§9039.68. General powers

A. In addition to the powers and duties elsewhere granted in this Chapter, the board is hereby granted and shall have and may exercise all powers necessary or convenient for the carrying out of its objects and purposes, including but not limited to the following:

(1) To sue and be sued.

(2) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal.

(3) To acquire by gift, grant, purchase, lease, or otherwise and to hold and use any property, real, personal, or mixed, tangible or intangible, or any interest therein necessary or desirable for carrying out the objects and purposes of the district.

(4) To sell, transfer, convey, or alienate any property acquired by it, or any interest therein at any time, by negotiation, to accomplish the objects and purposes of the district.

(5) To lease or sublease all or any portion of any property, by negotiation, for a term not exceeding ninety-nine years at a fixed or variable rental and without advertisement for public bids.

(6) To donate by fee simple title, or otherwise to convey to the United States, the state, or to any political subdivision of the state, any lands, property, right-of-way, easement, servitude, or other thing of value, which the district may own or acquire for use by said governmental entity to accomplish the objects and purposes of the district.

(7) To make and collect reasonable charges for the use of property owned by the district and for services rendered by the district and to regulate reasonably the fees and charges to be made by privately owned, leased, or otherwise authorized uses of property owned by the district, or sold or leased by the district, when same are offered for the use of the public.

(8) To enter into contracts to achieve the district's object and purposes including but not limited to contracts for professional and other services and for the purchase, lease, acquisition, sale, construction, operation, maintenance, and improvements of land, public or private works, and facilities, as the district may deem necessary or convenient to accomplish the object and purposes of the district.

(9) To plan, develop, operate, and maintain activities and land uses to foster creation of new jobs, economic development, industry, biomedical research, clinical trials, commerce, manufacturing, relocation of people and businesses to the area, the acquisition of land and improvements, and the construction, operation, and maintenance of facilities, improvements, and infrastructure, including buildings, roads, drainage, and utilities, and other functions and activities to accomplish the object and purposes of the district and to protect the public health and welfare.

(10) In its own name and behalf, to incur debt and issue general obligation bonds under the authority of and subject to the provisions of Article VI, Section 33 of the Constitution of Louisiana, and Subpart A of Part III of Chapter 4 of Subtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of district-owned property or to carry out the other public purposes of this Chapter, to issue revenue bonds, borrow money, and issue certificates of indebtedness, notes, and other debt obligations as evidence thereof and provide for the manner and method of repayment without election; to regulate the imposition of fees and rentals charged by the district for services rendered by it or fees or rentals charged for use of privately owned facilities located on district-owned property when such facilities are offered for use by the public or by a private industrial, commercial, research, or other economic development entity or activity.

(11) To develop, activate, construct, exchange, acquire, improve, repair, operate, maintain, lease, mortgage, sell, and pledge movable and immovable property, servitudes, facilities, and works under such terms and conditions as the district may deem necessary or appropriate for any purpose, notwithstanding the limitations of Chapter 13 of this Title and Chapter 10 of Title 41, all of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended.

(12) To borrow money and pledge all or part of its revenues, leases, rents, and other income, fees, or resources of any nature as security for such loans or bonds.

(13) To appoint officers, agents, and employees, including an executive director and staff, prescribe their duties, and fix their compensation.

(14) To sell by negotiation or by public bid, after due advertisement, to the highest bidder any property, movable or immovable, or portions thereof, acquired by the district subsequent to July 12, 2005. Any advertisement for bids and the minimum price and terms of the sale shall be advertised in the official journal. The advertisement shall be published three times within ten days before the day that bids will be received. If, after the advertisement for bids, there are no bids received or the bids received are unreasonably low, as determined by a majority vote of the board, then the board may negotiate the sale of such property at fair market value to be agreed upon by majority vote of the board. In no instance may the property be transferred by donation or sold for less than the highest bid; if unreasonably low bids were received in the event a negotiated sale is used, the sale price shall not be less than the average value ascribed thereto by two appraisals by MAI appraisers.

(15) The board shall have the authority to present an application to the mayor of the city of New Orleans for purposes provided in the Louisiana Enterprise Zone Act, R.S. 51:1781 et seq., relative to property within the district. The mayor shall process such application in the same manner as any such application originated by the city.

(16) The promulgation of bylaws which are consistent with the provisions of this Chapter.

B.(1) At least ten days after publication of a notice in the official journal of the district, a public hearing shall be conducted, and the board may then designate one or more areas within or without the boundaries of the district as they may exist from time to time as a separate subdistrict, or as an enlargement or reduction of the original district, provided that subdistricts created by the board outside the then current boundaries of the district need not be contiguous to the district. Any territory outside the original boundaries of the district that is sought to be included or excluded in the district, or designated as a separate subdistrict, may only be so included, excluded, or designated subject to the approval of the Legislature of Louisiana. Each subdistrict shall constitute a separate political subdivision of the state, governed by the district board with the same powers of the district. Each designated subdistrict area shall be representative of its geographic location and designated as "BioDistrict Economic Development Subdistrict for ________________".

(2)(a) In addition to any other provision of this Chapter, the owner or owners of land whether or not contiguous to the district may file with the board a petition requesting that their property be included as an enlargement of the original district, excluded from the original district, or designated as a separate subdistrict. The land to be included or excluded in the district may be described in the petition by metes and bounds or by lot and block number if there is a recorded plat of the area. The board shall hear and consider the petition and may add or reduce the land described to the original district or designated as a subdistrict in the petition if it is feasible, practicable, and to the advantage of the district. Upon receipt of such petition and at least ten days after publication of a notice in the official journal of the district, a public hearing shall be conducted, and the board shall consider the petition and may then enlarge or reduce the boundaries of the district or designate one or more areas within or without the boundaries of the district as they may exist from time to time as a subdistrict if it is practicable, feasible, and to the benefit of the development of the bioscience health care industries.

(b) Subdistricts created outside the then current boundaries of the district also need not be contiguous to the district. Any territory outside the district that is sought to be included or excluded in the district or designated as a subdistrict, may only be so subject to the approval of the Legislature of Louisiana. Each subdistrict shall constitute a separate political subdivision of the state, governed by the district board with the same powers of the district. Each designated subdistrict area shall be representative of its geographic location and designated as " BioDistrict Economic Development Subdistrict for ________________".

(3) No territorial jurisdiction or boundaries of the district shall be expanded, reduced, or extended and no subdistrict shall be created to include any area that is not entirely contained within the New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area without the approval of the Legislature of Louisiana.

Acts 2005, No. 487, §1, eff. July 12, 2005; Acts 2008, No. 239, §1; Acts 2011, No. 400, §1; Acts 2013, No. 67, §1.

NOTE: See Acts 2013, No. 67, §2 relative to authority of the district within its original boundaries and within the boundaries of the Downtown Development District of New Orleans.