§8-16-24. Protection and enforcement of rights of bondholders, etc.; receivership; effect of receivership on lease agreement.

Any holder of any such bonds, or any of the coupons attached thereto, and the trustee, if any, except to the extent that the rights herein given may be restricted by the ordinance authorizing the issuance of the bonds or by the trust indenture, may by civil action, mandamus or other proper proceeding enforce the statutory mortgage lien created and granted in section twenty-two of this article, protect and enforce any and all rights granted hereunder or under any such ordinance or trust indenture, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by the provisions of this article or by any such ordinance or trust indenture to be performed by the municipality or municipalities, or by the board or any officer, including the making and collecting of reasonable and sufficient rates or charges for services rendered by the works. If there be default in the payment of the principal of or interest upon any of the bonds, or of both principal and interest, any court having jurisdiction shall appoint a receiver to administer the works on behalf of the municipality or municipalities, and the bondholders or trustee, or both, except as so restricted, with power to charge and collect rates or charges sufficient to provide for the payment of the expenses of repair (including replacements), maintenance and operation, and also to pay any bonds and interest outstanding, and to apply the income or other revenue in conformity with this article, and the said ordinance or trust indenture, or both, and the power herein provided for the appointment of a receiver and the administration by the court of the works on behalf of the municipality or municipalities, and the bondholders or trustee, or both, shall apply to cases where such works are operated by a lessee of the municipality or municipalities as well as to cases where works are operated by the municipality or municipalities. In case a receiver is appointed for works operated by a lessee of a municipality or municipalities, the lease agreement then existing between the municipality or municipalities and the lessee ipso facto thereby shall be terminated and all property, equipment, bills receivable and assets of every kind, used in connection with the operation of such works, shall pass to the receiver and upon the termination of such receivership, such works, equipment, property, bills receivable and assets of every kind then in the hands of the receiver thereupon shall pass to the municipality or municipalities.