15. An urban renewal entity which is a limited dividend entity under P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-1 et seq.) shall be subject, during the period of the financial agreement and tax exemption under P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-1 et seq.), to a limitation of its profits and in addition, in the case of a corporation, of the dividends payable by it. Whenever the net profits of the entity for the period, taken as one accounting period, commencing on the date on which the construction of the first unit of the project is completed, or on which the project is completed if the project is not undertaken in units, and terminating at the end of the last full fiscal year, shall exceed the allowable net profits for the period, the entity shall, within 120 days of the close of that fiscal year, pay the excess net profits to the municipality as an additional service charge. The entity may maintain during the term of the financial agreement a reserve against vacancies, unpaid rentals and contingencies in an amount established in the financial agreement not to exceed 10% of the gross revenues of the entity for the last full fiscal year, and may retain such part of those excess net profits as is necessary to eliminate a deficiency in that reserve. Upon the termination of the financial agreement, the amount of reserve, if any, shall be paid to the municipality.

No entity shall make any distribution of profits, or pay or declare any dividend or other distribution on any shares of any class of its stock, unless, after giving effect thereto, the allowable net profit for the period as determined above and preceding the date of the proposed dividend or distribution would equal or exceed the aggregate amount of all dividends and other distributions paid or declared on any shares of its stock since its incorporation or establishment.

If an entity purchases an existing project from another urban renewal entity, the purchasing entity shall compute its allowable net profits, and, for the purpose of dividend payments, shall commence with the date of acquisition of the project. The date of transfer of title of the project to the purchasing entity shall be considered to be the close of the fiscal year of the selling entity. Within 90 days after that date of the transfer of title, the selling entity shall pay to the municipality the amount of reserve, if any, maintained by it pursuant to this section, as well as the excess net profit, if any, payable pursuant to this section.

For the purposes of this section, the calculation of an entity’s “excess net profits” shall include those project costs directly attributable to site remediation and cleanup expenses and any other costs excluded in the financial agreement as provided for in subsection h. of section 3 of P.L.1991, c.431 (C. 40A:20-3), even though those costs may have been deducted from the project cost for the purpose of calculating the in lieu of tax payment.

L.1991,c.431,s.15; amended 2003, c.125, s.12.