§31-15A-4. Development of guidelines and preliminary application for funding assistance.

(a) To implement and carry out the intent of this article, the council shall promulgate legislative rules in accordance with article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to develop comprehensive, uniform guidelines for use by the council and other state infrastructure agencies in evaluating any request by a project sponsor for funding assistance to plan, acquire, construct, improve or otherwise develop a project or infrastructure project. The guidelines shall include the following factors: (1) The public health benefits of the project or infrastructure project; (2) the economic development benefits of the project or infrastructure project; (3) the degree to which the project or infrastructure project will correct deficiencies in the compliance of water supply or sewage treatment facilities with state or federal laws, regulations or standards; (4) the degree to which the project or infrastructure project encourages effective and efficient consolidation of water or sewage treatment systems consistent with the comprehensive plan developed pursuant to section six of this article; (5) the cost effectiveness of the project or infrastructure project as compared with alternatives which achieve substantially the same public health or economic development benefits, including the consideration of providing maximum feasible fire protection; (6) the availability of alternative sources of funding which could finance all or a part of the project and infrastructure project, and the need for the assistance of the council to finance the project or infrastructure project or attract other sources of funding; (7) the applicant's ability to operate and maintain the system if the project or infrastructure project is approved; (8) the degree to which the project or infrastructure project achieves other state or regional planning goals; (9) the estimated date upon which the project or infrastructure project could commence if funding were available and the estimated completion date of the project or infrastructure project; and (10) such other considerations as the council may consider necessary or appropriate to accomplish the purpose and intent of this article.

(b) The council shall create a preliminary application form which shall be used by all project sponsors requesting funding assistance from state infrastructure agencies to plan, acquire, construct, improve or otherwise develop an infrastructure project or project. The preliminary application form shall contain all information required by all state infrastructure agencies that will be required to issue permits and/or certificates regarding the project or infrastructure project. The preliminary application shall require the project sponsor to set forth the type and proposed location of the infrastructure project or project; the estimated total cost of the project; the amount of funding assistance required and the specific uses of the funding; other sources of funding available or potentially available for the infrastructure project or project; information demonstrating the need for the infrastructure project or project and that the proposed funding of the project is the most economically feasible and viable alternative to completing the project or infrastructure project; and such other information as the council considers necessary to enable it to recommend the type of project or infrastructure project financing, in terms of the kind, amount and source of funding, which the project sponsor should pursue and which the state infrastructure agency or agencies should consider an appropriate investment of public funds, and to otherwise carry out the intent of this article.