(1) In order to aid the financing of public works projects, the board may:

(a) Make loans or grants to local governments from the public works assistance account or other funds and accounts for the purpose of assisting local governments in financing public works projects. Money received from local governments in repayment of loans made under this section shall be paid into the public works assistance account for uses consistent with this chapter.

(b) Pledge money in the public works assistance account, or money to be received by the public works assistance account, to the repayment of all or a portion of the principal of or interest on obligations issued by local governments to finance public works projects. The board shall not pledge any amount greater than the sum of money in the public works assistance account plus money to be received from the payment of the debt service on loans made from that account, nor shall the board pledge the faith and credit or the taxing power of the state or any agency or subdivision thereof to the repayment of obligations issued by any local government.

(c) Create such subaccounts in the public works assistance account as the board deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

(d) Provide a method for the allocation of loans, grants, and financing guarantees and the provision of technical assistance under this chapter.

(2) When establishing interest rates for loan programs authorized in this chapter for projects which are supported by a rate base of at least fifty thousand equivalent residential units, the board must base interest rates on the average daily market interest rate for tax-exempt municipal bonds as published in the bond buyer's index for the period from sixty to thirty days before the start of the application cycle.

(a) For projects with a repayment period between five and twenty years, the rate must be fifty percent of the market rate.

(b) For projects with a repayment period under five years, the rate must be twenty-five percent of the market rate.

(c) For any year in which the average daily market interest rate for tax-exempt municipal bonds for the period from sixty to thirty days before the start of an application cycle is nine percent or greater, the board may cap interest rates at four percent for projects with a repayment period between five and twenty years and at two percent for projects with a repayment period under five years.

(d) The board may also provide reduced interest rates, extended repayment periods, or grants for projects that meet financial hardship criteria as measured by the affordability index or similar standard measure of financial hardship. The board may provide reduced interest rates, extended repayment periods, or grants for projects that are supported by a rate base of less than fifty thousand equivalent residential units.

(3) All local public works projects aided in whole or in part under the provisions of this chapter shall be put out for competitive bids, except for emergency public works under RCW 43.155.065 for which the recipient jurisdiction shall comply with this requirement to the extent feasible and practicable. The competitive bids called for shall be administered in the same manner as all other public works projects put out for competitive bidding by the local governmental entity aided under this chapter.