SB576,12,13 (n) Employ agents, consultants, and employees; engage professional services; and purchase such furniture, stationery, and other supplies and materials as are reasonably necessary to perform its duties and exercise its powers.

SB576,12,15 (o) Incur debts, liabilities, or obligations, including the borrowing of money and the issuance of bonds under subs. (7) and (10).

SB576,12,19 (p) Invest any funds held in reserve or sinking funds, or any funds not required for immediate disbursement, including the proceeds from the sale of any bonds, in such obligations, securities, and other investments as the authority deems proper in accordance with s. 66.0603 (1m).

SB576,12,21 (q) Do and perform any acts and things authorized by this section under, through, or by means of an agent or by contracts with any person.

SB576,12,24 (r) Exercise any other powers that the board of directors considers necessary and convenient to effectuate the purposes of the authority, including providing for passenger safety.

SB576,13,8 (s) 1. Impose, by the adoption of a resolution by the board of directors, the taxes under subch. V of ch. 77 in the authority's jurisdictional area. If an authority adopts a resolution to impose the taxes, or to change the rate after the taxes are imposed, it shall deliver a certified copy of the resolution to the department of revenue at least 120 days before its effective date. The authority may, by adoption of a resolution by the board of directors, repeal the imposition of taxes under subch. V of ch. 77 and shall deliver a certified copy of the repeal resolution to the department of revenue at least 120 days before its effective date.

SB576,14,2 2. If an authority adopts a resolution to impose the tax, as provided in subd. 1., an authority shall specify to the department of revenue, as provided in this subdivision, the exact boundaries of the authority's jurisdictional area. If the boundaries are the same as the county lines on all sides of the authority's jurisdictional area, the resolution shall specify the county or counties that comprise the authority's entire jurisdictional area. If the boundaries are other than a county line on any side of the authority's jurisdictional area, the authority shall provide the department with a complete list of all the 9-digit zip codes that are entirely within the authority's jurisdictional area and a complete list of all the street addresses that are within the authority's jurisdictional area and not included in any 9-digit zip code that is entirely within the authority's jurisdictional area. The authority shall provide a certified copy of the information required under this subdivision to the department, in the manner, format, and layout prescribed by the department, at least 120 days prior to the first day of the calendar quarter before the effective date of the tax imposed under subd. 1. If the boundaries of the authority's jurisdictional area subsequently change, the authority shall submit a certified copy of the information required under this subdivision to the department at least 120 days prior to the first day of the calendar quarter before the effective date of such change, in the manner, format, and layout prescribed by the department.

SB576,14,10 3. Notwithstanding subd. 1., an authority created under sub. (2) (c) may not impose the taxes authorized under subd. 1. unless the authorizing resolution under sub. (2) (c) 1. and, if applicable, sub. (2) (c) 3., as well as the referendum question on the referendum ballot specified in sub. (2) (c) 1. and, if applicable, sub. (2) (c) 3., each clearly identifies the maximum rate of the taxes that may be imposed by the authority under subd. 1. For purposes of this subdivision, the maximum tax rates identified in the authorizing resolution under sub. (2) (c) 3., and the corresponding referendum question, are the same as those identified for purposes of sub. (2) (c) 1.

SB576,14,15 4. If an authority created under sub. (2) (c) adopts a resolution to impose the taxes under subd. 1., no political subdivision that is a member of the authority may levy property taxes for transit purposes in excess of the amount of property taxes levied for transit purposes in the year before the year in which the taxes are imposed under subd. 1.

SB576,14,22 (5) Limitations on authority powers. (a) Notwithstanding sub. (4) (a), (b), (c), (d), (q), and (r), no authority, and no public or private organization with which an authority has contracted for service, may provide service outside the jurisdictional area of the authority unless the authority receives financial support for the service under a contract with a public or other private organization for the service or unless it is necessary in order to provide service to connect residents within the authority's jurisdictional area to transit systems in adjacent counties.

SB576,15,6 (b) Whenever the proposed operations of an authority would be competitive with the operations of a common carrier in existence prior to the time the authority commences operations, the authority shall coordinate proposed operations with the common carrier to eliminate adverse financial impact for the carrier. This coordination may include route overlapping, transfers, transfer points, schedule coordination, joint use of facilities, lease of route service, and acquisition of route and corollary equipment. If this coordination does not result in mutual agreement, the proposals of the authority and the common carrier shall be submitted to the department of transportation for arbitration.

SB576,15,9 (c) In exercising its powers under sub. (4), an authority shall consider any plan of a metropolitan planning organization under 23 USC 134 that covers any portion of the authority's jurisdictional area.

SB576,15,14 (6) Authority obligations to employees of mass transportation systems. (a) An authority acquiring a comprehensive unified local transportation system for the purpose of the authority's operation of the system shall assume all of the employer's obligations under any contract between the employees and management of the system to the extent allowed by law.

SB576,15,24 (b) An authority acquiring, constructing, controlling, or operating a comprehensive unified local transportation system shall negotiate an agreement with the representative of the labor organization that covers the employees affected by the acquisition, construction, control, or operation to protect the interests of employees affected. This agreement shall include all of the provisions identified in s. 59.58 (4) (b) 1. to 8. and may include provisions identified in s. 59.58 (4) (c). An affected employee has all the rights and the same status under subch. IV of ch. 111 that he or she enjoyed immediately before the acquisition, construction, control, or operation and may not be required to serve a probationary period if he or she attained permanent status before the acquisition, construction, control, or operation.

SB576,16,2 (c) In all negotiations under this subsection, a senior executive officer of the authority shall be a member of the authority's negotiating body.

SB576,16,7 (7) Bonds; generally. (a) An authority may issue bonds, the principal and interest on which are payable exclusively from all or a portion of any revenues received by the authority. The authority may secure its bonds by a pledge of any income or revenues from any operations, rent, aids, grants, subsidies, contributions, or other source of moneys whatsoever.

SB576,16,9 (b) An authority may issue bonds in such principal amounts as the authority deems necessary.

SB576,16,12 (c) 1. Neither the members of the board of directors of an authority nor any person executing the bonds is personally liable on the bonds by reason of the issuance of the bonds.

SB576,16,17 2. The bonds of an authority are not a debt of the participating political subdivisions. Neither the participating political subdivisions nor the state are liable for the payment of the bonds. The bonds of any authority shall be payable only out of funds or properties of the authority. The bonds of the authority shall state the restrictions contained in this paragraph on the face of the bonds.

SB576,17,3 (8) Issuance of bonds. (a) Bonds of an authority shall be authorized by resolution of the board of directors. The bonds may be issued under such a resolution or under a trust indenture or other security instrument. The bonds may be issued in one or more series and may be in the form of coupon bonds or registered bonds under s. 67.09. The bonds shall bear the dates, mature at the times, bear interest at the rates, be in the denominations, have the rank or priority, be executed in the manner, be payable in the medium of payment and at the places, and be subject to the terms of redemption, with or without premium, as the resolution, trust indenture, or other security instrument provides. Bonds of an authority are issued for an essential public and governmental purpose and are public instrumentalities and, together with interest and income, are exempt from taxes.

SB576,17,5 (b) The authority may sell the bonds at public or private sales at the price or prices determined by the authority.

SB576,17,9 (c) If an officer whose signatures appear on any bonds or coupons ceases to be an officer of the authority before the delivery of the bonds or coupons, the officer's signature shall, nevertheless, be valid for all purposes as if the officer had remained in office until delivery of the bonds or coupons.

SB576,17,11 (9) Covenants. An authority may do all of the following in connection with the issuance of bonds:

SB576,17,12 (a) Covenant as to the use of any or all of its property, real or personal.

SB576,17,14 (b) Redeem the bonds, or covenant for the redemption of the bonds, and provide the terms and conditions of the redemption.

SB576,17,21 (c) Covenant to charge fees, rates, rents, and charges sufficient to meet operating and maintenance expenses, renewals, and replacements of any transportation system, principal and debt service on bond creation and maintenance of any reserves required by a bond resolution, trust indenture, or other security instrument and to provide for any margins or coverages over and above debt service on the bonds that the board of directors considers desirable for the marketability of the bonds.

SB576,18,2 (d) Covenant as to the events of default on the bonds and the terms and conditions upon which the bonds shall become or may be declared due before maturity, as to the terms and conditions upon which this declaration and its consequences may be waived, and as to the consequences of default and the remedies of bondholders.

SB576,18,5 (e) Covenant as to the mortgage or pledge of, or the grant of a security interest in, any real or personal property and all or any part of the revenues of the authority to secure the payment of bonds, subject to any agreements with the bondholders.

SB576,18,8 (f) Covenant as to the custody, collection, securing, investment, and payment of any revenues, assets, moneys, funds, or property with respect to which the authority may have any rights or interest.