City of Hercules, Calif., extends tender offer needed to avoid default

By Angela McDaniels

Tacoma, Wash., March 31 - The City of Hercules, Calif., extended its tender offer for two series of electric utility revenue bonds to April 4 from March 28, according to a news release.

The city has previously warned that it may default on its electric system revenue bonds if the tender offer fails.

The tender offer was extended because as of March 28, the city had not met the minimum tender amount that would be sufficient to pay off the bonds.

"The city's financial stability depends on retirement of these bonds, and we are running out of time," Phil Bachelor, the city's interim city manager, said in the release.

As previously reported, the bonds were issued in 2010 by Hercules Financing Authority, which is owned and operated by the city. Proceeds of the bonds were used to fund improvements to the Hercules Municipal Utility.

If the tender offer is successful, the city will sell the Hercules Municipal Utility assets to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for $9.5 million and use the proceeds to pay off the bonds.

If the tender is unsuccessful, the series 2010 refunding bonds will likely default as early as Aug. 1 and the sale to PG&E will likely not be completed, the city said. The bonds are currently rated CCC+ by Standard & Poor's.

The Hercules Municipal Utility started electric service in 2003. It has never made a profit and does not generate enough revenue to cover its operating expenses and debt service for the bonds, according to a prior news release form the city.

When the bonds were issued, the city agreed to advance money from its general fund to cover shortfalls. To date, debt service has been paid via a combination of city subsidies and bond proceeds initially intended to finance improvements.

However, the city said it does not have enough funds to continue subsidizing the Hercules Municipal Utility nor does it intend to advance general fund money to cover any shortfalls. Once the bond proceeds from the 2010 issues are spent, the bonds from that series will default.

The tender offer began March 5.

The information agent for the tender offer is Bondholder Communications Group, LLC (888 385-2663, 212 809-2663, chenderson@bondcom.com or www.bondcom.com/Hercules).

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