§3087.347. Powers of the board

A. In order to accomplish the purposes for which the district is created, the board of commissioners may:

(1) Purchase, acquire by donation, hold, sell, and convey immovable and movable property and execute such contracts as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to properly carry out the purposes for which it is created.

(2) Acquire servitudes and rights-of-use by purchase, by donation, and by assignment for the district or otherwise.

(3) Assist in conserving soil and water and in developing the water resources of the district, provided nothing shall be done to interfere with districts or municipalities previously organized under Louisiana law.

(4) Cooperate with the state Department of Transportation and Development and other state agencies in the maintenance or improvement and the construction of any works or improvements for the control, retention, diversion, or utilization of water or to retard runoff of water and soil erosion; in the construction of any ditch, channel improvement, dike, dam, or levee; and in the repair, improvement, and maintenance of any of said improvements or structures.

(5) Manage and control the water level and make recommendations to the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission regarding lake drawdowns for biological purposes and aquatic plant control.

(6) Employ and hire secretarial, clerical, and other such personnel as may be necessary in the operation of the business of the district and fix their compensation; employ engineers, attorneys, and other professional personnel as necessary and fix their compensation. The district shall not be deemed to be an instrumentality of the state for purposes of Article X, Section 1(A) of the Constitution of Louisiana.

(7) Levy taxes, issue bonds, and incur indebtedness within the limitations prescribed by the constitution and laws of Louisiana and in the manner prescribed thereby.

(8) Cooperate and contract with persons, firms, associations, partnerships, private corporations, cities of this state, or other public corporations, and with any other local, state, or federal agencies for the sale or use of any waters impounded by the district.

(9) Grant franchises to telephone, telegraph, cable, and electric power companies and grant franchises for the purposes of laying gas, sewer, electricity, or other utilities to supply the inhabitants or any person or corporation with gas, water, sewerage, and electricity when such construction is within the district. Nothing contained in this Part shall affect the vested rights of any corporation which, pursuant to R.S. 45:781(A), has constructed prior to June 29, 2005, and maintains and operates telegraph, telephone, and other lines for the transmission of intelligence.

(10) Appoint, hire, designate, and empower wardens, rangers, patrols, and such other personnel as may be deemed necessary by the board for the enforcement of such regulations as may be promulgated and adopted by said board.

(11) Do and perform any and all things necessary or incidental to the fulfillment of the purposes for which the district is created.

B. The Lake St. John Recreation and Water Conservation District may have, with respect to the improvements and facilities maintenance of the district, the advice of the Department of Transportation and Development, and it may request from time to time the assistance of the department to make such surveys, inspections, and investigations, render such reports, estimates, and recommendations, and furnish such plans and specifications as the board of commissioners of the district may request.

C. The district may incur debt for any one or more of its lawful purposes, issue in its name negotiable bonds or certificates of indebtedness evidencing such debt, and provide for the security and payment thereof as follows:

(1) To issue certificates of indebtedness maturing within one year from date of issuance to evidence money borrowed in anticipation of current revenues for the administration, operation, construction, and maintenance costs and expenses of the district, which certificates shall be payable in principal and interest from any available income, revenues, fees, or taxes pledged to their payment by the district.

(2) To issue bonds substantially in the manner set forth in Article VI of the Constitution of Louisiana, and other authority supplemental thereto, particularly Part III of Chapter 4 of Subtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950. Such bonds shall be payable from an ad valorem tax on all taxable property in the district sufficient to pay such bonds in principal and interest when approved by vote of a majority in number of the qualified electors voting on the proposition at an election held for that purpose. Such bonds shall be issued in the manner provided by the law pursuant to which they are being issued, and the maximum interest rate for the bonds shall be that prescribed by such law. The bonds shall be issued in such amount or amounts as the board of commissioners shall determine. However, the principal amount of all such bonds outstanding as of the date of the issuance of any new bonds shall never exceed ten percent of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within the district, to be ascertained by the last assessment roll of record in Concordia Parish.

(3) The district shall have additional authority to levy taxes under the provisions of Article VI, Section 32 of the Constitution of Louisiana, for the purpose of improving, operating, and maintaining its facilities, provided any such tax shall first be approved at an election held for said purpose in accordance with the Louisiana Election Code.

(4) The copy of any resolution levying a tax, certified by the secretary of the board of commissioners of said district, shall be transmitted to the tax assessor of Concordia Parish on or before the first of the year in which the tax is to be assessed and collected, and it shall be the duty of the assessor to assess the tax and extend the same upon the tax rolls of the parish. The tax shall be collected by the sheriff and ex officio tax collector of Concordia Parish in the same manner as taxes levied by the parish. Taxes assessed shall constitute the same liens upon the property assessed, shall bear the same penalties, and collection thereof shall be enforced in the same manner and at the same time as parish taxes.

Acts 2005, No. 214, §1, eff. June 29, 2005.