Saturday, June 29, 2013

What Is Municipal Leasing And How Does It Work

By Myrtle Cash


Of the many funding options available today, state governments however can turn to municipal leasing rather than dealing with a commercial lender in order to obtain the equipment and real property they need to function. There are many advantages and benefits to the government when it comes to a municipal lease and one benefit is that the interest on the loan is tax-exempt. This by far is the greatest benefit but there are more.

This type of lease includes termination for non-appropriation language. It is a clause in the contract that says if the lessee can no longer fund the equipment or real property due to difficulty in future payments, the lessee can terminate the lease with no further penalties or obligations at the end of the current appropriation period. This helps to prevent debt for the government.

During the lease agreement's term the municipality holds the title while the lessor holds security interest in whatever is leased whether it is equipment or real property. The lessee at any time can pay the lease off in its entirety by paying the accrued interest and remainder of the principal. This by far is an easier type of lease to deal with because the lessee is building residual value and equity in their purchase over time.

Municipal Governments under the State can obtain the things they need to operate more efficiently as this lease option is used to purchase things like computer equipment, buildings to conduct government business, vehicles for police departments, fire and other emergency equipment. Public colleges and universities also benefit from the funding as well as school districts, hospitals, towns, cities, villages and other subdivisions and districts within a municipality.

Specialists in municipal leasing are there to help walk one through the process of obtaining the funding they need for their state. They will be able to explain what the requirements are as well as the options that are available. They can tailor the lease to accommodate the states needs. There are some requirements that must be met before the state can obtain this type of funding and that is they must hold power over the domain in which they serve, they must have the ability to levy taxes and they must have police power.

The municipal lease is the choice for many state governments instead of commercial lending There are just too many advantages to the municipal lease that allows them to save money while protecting their credit rating. They can then pass the savings on to the municipalities they serve. Many districts and counties benefit from this program.

At this time the only ones who can benefit from this lease agreement are state government agencies. They can carry out their business functions and get the equipment they need to operate in a manner that is efficient and effective. One feature of the lease is that the state's credit rating is not taken into account.

One other factor of municipal leasing is that the state government's credit rating is not considered as in other types of funding. This often helps government officials who find that their state is not exactly financially sound as it should be. Since this is not a factor in lending, governments can carry on operations as usual while they continue to strive to improve their state.




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