Whenever any district shall have outstanding any utility revenue obligations, the commission shall have power by resolution to provide for the issuance of funding or refunding revenue obligations with which to take up and refund such outstanding revenue obligations or any part thereof at the maturity thereof or before maturity if the same be by their terms or by other agreement subject to call for prior redemption, with the right in the commission to include various series and issues of such outstanding revenue obligations in a single issue of funding or refunding revenue obligations, and to issue refunding revenue obligations to pay any redemption premium payable on the outstanding revenue obligations being funded or refunded. Such funding or refunding revenue obligations shall be payable only out of a special fund created out of the gross revenues of such public utility, and shall only be a valid claim as against such special fund and the amount of the revenues of such utility pledged to such fund. Such funding or refunding revenue obligations shall in the discretion of the commission be exchanged at par for the revenue obligations which are being funded or refunded or shall be sold in such manner, at such price and at such rate or rates of interest as the commission shall deem for the best interest of the district. Said funding or refunding [revenue] obligations shall except as specifically provided in this section, be issued in accordance with the provisions with respect to revenue obligations in chapter 182, Laws of 1941 set forth.