358C.16  Debt limit — borrowing — bonds — purposes.
  1.  A district may borrow money for its corporate purposes, but shall not become indebted in any manner or for any purpose to an amount in the aggregate exceeding its constitutional debt limit of five percent on the value of the taxable property within the district, to be ascertained by the last state and county tax lists previous to the incurring of the indebtedness. Indebtedness within this constitutional limit shall not include the indebtedness of any other municipal corporation located wholly or partly within the boundaries of the district, special assessment bonds or obligations authorized under section 358C.17.
  2.  Subject only to this debt limitation, a district shall have the same powers to issue bonds, including both general obligation and revenue bonds, including the power to enter into short-term loans and issue warrants, which cities have under the laws of this state. In the application of the laws to this chapter, the words used in the laws referring to municipal corporations or to cities shall be held to include real estate improvement districts organized under this chapter; the words “council” or “city council” shall be held to include the board of trustees of a district; the words “mayor” and “clerk” shall be held to include the president and clerk of a board of trustees; and like construction shall be given to any other words in the laws where required to permit the exercise of the powers by real estate improvement districts.
  3.  All bonds issued shall be signed by the president of the board of trustees and attested by the clerk, with the seal of the district, if any, affixed, and interest coupons attached to the bonds shall be attested by the signature of the clerk.
  4.  The proceeds of any bond issue made under this section shall be used only for the cost of public improvements as specified in sections 358C.1 and 358C.4. Proceeds from the bond issue may also be used for the payment of special assessment deficiencies. The bonds shall be payable in not more than forty annual installments and with interest at a rate not exceeding that permitted by chapter 74A, and shall be made payable at the place and be of the form as the board of trustees shall by resolution designate. A district issuing bonds as authorized in this section is granted authority to pledge the future avails of a tax levy to the payment of the principal and interest of the bonds after the same come due, and the power to impose and certify the levy is granted to the trustees of real estate improvement districts organized under this chapter.
95 Acts, ch 200, §16
; 
96 Acts, ch 1204, §6