§600.1. District Five Road Commission of St. Landry Parish

A. Notwithstanding any provisions of law to the contrary, specifically R.S. 48:578, 579, 581, 583, and 588, District Five Road Commission of St. Landry Parish, hereinafter referred to as the "commission", is hereby created. The boundaries of the commission shall be coterminous with the boundaries of Police Jury District Number Five of St. Landry Parish. The commission shall be governed by a board of commissioners and shall be known as the Board of Commissioners of District Five Road Commission of St. Landry Parish, hereinafter referred to as the "board".

B.(1) The commissioners of the board shall be appointed by the governing authority of the parish of St. Landry. The governing authority shall appoint one member from each precinct within Police Jury District Five as such districts are established at the time the appointments are being made and as certified by the St. Landry Parish register of voters. Each member appointed shall be a resident of the precinct he is appointed to represent. The governing authority of the parish shall attempt to achieve a racial balance when appointing the commissioners to the board.

(2) Of the thirteen commissioners initially appointed, seven shall serve for a term of one year and six shall serve for a term of two years. The length of the term of each individual appointed shall be determined by lot at the first meeting of the commission.

(3) The members of the board shall serve until their successors have been appointed and qualified.

(4) The terms of commissioners of the board appointed upon the expiration of the initial terms shall be four years, and upon expiration of a term of office, the successor shall be appointed as provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection. No person who has served as a commissioner for two consecutive four-year terms shall be appointed for the succeeding term.

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

C.(1) As soon as practical after their appointment, the board shall meet and elect from their number a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary, a treasurer, and such other officers as it may deem appropriate.

(2) The minute books and archives of the board shall be maintained by the board's secretary. The monies, funds, and accounts of the commission shall be in the official custody and control of the board's treasurer.

(3) The duties of the officers shall be fixed by bylaws adopted by the board. The board shall adopt such rules and regulations as it deems necessary or advisable for conducting its business and affairs and, to the extent that funds are available, shall hire such assistants and employees as are needed to assist the board in the performance of its duties. It shall hold regular meetings as shall be provided in the bylaws and may hold special meetings at such time and places within the boundaries of the commission as may be prescribed in the bylaws.

D.(1) The commission shall be considered a political subdivision of the state of Louisiana, and is granted and shall have all the powers necessary to construct, acquire, operate, and maintain roads, bridges, and road drainage facilities in the parish1, and without limitation, shall have all the rights, powers, and authority enumerated for road districts in Part II of Chapter 2 of Title 48. In addition, and without limitation, the commission shall have the following powers:

(a) To levy and collect within said boundaries of the commission a tax not exceeding one percent upon the sale at retail, the use, the lease or rental, the consumption, and the storage for use or consumption of corporeal movable property and upon the sale of services, as presently defined in R.S. 47:301 through 317, inclusive. Except where inapplicable, the procedure established by R.S. 47:301 through 317, inclusive, shall be followed in the imposition, collection, and enforcement of said tax and any procedural details necessary to be established to supplement the provisions of said Sections and to make said provisions applicable to the tax imposed hereunder shall be fixed by resolution of the commission. The commission shall have the right to contract with the sheriff or the Department of Revenue of the state of Louisiana, or any other agency or political subdivision for the collection of the tax. The board shall set forth the purposes for which the proceeds of the tax are to be used in the proposition submitted at the election hereinafter required, and such proceeds may be funded into negotiable bonds.

(b) The resolution imposing such tax shall be adopted by the commission only after the question of the imposition of such tax and the funding thereof into bonds under the provisions of this Section shall have been submitted to the qualified electors within the boundaries of the commission at an election to be called, conducted, canvassed, and promulgated by the governing authority of the commission in accordance with the general laws of the state of Louisiana governing the authorization of general obligation bonds and the majority of the qualified electors voting in such election shall have voted in favor of such additional tax and the funding thereof into bonds.

(c) The resolution imposing any tax hereunder, or amendments hereto, shall specify that the avails or proceeds of the tax after payment of collection costs shall be used solely by the commission for the construction, acquisition, operation, and maintenance of the roads, bridges, or road drainage facilities of the commission. The question or proposition approved at said election shall constitute a full and complete dedication of the avails or proceeds of said tax and its provisions shall control the allocation and expenditure thereof.

(2) To levy on all taxable property within the boundaries of the commission an ad valorem tax not to exceed fifteen mills, provided said commission has received prior approval for the levy of said millage by a favorable vote of the qualified electors within the boundaries of the commission at an election called by the board for the purposes of constructing, acquiring, operating, and maintaining the roads, bridges, and road drainage facilities of the commission.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of R.S. 48:590, to merge or consolidate with existing road districts or commissions.

(4) Construct any necessary improvements to facilitate drainage from immediate road surfaces.

(5) To prepare, adopt, promulgate, amend, and repeal bylaws, orders, rules, regulations, policies, forms, procedures to govern the affairs and conduct of its business and to carry out its functions in order to effectuate the provisions of this Section.

(6) To perform any other necessary and ancillary acts to effectuate its functions, to perform its duties, or to give effect to its powers in accordance with this Section.

Acts 1989, No. 785, §1; Acts 1993, No. 971, §1; Acts 1997, No. 658, §2; Acts 2017, No. 229, §1.