§132. Regional planning commission; alternatives of membership and appointment; tenure

A.(1) A regional planning commission shall consist of not less than five members, nor more than nine members, at the discretion of the local legislative bodies, all to be appointed by the governing bodies of said municipalities and the governing bodies of said parishes.

(2) Members of a commission shall serve without compensation unless per diem is authorized as contained in R.S. 33:140, and shall hold no other public office. Of the members of the commission first appointed, one shall hold office for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, and one for a term of three years, one for a term of four years and one for a term of five years. If a regional planning commission consists of more than five members, then the sixth member shall hold office for a term of six years, the seventh member for a term of seven years, the eighth member for a term of eight years and the ninth member for a term of nine years.

(3) The successors of the members of a regional planning commission shall be appointed for a term of five years from and after the expiration of the term of their predecessors in office.

(4) If a vacancy occurs otherwise than by an expiration of term it shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term. Such appointment shall be made by the original appointing authority.

B.(1) Alternatively, and solely in urbanized areas of more than fifty thousand population as hereinabove defined, a regional planning commission may consist of such members as may be designated by the local legislative bodies creating the commission, provided that the commission shall consist of not less than nine members.

(2)(a) If such alternative is exercised, the members of such commission who hold other appointive or elective public office, or their designated representatives, shall serve without compensation. Those members who hold no other elective or appointive public office may receive per diem for attendance at regular or specially called meetings of the regional planning commission or its executive committee if so authorized pursuant to R.S. 33:140. The membership of such commission may be composed of a simple majority of appointed or elected public officials, or their designated representatives, holding office in the municipalities and/or parishes represented in the urbanized area, and only in the event of such composition of simple majority membership shall the chief of the executive branch, if there be any such officer, of any such parish governing body or municipality, and the chief of the legislative branch, if there be any such officer of such parish governing body or municipality, serve as members thereof.

(b) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, or his designated representative, may serve as a member of such a regional planning commission.

(3) The remaining members need not hold other public office, and they shall be appointed by the governing bodies of the respective municipalities if municipalities form the whole or a part of a commission, or the governing bodies of the respective parishes if only parishes constitute the membership of a commission.

(4)(a) In a membership parish in which any municipalities are situated but which municipalities are not otherwise members of a commission, the governing body of said parish may designate as one of its appointees to the commission the mayor of any of the municipalities therein situated, and the mayor or his designated representative shall represent said municipalities of that parish.

(b) The municipalities of Jefferson Parish shall be represented on the New Orleans area regional planning commission by the mayor of one of the following municipalities or his designated representative: Gretna, Harahan, Kenner, or Westwego. The governing authority of Jefferson Parish shall provide by resolution for a four-year cycle of one-year terms of membership for such mayors. The resolution shall establish the order of the rotation and appropriate expiration dates for such one-year terms so as to provide that a mayor's term on the planning commission occurs completely within his term as mayor.

(5) Of the members of such a regional planning commission first appointed, those not holding any other elective or appointive office shall hold office therein as follows: One shall hold office for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, one for a term of three years, one for a term of four years, one for a term of five years. If such regional planning commission consists of more than five members not otherwise holding appointive or elected public office, then the sixth member shall hold office for a term of six years, the seventh for a term of seven years, the eighth for a term of eight years, and the ninth for a term of nine years.

(6)(a) Except as provided by Subparagraph (4)(b) of this Subsection, members of such regional planning commissions who hold other public offices, appointive or elective, or their designated representatives, including the secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development or his designated representative, shall serve terms coextensive with the terms of their other public offices.

(b) The successors of the regional planning commission members first appointed who do not hold any other appointive or elective public office shall be appointed for a term of five years from and after the expiration of the terms of their predecessors in office.

(7) If a vacancy occurs otherwise than by an expiration of term, it shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term. Such appointment shall be made by the original appointing authority.

(8) In order to conduct any official meeting, a quorum is required. A majority of the quorum present at a meeting may exercise all the powers and perform all the duties of the commission except as otherwise herein provided. Notwithstanding anything contained herein or any other law to the contrary, each elected official, including a mayor, may appoint a designated representative; provided, however, that no person so appointed shall serve as a designated representative of any other member of the commission, elected or otherwise, nor shall such person be allowed to vote at any regular or special meeting of the commission except as the designated representative of the elected official who appointed him.

C. As an additional alternative to those provided for in Subsections (A) and (B) of this section, the member parishes and any member municipalities may designate as the regional planning commission the economic development district authorized by the governor for all or part of the area to be served by the regional planning commission, provided a majority of the members of the governing body of such district are appointive or elective public officials. The provisions of this subsection shall not be applicable where comprehensive planning for a region comprising four or more parishes is already being accomplished by a regional planning commission established under the provisions of Subsection (A) or (B) of this section 132; nor in areas organized under Subsection (A) & (B) of this section; nor shall it apply in any area where an existing area-wide comprehensive planning agency as set out by Section 204 of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 as amended, and as defined in the Bureau of the Budget Circular A-95 is legally established.

D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect any of the powers, duties and functions of the Louisiana Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.

E.(1) The Houma-Terrebonne Regional Planning Commission shall consist of nine members, who shall be resident electors in the parish, appointed as follows:

(a) The parish president shall appoint two commissioners subject to confirmation by the parish council. He shall appoint one resident of that portion of the parish north of the Intracoastal Canal and one resident of the portion of the parish south of the canal. The parish council shall have thirty days after receipt of a president's appointment to confirm or reject an appointee. An appointee shall be deemed confirmed if the council fails to act within the thirty days.

(b) The parish council shall appoint seven commissioners.

(2)(a) The term of a commissioner appointed by the parish president shall be concurrent with the president's term.

(b) The term of a commissioner appointed by the parish council shall be five years except for the initial terms which shall be as follows: one commissioner shall serve an initial term of one year, one an initial term of two years, one an initial term of three years, two an initial term of four years, and two an initial term of five years, all as determined by lot at the first meeting of the board.

(c) A vacancy in an unexpired term shall be filled for the remainder of the term in the manner of the original appointment.

(3) Any member who holds other appointive or elective office for which compensation is paid may not receive per diem for service on the planning commission. Any member who holds other appointive or elective public office and serves without compensation for such office and any member who holds no other public office may receive per diem if and as otherwise authorized pursuant to R.S. 33:140.

F. The terms of all members of the planning commission serving on August 15, 2001, shall expire on such date except that members serving on such date shall continue to serve until the parish council chairman determines that at least eight members have been appointed in accordance with this Section and are qualified. When at least eight members have been appointed and qualified pursuant to this Section, the parish council chairman shall call an organizational meeting of the planning commission.

Acts 1956, No. 239, §2. Amended by Acts 1966, No. 114, §1; Acts 1968, No. 267, §1; Acts 1970, No. 329, §1; Acts 1973, No. 112, §1; Acts 1978, No. 132, §1, eff. June 23, 1978; Acts 1979, No. 569, §1, eff. July 18, 1979; Acts 1997, No. 403, §1; Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 36, §1; Acts 2001, No. 79, §1.