(1) All powers of the district shall be exercised by a board of directors to be composed of the following:

(a) [Repealed]

(b) From and after January 9, 1996, the Governor shall appoint three (3) members of the Board of Directors of the Pat Harrison Waterway District from the district at large. No more than one (1) appointment may be made by the Governor from any one (1) county in the district. All initial appointments made pursuant to this paragraph shall be made no later than February 1, 1996, and no person appointed under this paragraph shall be an elected official or a county employee. All appointments made pursuant to this paragraph shall be for terms of four (4) years each or until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

(c) From and after January 9, 1996, the board of supervisors of each county in the Pat Harrison Waterway District shall have an appointment to the board of directors of the district as follows: the boards of supervisors of the counties of Clarke, Covington and Forrest shall each appoint a member from their respective counties for an initial term of one (1) year; the boards of supervisors of the counties of George, Greene, Jackson and Jasper shall each appoint a member from their respective counties for an initial term of two (2) years; the boards of supervisors of the counties of Jones, Lamar, Lauderdale and Newton shall each appoint a member from their respective counties for an initial term of three (3) years; and the boards of supervisors of the counties of Perry, Smith, Stone and Wayne shall each appoint a member from their respective counties for an initial term of four (4) years. All initial appointments made pursuant to this paragraph shall be made no later than February 1, 1996, and no person appointed under this paragraph shall be an elected official or a county employee. All appointments made pursuant to this paragraph after the initial appointments shall be for terms of four (4) years each or until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

(d) The directors appointed pursuant to paragraphs (b) and (c) of this subsection shall not discontinue any litigation pending on January 9, 1996, with respect to monetary payments owed to the district by any member county, and such directors shall pursue such litigation to a conclusion.

(2) Each director shall take and subscribe to the general oath of office required by Section 268 of the Constitution of the State of Mississippi before a chancery clerk, that he will faithfully discharge the duties of the office, which oath shall be filed with the clerk and by him preserved.

(3) Each director shall receive a per diem in the amount established in Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, for attending each day’s meeting of the board and for each day spent in attending to the necessary business of the district and, in addition, he may receive reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses thus incurred, upon express authorization of the board.

(4) The board of directors shall annually elect from its number a president and a vice president of the district, and such other officers as in the judgment of the board are necessary. The president shall be the chief executive officer of the district and the presiding officer of the board, and shall have the same right to vote as any other director. The vice president shall perform all duties and exercise all powers conferred by this article upon the president when the president is absent or fails or declines to act, except the president’s right to vote. The board shall also appoint a secretary and a treasurer, who may or may not be members of the board, and it may combine those offices. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, the treasurer shall give bond in the sum of not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) as set by the board of directors, and each director may be required to give bond in the sum of not less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) with sureties qualified to do business in this state, and the premium on such bonds shall be an expense of the district. The condition of each bond shall be that the treasurer or director will faithfully perform all duties of his office and account for all money or other assets which shall come into his custody as treasurer or director of the district. In lieu of the bonds required by this subsection, the board may authorize that the district purchase an equivalent amount of errors and omissions insurance for the treasurer and directors.

(5) Each director shall meet with the board of supervisors of the county from which he is appointed at least twice a year at reasonable times established by the board of supervisors.