§9077. Lake Barrington Subdivision Improvement District

A. Creation. The Lake Barrington Subdivision Improvement District, referred to in this Section as the "district", is hereby created as a special taxing district in Orleans Parish. The district shall be a political subdivision of the state as defined in the Constitution of Louisiana.

B. Boundaries. The district shall be coterminous with the Lake Barrington Subdivision as shown on a plan of the Lake Barrington Subdivision by B.L. Carter dated November 12, 1973, with revisions and additions dated January 4, 1974, March 14, 1974, and July 22, 1974, Drawing No. 25-26-126, approved by the New Orleans City Planning Commission on August 27, 1974, and registered in C.O.B. 728, Folio 229, Orleans Parish, Louisiana.

C. Purpose. The district is established for the primary object and purpose of promoting and encouraging the beautification, security, and overall betterment of the Lake Barrington Subdivision.

D. Governance. (1) The district shall be governed by a seven-member board of commissioners, referred to in this Section as the "board". The board shall be composed as follows:

(a) Three officers of the governing board of the Lake Barrington Homeowners Association shall be members and shall be appointed by the governing board of the association.

(b) Four members shall be appointed by the members of the Lake Barrington Homeowners Association, all of whom shall be members of the association.

(c) Each member shall be a qualified voter and resident of the district.

(2)(a) The members appointed pursuant to Subparagraph (1)(b) of this Subsection shall serve four-year terms after initial terms as provided in this Subparagraph. One member shall serve an initial term of one year; one shall serve an initial term of two years; one shall serve an initial term of three years; and one shall serve an initial term of four years, as determined by lot at the first meeting of the board. Such members shall serve until their successors have been appointed and qualified.

(b) The members serving pursuant to Subparagraph (1)(a) of this Subsection shall serve during their terms of office.

(c) Any vacancy which occurs prior to the expiration of the term for which a member of the board has been appointed shall be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.

(3) The board shall elect from its members a chairman, a vice chairman, a secretary-treasurer, and such other officers as it may deem necessary. The duties of the officers shall be fixed by the bylaws adopted by the board.

(4) A majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(5) The members of the board shall serve without compensation.

(6) The board shall adopt such rules and regulations as it deems necessary or advisable for conducting its business affairs. It shall hold regular meetings as shall be provided in the bylaws and may hold special meetings at such times and places within the district as may be prescribed in the bylaws.

(7) The board shall keep minutes of all meetings and shall make them available through the secretary of the board to the residents of the district.

(8) The monies, funds, and accounts of the district shall be in the official custody of the board.

E. Plan. (1) The board shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a plan or plans, referred to in this Section as the "plan", specifying the public improvements, facilities, and services proposed to be furnished, constructed, or acquired for the district, and it shall conduct such hearings, publish such notice with respect thereto, and disseminate such information as it in the exercise of its sound discretion may deem to be appropriate or advisable and in the public interest.

(2) Any plan shall include:

(a) An estimate of the annual and aggregate cost of acquiring, constructing, or providing the services, improvements, or facilities set forth therein.

(b) An estimate of the aggregate number of mills or rate of fees required to be levied in each year on the taxable real property within the district in order to provide the funds required for the implementation or effectuation of the plan for furnishing the services specified and for capital improvements or debt service, or both.

F. Taxing authority. (1) The governing authority of the city of New Orleans is hereby authorized to levy and collect special taxes or fees, as authorized by the Lake Barrington Subdivision Improvement District, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this Subsection.

(2) The amount of the tax or fee shall be as requested by duly adopted resolution of the board of commissioners. The tax shall be a special ad valorem tax levied on taxable property in the district and shall not exceed five mills. The fee shall be a flat fee levied on each parcel located in the district and shall not exceed three hundred sixty dollars per parcel per year.

(3) The owner of the property shall be responsible for payment of the tax or fee. The tax collector shall submit the bill for the tax or fee to the owner. Each owner shall remain liable for the entire amount until it is paid.

(4)(a) For purposes of this Section, "parcel" means a lot, a subdivided portion of ground, or an individual tract and does not mean a "condominium parcel" as defined in R.S. 9:1121.103(7). Therefore, with respect to condominiums, the fee collector shall impose the parcel fee on each lot on which condominiums are situated and not on individual condominium units.

(b) The bill for the parcel fee to be collected from condominium owners shall be submitted to the condominium owners association, and the association shall pay the fee from funds available for such purpose. All members of the association shall remain liable for the entire fee until it is paid.

(5)(a) A tax or fee shall be imposed only after the question of its imposition has been approved by a majority of registered voters of the district voting at a regularly scheduled primary or general election held for that purpose in accordance with the Louisiana Election Code. No other election shall be required except as provided by this Paragraph.

(b) The tax or fee shall expire at the time provided in the proposition authorizing the tax or fee, not to exceed eight years from its initial imposition, but the tax or fee may be renewed as provided in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph. Any election to authorize renewal of the tax or fee shall be held at the same time as a regularly scheduled election in the city of New Orleans. If renewed, the term of the imposition of the tax or fee shall be as provided in the proposition authorizing such renewal, not to exceed eight years.

(6) No such tax or fee shall be levied until a plan requiring or requesting the levy of a tax or fee is finally and conclusively adopted pursuant to the provisions of Subsection E of this Section.

(7) The tax or fee shall be collected in the same manner and at the same time as all other ad valorem taxes on property subject to taxation by the city are levied and collected.

(8) Any such unpaid tax or fee will be added to the tax rolls of the city and shall be enforced with the same authority and subject to the same penalties and procedures as are unpaid ad valorem taxes.

(9) The proceeds of such tax or fee shall be used solely and exclusively for the purposes and benefit of the district. The proceeds shall be paid over to the Board of Liquidation, City Debt, day by day as the same are collected and received by the appropriate officials of the city of New Orleans and maintained in a separate account. The proceeds shall be paid out by the Board of Liquidation, City Debt, solely for the purposes herein provided upon warrants or drafts drawn on the Board of Liquidation, City Debt, by the appropriate officials of the city and the treasurer of the district. The city may retain one percent of the amount collected as a collection fee.

G. Budget. (1) The board of commissioners shall adopt an annual budget in accordance with the Louisiana Local Government Budget Act, R.S. 39:1301 et seq.

(2) The district shall be subject to audit by the legislative auditor pursuant to R.S. 24:513.

H. Miscellaneous provisions. (1) The board of commissioners may contract with the New Orleans Police Department or with a private security company that has been certified and approved by the superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department for the provision of security patrols in the district. It is the purpose and intent of this Section that any additional security patrols, public or private, provided by the district shall be supplemental to and not in lieu of personnel and services provided in the district by the New Orleans Police Department.

(2) The board shall have the power to acquire, lease, insure, and sell real property within the boundaries of the district in accordance with district plans. In addition, the board may perform or have performed any other function or activity necessary for the achievement of its primary objective of encouraging the beautification, security, and overall betterment of the district.

Acts 2003, No. 1236, §1, eff. July 7, 2003; Acts 2017, No. 85, §1, eff. June 12, 2017.