§ 159-139.  Destruction of cancelled bonds, notes, and coupons.

(a) All cancelled bonds, notes, and interest coupons of a unit may be destroyed in one of the following ways, in the discretion of the governing board:

(1) Method 1. - The finance officer shall make an entry in the official records of the unit, which may include the register for the bonds, notes, and coupons, showing:

a. With respect to bonds and notes, the purpose of issuance, the date of issue, serial numbers (if any), denomination, maturity date, and total principal amount.

b. With respect to coupons, the purpose of issue and date of the bonds to which the coupons appertain, the maturity date of the coupons and, as to each maturity date, the denomination, quantity, and total amount of coupons.

After this entry has been made, the paid bonds, notes, and coupons shall be destroyed or marked cancelled in the manner determined by the finance officer, who shall make an entry of the destruction or cancellation in the official records of the unit. Cancelled bonds, notes, or coupons shall not be destroyed until after one year from the date of payment.

(2) Method 2. - The governing board may contract with the bank, trust company or other person acting as fiscal agent for a bond issue for the destruction of bonds and interest coupons which have been cancelled by the fiscal agent. The contract shall require that the fiscal agent give the unit a written certificate of each destruction containing the same information required by Method 1 to be entered in the record of destroyed bonds and coupons. The certificates shall be filed among the permanent records of the finance officer's office. Cancelled bonds or coupons shall not be destroyed until one year from the date of payment.

(b) The provisions of G.S. 121-5 and G.S. 132-3 do not apply to paid bonds, notes, and coupons. The information required to be recorded prior to destruction under either Method 1 or Method 2 may as an alternative, be shown by photocopying, microfilming or other similar method of recording the information by directly reproducing the cancelled documents. (1941, cc. 203, 293; 1961, c. 663, ss. 1, 2; 1963, c. 1173, ss. 1, 2; 1971, c. 780, s. 1; 1973, c. 494, s. 29; 1983, c. 322, ss. 7, 8; 2005-238, s. 9.)