Ray County 911’s longawaited building project took a major step forward this week with the successful sale of more than $8 million in bonds, a financial move officials noted exceeded expectations and positioned the agency well for the future. Finance representatives told board members at a recent meeting that investors placed nearly $64 million in orders for the $8.55 million issue, almost eight times the amount offered. “We sold all the $8.55 million of bonds today for certificates, and we received orders of $63.9 million orders for the bonds, a very strong showing,” stated Stifel Public Finance Managing Director Martin Ghafoori. The high demand allowed Ray County 911 to lower interest costs. “We were able to lower the interest rates anywhere from three to 10 basis points because we had so many more orders in those maturities,” said Ghafoori. Officials explained the bonds received an A-minus rating and, with the addition of bond insurance, were upgraded to an AA rating, which…