By refinancing 10 bonds, the City of Noblesville expects to save $14,672,701 in taxpayer dollars.
“We strive to be as efficient and use taxpayers’ dollars as wisely as we can,” Mayor John Ditslear said. “In addition to running a lean government, we have found alternative ways to save funds, such as utilizing better interest rates.”
Similar to mortgages and homeowners getting lower rates and interest costs, the city has taken advantage of lower bond rates.
“We have always had an AA or AA+ bond ratin,g and what that means is we always borrow at very favorable rates for municipal bonds. However, the refinancings are all a function of interest rates nationally being at a lower rate than they were during the early- to mid-2000s when we financed these projects,” City Attorney Michael Howard said.
Howard said refunds have taken place during the past three years.
“We have a team that has put together the transactions, these savings with the strong support of the mayor and common council,” Howard said. “The financial experts who do these financing keep track of interest rates and when there are significant financial savings to the city. City Securities has acted as our investment counselor for years and informs us when we can realize savings by refinancing.”
Noblesville can begin annual savings now by making the payments, and the savings will continue through to when the bonds are fully paid, which range from 2024 to 2032.
“For all of our refunding bonds, we did not extend the term of any of the payments. It also reduces some annual costs,” Howard said. “These are big savings. For 146th Street, we still owe $37 million on that project. Refinancing generates almost $4 million in savings on that project alone.”
Projects and the amount saved through bond refunding include:
| Project | Gross Savings |
|---|---|
| Hague Road | $991,943 |
| Corporate Campus East | $2,448,417 |
| Little Chicago Road | $533,230 |
| Fire Station No. 5 & 6 | $578,372 |
| City Hall | $846,045 |
| 146th Street | $3,914,131 |
| Hamilton Town Center | $1,636,077 |
| Hazel Dell Road | $2,491,630 |
| Sewage works | $1,232,856 |
| Total | $14,672,701 |
