§ 33:4069

§4069. Cooperative endeavors for economic development-environmental services
A. To provide for cooperative economic development and for the public purpose of providing for the protection of public health and the environment through the control, monitoring, and inspection of public and private sewerage and water systems and the provision or supervision of environmental services, a parish, through its governing authority, may enter into a cooperative endeavor economic development agreement, hereinafter referred to as "agreement", with a political subdivision created by state law for such public purpose within the unincorporated areas of the parish, through its governing authority. Prior to entering an agreement, the parish governing authority shall conduct a public hearing to fully explain the transfer of authority, power, assets, and liabilities from the political subdivision to the parish governing authority.
B. The agreement authorized by this Section shall provide for the following:
(1) On the effective date of the agreement, the political subdivision and its governing authority shall cease to function and the parish and its governing authority shall assume all duties, powers, and functions of the political subdivision.
(2) Any pending or unfinished business of the political subdivision shall be taken over and be completed by the parish, with the same power and authorization as that of the political subdivision. The parish shall be the successor in every way to the political subdivision, and every act done by the parish in the exercise of the functions transferred from the political subdivision shall be considered to have the same force and effect under any provisions of the constitution and laws in effect on the effective date of the agreement as if done by the political subdivision.
(3)(a) Any legal proceeding to which the political subdivision is a party and which is filed, initiated, or pending before any court on the effective date of the agreement, and all documents involved in or affected by such legal proceeding shall retain their effectiveness.
(b) All further legal proceedings and documents in the continuation, disposition, and enforcement of such legal proceedings shall be by the parish, as the successor to the political subdivision.
(c) Any legal proceeding and all documents involved in or affected by such legal proceeding, which have been continued in the name of the parish shall retain their effectiveness.
(4)(a) Every obligation and debt of the political subdivision after the effective date of the agreement shall be considered to be the obligation and debt of parish to the same extent as if originally made by it and the same are hereby ratified.
(b) In like manner and in order to prevent any violation of a provision, term, or condition of any instrument evidencing debt issued by or on behalf of the political subdivision or any gift, donation, deed, will, trust, or other instrument or disposition by which property vested in the parish by the agreement was previously vested in the political subdivision, or to prevent any diversion from the purposes for which such property was so vested, it shall be specifically provided that each such instrument or disposition after the effective date of the agreement shall be considered to have vested such property in the parish in the same manner and to the same extent as if originally so done.
(c)(i) All funds heretofore dedicated by or under the authority of the constitution and laws of this state or any of its subdivisions to the payment of any bonds issued for construction or improvements for any property under the control of the political subdivision shall be continued to be collected and dedicated to the payment of those bonds, unless and until other provision sufficient to protect the interests of all bondholders is made for the payment of such bonds.
(ii) In like manner, every other dedication and allocation of revenue and source of revenue shall continue in the same manner, to the same extent, and for the same purposes as were provided prior to the effective date of the agreement, unless and until other provision sufficient to protect the interests of all bondholders is made for the payment of such bonds.
(5) All books, papers, records, money, actions, and other property of every kind, movable and immovable, real and personal, possessed, controlled, or used by the political subdivision shall be transferred to the parish.
(6) All funds of the political subdivision shall be transferred to the parish.
(7) All employees of the political subdivision shall be transferred to the parish and shall continue to perform the duties performed for the political subdivision.
C. After the parish and the political subdivision have entered into an agreement, the parish president shall create an advisory board, consisting of the members of the governing authority of the political subdivision at the time of the agreement, to advise him on matters formerly within the jurisdiction of the subdivision. The advisory board shall remain in existence for one year and its existence may be extended by the parish president.
D. The agreement authorized by this Section is not intended to and it shall not be construed so as to impair any contractual or other obligation of the political subdivision.
E. Upon execution of the cooperative endeavor economic development agreement authorized by this Section, the parish shall possess and may exercise all powers, duties, and functions provided for by law for the political subdivision.
Acts 2000, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 146, §1, eff. April 19, 2000.