§ 33:9206 — General powers and duties of the board

§9206. General powers and duties of the board
In addition to the power and authority granted elsewhere in this Chapter, the board
shall have all powers necessary and convenient for carrying out the purposes of the district
enumerated in R.S. 33:9202 including the following:
(1) To develop and adopt a Master Plan for the Restoration and Development of
Bayou Vermilion, hereinafter referred to as "the master plan", and to perform all acts
necessary and proper to implement such plan.
(2) To adopt rules, regulations, and orders to implement the purposes of the district
as further provided in R.S. 33:9207 and to enforce such rules, regulations, and orders within
the area encompassed by the banks of Bayou Vermilion from parish line to parish line and
including one hundred feet inland of the ordinary high water mark on each side of the Bayou
Vermilion from the General Mouton Bridge to the Surrey Street Bridge, Lafayette, Louisiana.
The board may enforce such regulations and rules by fines and/or penalties; however, no
such fine or penalty shall exceed five hundred dollars for each violation.
(3) To establish and collect reasonable rates, fees, or other charges for the use of any
public facilities owned or operated by the district.
(4) To enter, on behalf of the district, into joint service and intergovernmental
agreements or cooperative efforts with other governmental agencies, political subdivisions,
and any other entity contemplated by Article VI, Section 20, and Article VII, Section 14(C)
of the Louisiana Constitution.
(5) To levy taxes, incur debt, and issue certificates of indebtedness and bonds in the
name of the district as further provided in R.S. 33:9208 and 9209. However, no district tax
shall be levied nor shall any general obligation bonds of the district be issued pursuant to this
Chapter unless authorized by a majority of the electors of the district who vote at an election
held for that purpose. The board shall petition the governing authority of Lafayette Parish
and the State Bond Commission for permission to hold such an election and shall conduct
the election in accordance with applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code.
(6) To examine and investigate all questions relating to the interest and welfare of
the district and to control and regulate the same.
(7) To make an annual report to the governing authority of Lafayette Parish showing
all receipts and disbursements of the board and the general condition of the district and its
buildings, structures, facilities, and other property, including such recommendations for the
development and welfare of the district and its management as may seem advisable. No later
than six months after the close of the district's fiscal year, the board shall conduct an annual
audit of the district's financial statements in accordance with R.S. 24:513 and shall furnish
a copy of the report thereon to the governing authority of Lafayette Parish.
(8) To acquire by purchase, donation, lease, or other conveyance any and all lands
needed to implement development plans for bulkheads, walks, buildings, or other
improvements to accomplish the purposes of the district. The board may provide for the
payment of such land out of the funds under its control not otherwise specially appropriated.
The board shall not, however, have the authority to expropriate any property.
(9) To sell, lease, transfer, or convey any and all lands acquired by it.
(10) To make or construct any works of public improvement within the geographic
limits of the district and anything in connection therewith that may be necessary or useful for
the business of the board by purchasing machinery or materials and equipment for
performing such work and supervising the making of the same, or by making and
constructing such works through contracts with others. The board may also execute the work
within its own force and equipment under its own supervision, not in conflict with the Public
Bid Law of the state of Louisiana. However, whenever any work is to be let by contract
under the provisions of this Chapter, the board shall comply with the Public Bid Law of the
state of Louisiana.
(11) To undertake, as otherwise provided by Paragraph (10) of this Section, any work
that it deems necessary and proper to improve water quality and to remove obstructions to
natural water flow in Bayou Vermilion within Lafayette Parish and Bayou Carencro.

Legislative History

Acts 1984, No. 161, §1; Acts 2010, No. 861, §15; Acts 2015, No. 442, §1.