereunder and under the Borrower Bond. Each payment made to the Trustee pursuant to this Section 3.03 shall be applied first to the Interest Portion then due and payable, second to the principal of the Loan then due and payable, third to the payment of the Administrative Fee, and finally to the payment of any late charges hereunder.

(b)        The Interest on the Loan described in clause (iii) of the definition thereof shall (i) consist of a late charge for any I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment that is received by the Trustee later than its due date and (ii) be payable immediately thereafter in an amount equal to the greater of twelve percent (12%) per annum or the Prime Rate plus one half of one percent per annum on such late payment from its due date to the date it is actually paid; provided, however, that the rate of Interest on the Loan, including, without limitation, any late payment charges incurred hereunder, shall not exceed the maximum interest rate permitted by law.

(c)        The Borrower shall receive, as a credit against its semiannual payment obligations of the Interest Portion, the amounts, if any, certified by the I-Bank pursuant to Section 5.10 of the Bond Resolution. Such amounts shall represent the Borrower’s allocable share of the interest earnings on certain funds and accounts established under the Bond Resolution, as calculated and determined in accordance with Section 5.10 of the Bond Resolution.

(d)        In accordance with the provisions of the Bond Resolution, the Borrower shall receive, as a credit against its I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments, the amounts, if any, set forth in the certificate of the I-Bank filed with the Trustee pursuant to Section 5.02(4) of the Bond Resolution.

(e)        The Interest on the Loan described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof shall be paid by the Borrower in the amount of one-half of the Administrative Fee, if any, to the Trustee semiannually on each February 1 and August 1, commencing August 1, 2018.

(f)        The “DEP Loan Surcharge or Loan Origination Fee” as defined in Section 8 of Exhibit B attached hereto and made a part hereof, as additionally identified in Exhibit A-2 attached hereto and made a part hereof, (the “DEP Fee”) shall be paid by the Borrower to the Trustee on the date indicated therein in satisfaction of the payment obligation of the Borrower to the Department, and the obligation of the Borrower with respect to the payment of such DEP Fee shall be an obligation of the Borrower under the Borrower Bond and an amount payable pursuant to this Section 3.03. For purposes of crediting and applying the payment by the Borrower of the DEP Fee upon receipt thereof as provided hereby, the Trustee shall credit and apply such payment of the DEP Fee pursuant to the terms and provisions of the Bond Resolution that relate to the payment, crediting and application of the State Administrative Fee (as defined in the Bond Resolution), notwithstanding that fact that (i) the DEP Fee and the State Administrative Fee are separate and distinct fee payment obligations to be satisfied by the Borrower, and (ii) as of the date hereof,

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there is no State Administrative Fee due and payable by the Borrower. The Trustee, as assignee hereof, hereby agrees to the credit and application of the DEP Fee upon payment thereof as provided hereby.

(g)        The Borrower hereby agrees to pay to the I-Bank at the Loan Closing a “Security Review Fee” in the amount necessary to reimburse the I-Bank for all of its costs and expenses incurred in connection with reviewing the additional security securing the I-Bank Loan as set forth in Exhibit F hereto, if any, including without limitation the fees and expenses of any professional advisers hired by the I-Bank in connection therewith.

(h)        Upon thirty (30) days prior written notice to the Borrower, an Authorized Officer of the I-Bank may, in the sole discretion of such Authorized Officer, prescribe the particular method by which payments pursuant to, and in satisfaction of, this Section 3.03 shall be made by the Borrower. Such method as prescribed by an Authorized Officer of the I-Bank may include, without limitation, the automatic debit by the I-Bank or the Trustee of the respective amounts of such payments, as required by this Section 3.03, from an account that shall be identified by the Borrower in writing and recorded on file with the I-Bank and the Trustee. In the absence of any such written notice to the Borrower by an Authorized Officer of the I-Bank pursuant to this subsection (g), the Borrower shall implement the payments required pursuant to, and in satisfaction of, this Section 3.03 either via electronic transfer of immediately available funds or via check.

SECTION 3.03A.       Amounts on Deposit in Project Loan Account After Completion of Project Draws.

(a)        If, on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to the disbursement schedule contained in Exhibit C hereto, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower (i) stating that the Borrower has not yet completed the Project, (ii) stating that the Borrower intends to complete the Project, (iii) setting forth the amount of remaining Loan Proceeds required to complete the Project, and (iv) providing a revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department.

(b)        If, on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to the revised disbursement schedule certified to the I-Bank and the Department in accordance with Section 3.03A(a) hereof, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, the Borrower shall provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate of an Authorized Officer of the Borrower (i) stating that the Borrower has not yet completed the Project, (ii) stating that the Borrower intends to complete the Project, (iii) setting forth the amount of remaining Loan Proceeds required to complete the Project, and (iv) providing a further revised disbursement schedule, in a form similar to Exhibit C hereto and approved by the Department.

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(c)        If, on the date which the Borrower has completed the Project, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, the Borrower must within thirty (30) days following such date provide to the I-Bank and the Department a certificate (i) stating that the Project is complete and (ii) setting forth the remaining costs, if any, of the Project for which a disbursement of Loan will be required.

(d)        If (i) the Borrower fails to provide the certificate described in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 3.03A, when due, or (ii) a certificate provided pursuant to paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 3.03A states that the Borrower does not require all or any portion of the amount on deposit in the Project Loan Account for completion of the Project, or (iii) on the date which is thirty (30) days following the final date on which a disbursement of Loan proceeds is scheduled to be made pursuant to a further revised disbursement schedule certified to the I-Bank and the Department in accordance with Section 3.03A(b) hereof, any amounts remain on deposit in the Borrower’s Project Loan Account, then such amounts on deposit in the Project Loan Account, which are amounts that have not been certified by an Authorized Officer of the Borrower as being required to complete the Project (“Excess Project Funds”), shall be applied as follows:

(i)        If I-Bank Bonds can be redeemed within sixty (60) days of the date the Borrower is required to provide the certificate described in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 3.03A, the Excess Project Funds shall be used by the I-Bank within such sixty (60) day period to redeem I-Bank Bonds, including payment of the premium, if any, associated with such redemption . The I-Bank Bonds shall be redeemed in inverse order of their maturity. The amount of any maturity redeemed shall not exceed the same proportion as the Loan bears to all Loans made from proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds rounded down to whole denominations or any integral multiple. The aggregate amount of I-Bank Bonds so redeemed shall not be less than the amount of nonqualified bonds allocable to the Borrower under Treasury Regulations §1.142-12. The Excess Project Funds used to redeem I-Bank Bonds shall be applied by the I-Bank as a prepayment of the Borrower’s Loan Repayments with respect to the redeemed bonds. Any excess shall be held by I-Bank invested at a yield which does not exceed the yield on the I-Bank Bonds.

(ii)        If I-Bank Bonds cannot be redeemed within sixty (60) days of the date the Borrower is required to provide the certificate described in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 3.03A, the I-Bank shall, within such sixty (60) day period, (A) deposit all of the Excess Project Funds in a defeasance escrow established to defease I-Bank Bonds in inverse order of their maturity, in the same proportion as the Loan bears to all Loans made from proceeds of the I-Bank Bonds, (B) provide the notice to the Internal Revenue Service required pursuant to Treasury Regulations §1.142-2(c)(2), or any successor income tax regulations, and (C) apply the Excess Project Funds as a prepayment of the Borrower’s Loan Repayments (including the premium, if any, associated with any optional or mandatory redemption of I-Bank Bonds) for the defeased I-Bank Bonds. The aggregate amount of I-Bank Bonds so defeased shall not be less than the amount of nonqualified bonds allocable to the Borrower under Treasury Regulations §1.142-12.

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SECTION 3.04.        Unconditional Obligations. The obligation of the Borrower to make the Loan Repayments and all other payments required hereunder and the obligation to perform and observe the other duties, covenants, obligations and agreements on its part contained herein shall be absolute and unconditional, and shall not be abated, rebated, set-off, reduced, abrogated, terminated, waived, diminished, postponed or otherwise modified in any manner or to any extent whatsoever while any I-Bank Bonds remain outstanding or any Loan Repayments remain unpaid, for any reason, regardless of any contingency, act of God, event or cause whatsoever, including (without limitation) any acts or circumstances that may constitute failure of consideration, eviction or constructive eviction, the taking by eminent domain or destruction of or damage to the Project or Environmental Infrastructure System, commercial frustration of the purpose, any change in the laws of the United States of America or of the State or any political subdivision of either or in the rules or regulations of any governmental authority, any failure of the I-Bank or the Trustee to perform and observe any agreement, whether express or implied, or any duty, liability or obligation arising out of or connected with the Project, this Loan Agreement or the Bond Resolution, or any rights of set-off, recoupment, abatement or counterclaim that the Borrower might otherwise have against the I-Bank, the Trustee or any other party or parties; provided, however, that payments hereunder shall not constitute a waiver of any such rights. The Borrower shall not be obligated to make any payments required to be made by any other Borrowers under separate Loan Agreements or the Bond Resolution.

The Borrower acknowledges that payment of the I-Bank Bonds by the I-Bank, including payment from moneys drawn by the Trustee from the Debt Service Reserve Fund (to the extent the I-Bank establishes a Debt Service Reserve Fund pursuant to the Bond Resolution), does not constitute payment of the amounts due under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond. If at any time the amount in the Debt Service Reserve Fund shall be less than the Debt Service Reserve Requirement as the result of any transfer of moneys from the Debt Service Reserve Fund to the Debt Service Fund (as all such terms are defined in the Bond Resolution) as the result of a failure by the Borrower to make any I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments required hereunder, the Borrower agrees to replenish (i) such moneys so transferred and (ii) any deficiency arising from losses incurred in making such transfer as the result of the liquidation by the I-Bank of Investment Securities (as defined in the Bond Resolution) acquired as an investment of moneys in the Debt Service Reserve Fund, by making payments to the I-Bank in equal monthly installments for the lesser of six (6) months or the remaining term of the Loan at an interest rate to be determined by the I-Bank necessary to make up any loss caused by such deficiency.

The Borrower acknowledges that payment of the I-Bank Bonds from moneys that were originally received by the Trustee from repayments by the Borrowers of loans made to the Borrowers by the State, acting by and through the Department, pursuant to loan agreements dated as of May 1, 2018 by and between the Borrowers and the State, acting by and through the Department, to finance or refinance a portion of the Costs of the Environmental Infrastructure Facilities of the Borrowers, and which moneys were upon such receipt by the Trustee deposited in the I-Bank Bonds Security Account (as defined in the Bond Resolution) does not constitute payment of the amounts due under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

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SECTION 3.05.        Loan Agreement to Survive Bond Resolution and I-Bank Bonds. The Borrower acknowledges that its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements hereunder shall survive the discharge of the Bond Resolution applicable to the I-Bank Bonds and shall survive the payment of the principal and redemption premium, if any, of and the interest on the I-Bank Bonds until the Borrower can take no action or fail to take any action that could adversely affect the exclusion from gross income of the interest on the I-Bank Bonds for purposes of federal income taxation, at which time such duties, covenants, obligations and agreements hereunder shall, except for those set forth in Sections 3.06(a) and (b) hereof, terminate.

SECTION 3.06.        Disclaimer of Warranties and Indemnification.

(a)        The Borrower acknowledges and agrees that (i) neither the I-Bank nor the Trustee makes any warranty or representation, either express or implied, as to the value, design, condition, merchantability or fitness for particular purpose or fitness for any use of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project or any portions thereof or any other warranty or representation with respect thereto; (ii) in no event shall the I-Bank or the Trustee or their respective agents be liable or responsible for any incidental, indirect, special or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of this Loan Agreement or the Project or the existence, furnishing, functioning or use of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project or any item or products or services provided for in this Loan Agreement; and (iii) to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower shall indemnify and hold the I-Bank and the Trustee harmless against, and the Borrower shall pay any and all, liability, loss, cost, damage, claim, judgment or expense of any and all kinds or nature and however arising and imposed by law, which the I-Bank and the Trustee may sustain, be subject to or be caused to incur by reason of any claim, suit or action based upon personal injury, death or damage to property, whether real, personal or mixed, or upon or arising out of contracts entered into by the Borrower, the Borrower’s ownership of the Environmental Infrastructure System or the Project, or the acquisition, construction or installation of the Project.

(b)        It is mutually agreed by the Borrower, the I-Bank and the Trustee that the I-Bank and its officers, agents, servants or employees shall not be liable for, and shall be indemnified and saved harmless by the Borrower in any event from, any action performed under this Loan Agreement and any claim or suit of whatsoever nature, except in the event of loss or damage resulting from their own negligence or willful misconduct. It is further agreed that the Trustee and its directors, officers, agents, servants or employees shall not be liable for, and shall be indemnified and saved harmless by the Borrower in any event from, any action performed pursuant to this Loan Agreement, except in the event of loss or damage resulting from their own negligence or willful misconduct.

(c)        The Borrower and the I-Bank agree that all claims shall be subject to and governed by the provisions of the New Jersey Contractual Liability Act, N.J.S.A. 59:13-1 et seq. (except for N.J.S.A. 59:13-9 thereof), although such Act by its express terms does not apply to claims arising under contract with the I-Bank.

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(d)        In connection with its obligation to provide the insurance required under Section 2.02(j) hereof: (i) the Borrower shall include, or cause to be included, the I-Bank and its directors, employees and officers as additional “named insureds” on (A) any certificate of liability insurance procured by the Borrower (or other similar document evidencing the liability insurance coverage procured by the Borrower) and (B) any certificate of liability insurance procured by any contractor or subcontractor for the Project, and from the later of the date of the Loan Closing or the date of the initiation of construction of the Project until the date the Borrower receives the written certificate of Project completion from the I-Bank, the Borrower shall maintain said liability insurance covering the I-Bank and said directors, employees and officers in good standing; and (ii) the Borrower shall include the I-Bank as an additional “named insured” on any certificate of insurance providing against risk of direct physical loss, damage or destruction of the Environmental Infrastructure System, and during the Loan Term the Borrower shall maintain said insurance covering the I-Bank in good standing.

The Borrower shall provide the I-Bank with a copy of each of any such original, supplemental, amendatory or reissued certificates of insurance (or other similar documents evidencing the insurance coverage) required pursuant to this Section 3.06(d).

SECTION 3.07.        Option to Prepay Loan Repayments. The Borrower may prepay the I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments, in whole or in part (but if in part, in the amount of $100,000 or any integral multiple thereof), upon prior written notice to the I-Bank and the Trustee not less than ninety (90) days in addition to the number of days’ advance notice to the Trustee required for any optional redemption of the I-Bank Bonds, and upon payment by the Borrower to the Trustee of amounts that, together with investment earnings thereon, will be sufficient to pay the principal amount of the I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments to be prepaid plus the Interest Portion described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof on any such date of redemption; provided, however, that, with respect to any prepayment other than those required by Section 3.03A hereof, any such full or partial prepayment may only be made (i) if the Borrower is not then in arrears on its Fund Loan, (ii) if the Borrower is contemporaneously making a full or partial prepayment of the Fund Loan such that, after the prepayment of the Loan and the Fund Loan, the I-Bank, in its sole discretion, determines that the interests of the owners of the I-Bank Bonds are not adversely affected by such prepayments, (iii) upon the prior written approval of the I-Bank, and (iv) provided that the Borrower shall agree to pay all costs and expenses of the I-Bank in connection with such prepayment, including, without limitation, the fees of Bond Counsel to the I-Bank and any other professional advisors to the I-Bank. In addition, if at the time of such prepayment the I-Bank Bonds may only be redeemed at the option of the I-Bank upon payment of a premium, the Borrower shall add to its prepayment of I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments an amount, as determined by the I-Bank, equal to such premium allocable to the I-Bank Bonds to be redeemed as a result of the Borrower’s prepayment. Prepayments shall be applied first to the Interest Portion that accrues on the portion of the Loan to be prepaid until such prepayment date as described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof and then to principal payments (including premium, if any) on the Loan in inverse order of their maturity.

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SECTION 3.08.        Priority of Loan and Fund Loan.

(a)        The Borrower hereby acknowledges that, to the extent allowed by law or the Borrower Bond Resolution, any Loan Repayments then due and payable on the Loan shall be satisfied by the Trustee before any loan repayments on the Borrower’s Fund Loan shall be satisfied by the Trustee. The Borrower agrees not to interfere with any such action by the Trustee.

(b)        The Borrower hereby acknowledges that in the event the Borrower fails or is unable to pay promptly to the I-Bank in full any I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments under this Loan Agreement when due, then any (i) Administrative Fee paid hereunder, (ii) late charges paid hereunder, and (iii) loan repayments paid by the Borrower on its Fund Loan under the related loan agreement therefor, any of which payments shall be received by the Trustee during the time of any such I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment deficiency, shall be applied by the Trustee first to satisfy such I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment deficiency as a credit against the obligations of the Borrower to make payments of the Interest Portion under the Loan and the Borrower Bond, second , to the extent available, to make I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments of principal hereunder and payments of principal under the Borrower Bond, third , to the extent available, to pay the Administrative Fee, fourth , to the extent available, to pay any late charges hereunder, fifth , to the extent available, to satisfy the repayment of the Borrower’s Fund Loan under its related loan agreement therefor, and finally , to the extent available, to satisfy the repayment of the administrative fee under any such related loan agreement.

(c)        The Borrower hereby further acknowledges that any loan repayments paid by the Borrower on its Fund Loan under the related loan agreement therefor shall be applied according to the provisions of the Master Program Trust Agreement.

SECTION 3.09.        Approval of the New Jersey State Treasurer. The Borrower and the I-Bank hereby acknowledge that prior to or simultaneously with the Loan Closing the New Jersey State Treasurer, in satisfaction of the requirements of Section 9a of the Act, issued the “Certificate of the New Jersey State Treasurer Regarding the Approval of the I-Bank Loan and the Fund Loan” (the “Treasurer’s Certificate”). Pursuant to the terms of the Treasurer’s Certificate, the New Jersey State Treasurer approved the Loan and the terms and conditions thereof as established by the provisions of this Loan Agreement.

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ARTICLE IV

ASSIGNMENT OF LOAN AGREEMENT AND BORROWER BOND

SECTION 4.01.        Assignment and Transfer by I-Bank.

(a)        The Borrower hereby expressly acknowledges that, other than the provisions of Section 2.02(d)(ii) hereof, the I-Bank’s right, title and interest in, to and under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond have been assigned to the Trustee as security for the I-Bank Bonds as provided in the Bond Resolution, and that if any Event of Default shall occur, the Trustee or any Bond Insurer (as such term may be defined in the Bond Resolution), if applicable, pursuant to the Bond Resolution, shall be entitled to act hereunder in the place and stead of the I-Bank. The Borrower hereby acknowledges the requirements of the Bond Resolution applicable to the I-Bank Bonds and consents to such assignment and appointment. This Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond, including, without limitation, the right to receive payments required to be made by the Borrower hereunder and to compel or otherwise enforce observance and performance by the Borrower of its other duties, covenants, obligations and agreements hereunder, may be further transferred, assigned and reassigned in whole or in part to one or more assignees or subassignees by the Trustee at any time subsequent to their execution without the necessity of obtaining the consent of, but after giving prior written notice to, the Borrower.

The I-Bank shall retain the right to compel or otherwise enforce observance and performance by the Borrower of its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under Section 2.02(d)(ii) hereof; provided, however, that in no event shall the I-Bank have the right to accelerate the Borrower Bond in connection with the enforcement of Section 2.02(d)(ii) hereof.

(b)        The Borrower hereby approves and consents to any assignment or transfer of this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond that the I-Bank deems to be necessary in connection with any refunding of the I-Bank Bonds or the issuance of additional bonds under the Bond Resolution or otherwise, all in connection with the pooled loan program of the I-Bank.

SECTION 4.02.        Assignment by Borrower. Neither this Loan Agreement nor the Borrower Bond may be assigned by the Borrower for any reason, unless the following conditions shall be satisfied: (i) the I-Bank and the Trustee shall have approved said assignment in writing; (ii) the assignee shall have expressly assumed in writing the full and faithful observance and performance of the Borrower’s duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under this Loan Agreement and, to the extent permitted under applicable law, the Borrower Bond; (iii) immediately after such assignment, the assignee shall not be in default in the observance or performance of any duties, covenants, obligations or agreements of the Borrower under this Loan Agreement or the Borrower Bond; and (iv) the I-Bank shall have received an opinion of Bond Counsel to the effect that such assignment will not adversely affect the security of the holders of the I-Bank Bonds or the exclusion of the interest on the I-Bank Bonds from gross income for purposes of federal income taxation under Section 103(a) of the Code.

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ARTICLE V

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

SECTION 5.01.        Events of Default. If any of the following events occur, it is hereby defined as and declared to be and to constitute an “Event of Default”:

(a)        failure by the Borrower to pay, or cause to be paid, any I-Bank Bond Loan Repayment required to be paid hereunder when due, which failure shall continue for a period of fifteen (15) days;

(b)        failure by the Borrower to make, or cause to be made, any required payments of principal, redemption premium, if any, and interest on any bonds, notes or other obligations of the Borrower issued under the Borrower Bond Resolution (other than the Loan and the Borrower Bond) or otherwise secured by all or a portion of the property pledged under the Borrower Bond Resolution, after giving effect to the applicable grace period;

(c)        failure by the Borrower to pay, or cause to be paid, the Administrative Fee or any late charges incurred hereunder or any portion thereof when due or to observe and perform any duty, covenant, obligation or agreement on its part to be observed or performed under this Loan Agreement, other than as referred to in subsection (a) of this Section 5.01 or other than the obligations of the Borrower contained in Section 2.02(d)(ii) hereof and in Exhibit F hereto, which failure shall continue for a period of thirty (30) days after written notice, specifying such failure and requesting that it be remedied, is given to the Borrower by the Trustee, unless the Trustee shall agree in writing to an extension of such time prior to its expiration; provided, however, that if the failure stated in such notice is correctable but cannot be corrected within the applicable period, the Trustee may not unreasonably withhold its consent to an extension of such time up to 120 days from the delivery of the written notice referred to above if corrective action is instituted by the Borrower within the applicable period and diligently pursued until the Event of Default is corrected;

(d)        any representation made by or on behalf of the Borrower contained in this Loan Agreement, or in any instrument furnished in compliance with or with reference to this Loan Agreement or the Loan, is false or misleading in any material respect;

(e)        a petition is filed by or against the Borrower under any federal or state bankruptcy or insolvency law or other similar law in effect on the date of this Loan Agreement or thereafter enacted, and/or any proceeding with respect to such petition and/or pursuant to any such law shall occur or be pending (including, without limitation, the operation and administration of the Borrower pursuant to any plan of reorganization approved and implemented under any such law), unless in the case of any such petition filed against the Borrower or any such proceeding such petition and such proceeding shall be dismissed within thirty (30) days after such filing and such dismissal

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shall be final and not subject to appeal or the further jurisdiction of any court; or the Borrower shall become insolvent or bankrupt or shall make an assignment for the benefit of its creditors; or a custodian (including, without limitation, a receiver, liquidator or trustee of the Borrower or any of its property) shall be appointed by court order or take possession of the Borrower or its property or assets if such order remains in effect or such possession continues for more than thirty (30) days;

(f)        the Borrower shall generally fail to pay its debts as such debts become due; and

(g)        failure of the Borrower to observe or perform such additional duties, covenants, obligations, agreements or conditions as are required by the I-Bank and specified in Exhibit F attached hereto and made a part hereof.

SECTION 5.02.        Notice of Default. The Borrower shall give the Trustee and the I-Bank prompt telephonic notice of the occurrence of any Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01(d) or (e) hereof and of the occurrence of any other event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default at such time as any senior administrative or financial officer of the Borrower becomes aware of the existence thereof.

SECTION 5.03.        Remedies on Default. Whenever an Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01 hereof shall have occurred and be continuing, the Borrower acknowledges the rights of the Trustee and of any Bond Insurer to direct any and all remedies in accordance with the terms of the Bond Resolution, and the Borrower also acknowledges that the I-Bank shall have the right to take, or to direct the Trustee to take, any action permitted or required pursuant to the Bond Resolution and to take whatever other action at law or in equity may appear necessary or desirable to collect the amounts then due and thereafter to become due hereunder or to enforce the observance and performance of any duty, covenant, obligation or agreement of the Borrower hereunder.

In addition, if an Event of Default referred to in Section 5.01(a) hereof shall have occurred and be continuing, the I-Bank shall, to the extent allowed by applicable law and to the extent and in the manner set forth in the Bond Resolution, have the right to declare, or to direct the Trustee to declare, all Loan Repayments and all other amounts due hereunder (including, without limitation, payments under the Borrower Bond) together with the prepayment premium, if any, calculated pursuant to Section 3.07 hereof to be immediately due and payable, and upon notice to the Borrower the same shall become due and payable without further notice or demand.

SECTION 5.04.        Attorneys’ Fees and Other Expenses. The Borrower shall on demand pay to the I-Bank or the Trustee the reasonable fees and expenses of attorneys and other reasonable expenses (including, without limitation, the reasonably allocated costs of in-house counsel and legal staff) incurred by either of them in the collection of I-Bank Bond Loan Repayments or any other sum due hereunder or in the enforcement of the observation or performance of any other duties, covenants, obligations or agreements of the Borrower upon an Event of Default.

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SECTION 5.05.        Application of Moneys. Any moneys collected by the I-Bank or the Trustee pursuant to Section 5.03 hereof shall be applied (a) first to pay any attorneys’ fees or other fees and expenses owed by the Borrower pursuant to Section 5.04 hereof, (b) second , to the extent available, to pay the Interest Portion then due and payable, (c) third , to the extent available, to pay the principal due and payable on the Loan, (d) fourth , to the extent available, to pay the Administrative Fee, any late charges incurred hereunder or any other amounts due and payable under this Loan Agreement, and (e) fifth , to the extent available, to pay the Interest Portion and the principal on the Loan and other amounts payable hereunder as such amounts become due and payable.

SECTION 5.06.        No Remedy Exclusive; Waiver; Notice. No remedy herein conferred upon or reserved to the I-Bank or the Trustee is intended to be exclusive, and every such remedy shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to every other remedy given under this Loan Agreement or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity. No delay or omission to exercise any right, remedy or power accruing upon any Event of Default shall impair any such right, remedy or power or shall be construed to be a waiver thereof, but any such right, remedy or power may be exercised from time to time and as often as may be deemed expedient. In order to entitle the I-Bank or the Trustee to exercise any remedy reserved to it in this Article V, it shall not be necessary to give any notice other than such notice as may be required in this Article V.

SECTION 5.07.        Retention of I-Bank’s Rights. Notwithstanding any assignment or transfer of this Loan Agreement pursuant to the provisions hereof or of the Bond Resolution, or anything else to the contrary contained herein, the I-Bank shall have the right upon the occurrence of an Event of Default to take any action, including (without limitation) bringing an action against the Borrower at law or in equity, as the I-Bank may, in its discretion, deem necessary to enforce the obligations of the Borrower to the I-Bank pursuant to Section 5.03 hereof.

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ARTICLE VI

MISCELLANEOUS

SECTION 6.01.        Notices. All notices, certificates or other communications hereunder shall be sufficiently given and shall be deemed given when hand delivered or mailed by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the Borrower at the address specified in Exhibit A-1 attached hereto and made a part hereof and to the I-Bank and the Trustee at the following addresses:

(a)        I-Bank:

New Jersey Infrastructure Bank

3131 Princeton Pike

Building 4, Suite 216

Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648-2201

Attention: Executive Director

(b)        Trustee:

ZB, National Association d/b/a Zions Bank

401 Liberty Avenue, Suite 1729

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Attention: Corporate Trust Department

Any of the foregoing parties may designate any further or different addresses to which subsequent notices, certificates or other communications shall be sent by notice in writing given to the others.

SECTION 6.02.        Binding Effect. This Loan Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the I-Bank and the Borrower and their respective successors and assigns.

SECTION 6.03.        Severability. In the event any provision of this Loan Agreement shall be held illegal, invalid or unenforceable by any court of competent jurisdiction, such holding shall not invalidate, render unenforceable or otherwise affect any other provision hereof.

SECTION 6.04.        Amendments, Supplements and Modifications.

(a)        Except as otherwise provided in this Section 6.04, this Loan Agreement may not be amended, supplemented or modified without the prior written consent of the I-Bank and the Borrower and without the satisfaction of all conditions set forth in Section 11.12 of the Bond Resolution. Notwithstanding the conditions set forth in Section 11.12 of the Bond Resolution, (i) Section 2.02(p) hereof may be amended, supplemented or modified upon the written consent of the I-Bank and the Borrower and without the consent of the Trustee, any Bond Insurer or any holders

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of the I-Bank Bonds, and (ii) Exhibit H hereto may be amended, supplemented or modified prior to the execution and delivery thereof as the I-Bank, in its sole discretion, shall determine to be necessary, desirable or convenient for the purpose of satisfying Rule 15c2-12 and the purpose and intent thereof as Rule 15c2-12, its purpose and intent may hereafter be interpreted from time to time by the SEC or any court of competent jurisdiction, and such amendment, supplement or modification shall not require the consent of the Borrower, the Trustee, any Bond Insurer or any holders of the I-Bank Bonds.

SECTION 6.05.        Execution in Counterparts. This Loan Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which shall constitute but one and the same instrument.

SECTION 6.06.        Applicable Law and Regulations. This Loan Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State, including the Act and the Regulations, which Regulations are, by this reference thereto, incorporated herein as part of this Loan Agreement.

SECTION 6.07.        Consents and Approvals. Whenever the written consent or approval of the I-Bank shall be required under the provisions of this Loan Agreement, such consent or approval may only be given by the I-Bank unless otherwise provided by law or by rules, regulations or resolutions of the I-Bank or unless expressly delegated to the Trustee and except as otherwise provided in Section 6.09 hereof.

SECTION 6.08.        Captions. The captions or headings in this Loan Agreement are for convenience only and shall not in any way define, limit or describe the scope or intent of any provisions or sections of this Loan Agreement.

SECTION 6.09.        Benefit of Loan Agreement; Compliance with Bond Resolution. This Loan Agreement is executed, among other reasons, to induce the purchase of the I-Bank Bonds. Accordingly, all duties, covenants, obligations and agreements of the Borrower herein contained are hereby declared to be for the benefit of and are enforceable by the I-Bank, the holders of the I-Bank Bonds and the Trustee. The Borrower covenants and agrees to observe and comply with, and to enable the I-Bank to observe and comply with, all duties, covenants, obligations and agreements contained in the Bond Resolution.

SECTION 6.10.        Further Assurances. The Borrower shall, at the request of the I-Bank, authorize, execute, attest, acknowledge and deliver such further resolutions, conveyances, transfers, assurances, financing statements and other instruments as may be necessary or desirable for better assuring, conveying, granting, assigning and confirming the rights, security interests and agreements granted or intended to be granted by this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the I-Bank and the Borrower have caused this Loan Agreement to be executed, sealed and delivered as of the date first above written.

 

   

NEW JERSEY

INFRASTRUCTURE BANK

 

 

 

[SEAL]   By: /s/Robert A. Briant, Jr.
      Robert A. Briant, Jr.

ATTEST:

 

    Vice Chairman
       
/s/David E. Zimmer      
David E. Zimmer      
Assistant Secretary  

 

 

 

MIDDLESEX WATER COMPANY

 

[SEAL]

     
       
    By: /s/A. Bruce O’Connor
ATTEST:    

A. Bruce O’Connor, Vice

President, Treasurer and Chief

Financial Officer

 

 

     
/s/Jay L. Kooper      
Jay L. Kooper, Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary
     

 

[signature page] 

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SCHEDULE A

Certain Additional Loan Agreement Provisions

In addition to the terms defined in subsection (a) of Section 1.01 of this Loan Agreement, certain additional capitalized terms used in this Loan Agreement shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the meanings ascribed to such additional capitalized terms in this Schedule A.

Additional Definitions:

“Borrower” means Middlesex Water Company, a corporation duly created and validly existing under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

“Bond Resolution” means the I-Bank’s “Environmental Infrastructure Bond Resolution, Series 2018B-1”, as adopted by the Board of Directors of the I-Bank on or about April 12, 2018 authorizing the issuance of the I-Bank Bonds, and all further amendments and supplements thereto adopted in accordance with the provisions thereof.

“Borrower Bond Resolution” means the indenture of the Borrower dated as of April 1, 1927 and entitled “Indenture of Mortgage”, as amended and supplemented from time to time, in particular by a supplemental indenture detailing the terms of the Borrower Bond dated as of May 1, 2018 and entitled “Fifty-Second Supplemental Indenture”, pursuant to which the Borrower Bond has been issued.

“Interest Payment Dates” means February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2018.

“Loan” means the loan made by the I-Bank to the Borrower to finance or refinance a portion of the Cost of the Project pursuant to this Loan Agreement. For all purposes of this Loan Agreement, the amount of the Loan at any time shall be the initial aggregate principal amount of the Borrower Bond (which amount equals the amount actually deposited in the Project Loan Account at the Loan Closing plus the Borrower's allocable share of certain costs of issuance, and underwriter's discount for all I-Bank Bonds issued to finance the Loan), less any amount of such principal amount that has been repaid by the Borrower under this Loan Agreement and less any adjustment made pursuant to the provisions of the Bond Resolution, including, without limitation, Section 5.02(4) thereof, N.J.A.C. 7:22-4.26 and the appropriations act of the State Legislature authorizing the expenditure of I-Bank Bond proceeds to finance a portion of the Costs of the Project.

“Principal Payment Dates” means August 1 of each year, commencing on August 1, 2019.

SECTION 2.02(e)

Disposition of Environmental Infrastructure System . The Borrower shall not permit the disposition of all or substantially all of its Environmental Infrastructure System, directly or indirectly, including, without limitation, by means of sale, lease, abandonment, sale of stock,

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statutory merger or otherwise (collectively, a “Disposition”), except on ninety (90) days' prior written notice to the I-Bank, and, in any event, shall not permit a Disposition unless the following conditions are met: (i) the Borrower shall, in accordance with Section 4.02 hereof, assign this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond and its rights and interests hereunder and thereunder to the purchaser or lessee of the Environmental Infrastructure System, and such purchaser or lessee shall assume all duties, covenants, obligations and agreements of the Borrower under this Loan Agreement and the Borrower Bond; and (ii) the I-Bank shall by appropriate action determine, in its sole discretion, that such sale, lease, abandonment or other disposition will not adversely affect (A) the I-Bank's ability to meet its duties, covenants, obligations and agreements under the Bond Resolution, (B) the value of this Loan Agreement or the Borrower Bond as security for the payment of I-Bank Bonds and the interest thereon, or (C) the excludability from gross income for federal income tax purposes of the interest on I-Bank Bonds then outstanding or that could be issued in the future.

SECTION 2.02(f)(xi)

The Borrower will not have a reserve or replacement fund (within the meaning of Section 148(d)(1) of the Code) allocable to the Borrower Bond evidencing the Loan.

 

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Exhibit 31.1

SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14

AND 15d-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

I, Dennis W. Doll, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Middlesex Water Company;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have;

 

a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d) Disclosed in this report any changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

 

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

/s/ Dennis W. Doll      

Dennis W. Doll

Chief Executive Officer

Date: August 2, 2018

 

Exhibit 31.2

SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO RULES 13a-14

AND 15d-14 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

I, A. Bruce O’Connor, certify that:

 

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of Middlesex Water Company;

 

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

 

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

 

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f))for the registrant and have;

 

a. Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b. Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c. Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d. Disclosed in this report any changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

 

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

 

a. All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

 

b. Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

/s/ A. Bruce O’Connor      

A. Bruce O’Connor

Chief Financial Officer

Date: August 2, 2018

 

Exhibit 32.1

 

 

SECTION 906 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §1350

 

I, Dennis W. Doll, hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the periodic report being filed herewith containing financial statements fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a) or 78o(d)) and that information contained in said periodic report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Middlesex Water Company for the period covered by said periodic report.

 

 

/s/ Dennis W. Doll      

Dennis W. Doll

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

Date: August 2, 2018

 

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Middlesex Water Company and will be retained by Middlesex Water Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

 

Exhibit 32.2

 

 

SECTION 906 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. §1350

I, A. Bruce O’Connor, hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the periodic report being filed herewith containing financial statements fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m(a) or 78o(d)) and that information contained in said periodic report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of Middlesex Water Company for the period covered by said periodic report.

 

 

 

/s/ A. Bruce O’Connor      

A. Bruce O’Connor

Chief Financial Officer

 

 

Date: August 2, 2018

 

 

 

 

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to Middlesex Water Company and will be retained by Middlesex Water Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.