§3819. Meetings of commissioners; meeting place; absences; compensation

A. The commissioners of each waterworks district may meet as often as necessary, but shall meet at least once every three months. The board of waterworks commissioners by resolution shall designate a regular meeting place for the holding of its meetings, which shall be held at a place located within the waterworks district or at the parish seat of the parish in which the district is located, even though the parish seat is not within the boundaries of the waterworks district. The absence of a commissioner from any four consecutive meetings shall be deemed to create a vacancy and it shall be filled by the police jury, if the commissioner had been appointed by the police jury, or by appointment of the governing authority of a municipality included in the district, if the commissioner had been appointed by the said governing authority. The parish governing authority in the parish in which each waterworks district is located may fix the per diem to be paid to each of the members of the board of commissioners of the respective waterworks districts in an amount not to exceed sixty dollars for each meeting they attend, up to and including twenty-four meetings in each year and for each special meeting not to exceed twelve special meetings in each year. Per diem provided by this Section shall be paid out of the district funds in the hands of the treasurer; however, no elected official serving as a member of the board of commissioners shall receive any per diem for attending meetings of the board.

B. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of the parish of Concordia may authorize the treasurer of Concordia Waterworks District No. 1 to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem of up to seventy-five dollars for attendance at meetings.

C.(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the amount of the per diem to be paid to each of the members of the board of commissioners of Rapides Parish Waterworks District Number Three and the board of commissioners of Kolin Ruby Wise Waterworks District 11A for each meeting that he attends shall be equal to the per diem amount authorized by law for members of the Louisiana Legislature.

(2) Each commissioner to whom per diem is paid pursuant to Paragraph (1) of this Subsection may be paid such per diem for each regular or special meeting of the board that he attends and for each meeting of a board committee that he attends. The limitation on the number of meetings for which per diem shall be paid, as provided in Subsection A of this Section, shall not apply to the payment of per diem to such commissioners.

D. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of the parish of Livingston may pay members of the board of commissioners of the Ward Two Water District of the Parish of Livingston a per diem not to exceed one hundred dollars for attending meetings of the board for a maximum of twenty-four meetings per year and for each special meeting not to exceed twelve special meetings per year.

E. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of the parish of Vermilion may authorize the treasurer of Southeast Waterworks District No. 2 of Vermilion Parish to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem of up to seventy-five dollars for attendance at meetings.

F. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of the parish of Jefferson Davis may authorize the treasurer of the Jefferson Davis Parish Water and Sewer Commission No. 1 to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem not to exceed one hundred dollars for attending meetings of the board for a maximum of twenty-four meetings per year and for each special meeting not to exceed twelve special meetings per year. Any increase in compensation or increase in reimbursement of any kind to members of the board of commissioners must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the board after public hearing, which has been advertised in the official journal of the commission on at least two separate occasions within a period of fifteen days preceding the meeting at which the vote is taken.

G. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of the parish of Caldwell may authorize the treasurer of the Columbia Heights Water District to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem of up to one hundred dollars for attendance at meetings.

H. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of Jefferson Davis Parish may authorize the treasurers of a waterworks district located within Jefferson Davis Parish to pay the commissioners of the respective district a per diem not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars for attending the meetings of the board. Any increase in per diem as provided for in this Subsection shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the parish governing authority after public hearing, which has been advertised in the official journal of the respective waterworks district on at least two separate occasions within a period of fifteen days preceding the meeting at which the vote is taken.

I. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of Calcasieu Parish may, upon receipt of a resolution from any waterworks district within the parish requesting an increase in per diem, authorize the treasurer of such a district to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem not to exceed one hundred dollars for attending meetings of the board.

J. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of Cameron Parish may authorize the treasurer of the Cameron Parish Waterworks District No. 10 to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem not to exceed one hundred dollars for attending meetings of the board.

K. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the parish governing authority of any parish with a population of not less than twenty thousand persons and not more than twenty thousand five hundred persons according to the latest federal decennial census may authorize the parish treasurer to pay the commissioners of the waterworks districts a per diem not to exceed one hundred twenty dollars for attending meetings of the board for a maximum of twenty-four meetings per year and for each special meeting not to exceed twelve special meetings per year.

L. Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, the governing authority of Evangeline Parish may authorize the treasurer of Evangeline Parish Waterworks District No. 1 to pay the commissioners of the district a per diem not to exceed one hundred dollars for attending meetings of the board, for a maximum of one meeting per month.

Amended by Acts 1952, No. 496, §1; Acts 1954, No. 90, §1; Acts 1956, No. 23, §1; Acts 1956, No. 267, §1; Acts 1960, No. 418, §1; Acts 1962, No. 281, §1; Acts 1964, Ex.Sess., No. 26, §4; Acts 1966, No. 302, §1; Acts 1970, No. 528, §1; Acts 1971, No. 56, §1; Acts 1974, No. 98, §1; Acts 1975, No. 107, §1; Acts 1980, No. 100, §1; Acts 1981, No. 553, §1; Acts 1982, No. 614, §1; Acts 1995, No. 677, §1; Acts 2001, No. 831, §1; Acts 2003, No. 1059, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2008, No. 383, §1; Acts 2008, No. 871, §1; Acts 2009, No. 114, §1; Acts 2009, No. 120, §1; Acts 2009, No. 470, §1; Acts 2010, No. 322, §1, eff. July 1, 2010; Acts 2015, No. 97, §1; Acts 2016, No. 546, §1; Acts 2018, No. 56, §1; Acts 2018, No. 323, §1.