The authority shall have all powers necessary or convenient to accomplish the aforesaid purposes including, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following:
A. The powers, privileges, and immunities authorized by law for private corporations and for instrumentalities of government. The authority may sue and be sued in its corporate name. The board may adopt and use a common seal for the authority and change it at its pleasure.
B. The power to appoint, select, and employ officers, agents, and employees, including planning, engineering, architectural and construction experts, fiscal agents and attorneys, to contract for the services of individuals or organizations not employed full time by the authority, but who are engaged primarily in the rendition of personal services and not the sale of goods or merchandise, such as, but not limited to, the services of attorneys, accountants, engineers, architects, planners, consultants, and advisors, allowing them suitable compensation. Contracts for such services shall be awarded in accordance with applicable law.
C. The power to acquire by lease (as lessee), grant, gift, exchange, purchase or otherwise own, and use any franchise, servitude, property (real or personal, tangible or intangible), or any interest therein; and to sell, lease (as lessor), transfer, or dispose thereof or exchange same for other property or rights which are useful for its purposes.
D. The power to acquire by gift, purchase, lease (as lessee), or otherwise, or to construct, improve, maintain, repair, operate or administer any component parts of a transit system, together as a system, or singly, or in groupings, as transit projects, or to contract for the maintenance, operation or administration thereof or to lease (as lessor) same for maintenance, operation or administration by private parties.
E. The power to develop data, plans and information and develop and carry out transportation demonstration projects, including the development, testing and demonstration of new facilities, equipment, techniques and methods, and the improvement and utilization of transportation services and facilities, and any other means of developing, utilizing or improving transportation in the area. Also, in other respects, the power to conduct engineering, financial and economic studies, and to make plans, designs and tests related to transit projects. In connection therewith the authority may enter in a reasonable manner upon any lands, waters or premises for the purpose of making reasonable surveys, soundings, drillings, and examinations and such entries shall not be deemed a trespass except that the authority shall be liable for any actual and consequential damages resulting from such entries.
F. The power to cooperate, participate, and coordinate with the federal government, or the state of Louisiana, or any agency, or instrumentality thereof, or any municipal governing body within the parish or instrumentality thereof, or the parish planning commission or any similar agency in the execution of any studies, plans or projects designed for the coordination of its transit system with other transportation in the area and with any comprehensive planning and development of the area.
G. The power to make and execute all contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of the powers of the authority to include by way of illustration, but not limitation, the following contracted powers:
(1) The power to contract for managerial and operating services;
(2) The power to enter into contracts with the state of Louisiana and any agency, instrumentality or authority thereof and with any parish and municipal governments, for public transportation services to be rendered by the authority or its transit system, and for any other purposes incidental to the establishment and maintenance of its transit system, or any part or project thereof, including the payment of funds to subsidize the operations of such system if it should ever be necessary to do so, and the usual facilities related thereto;
(3) The power to make agreements with the federal government, the state of Louisiana, any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof, for payments to the authority in lieu of fares for the transportation of personnel or other persons for whom such department, agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision desires such transportation; and
(4) The power to contract with any public utility, railroad or transportation company for the joint use of property rights, or for the establishment of through routes, joint fares or transfer of passengers.
H. The power to apply for and accept grants or other assistance from the federal government or from any source whatever, to act as agent for the federal government, and to enter into contracts, loans, leases or other transactions with the federal government.
I. The power to borrow money from private lenders, or from the federal government, or to the extent otherwise authorized by law, from the state of Louisiana or any local government within the area, in such amounts as may be necessary for the purposes of the authority and, in connection therewith to issue negotiable notes, bonds, refunding bonds and other evidences of indebtedness or obligations of the authority, and to secure the payment thereof, or any part thereof, by conventional mortgages and/or by pledge of its revenues, rentals, taxes and receipts, and to make such agreements with the purchasers or holders thereof, or with others in connection therewith, whether issued or to be issued as the board may deem advisable. But the authority shall have no power in any manner to pledge the property, credit or taxing power of any local government, nor shall any of its obligations be deemed to be obligations of any local government, nor shall any local government be liable for the payment of principal or interest on such obligations.
J. Other provisions of the law to the contrary notwithstanding the power to fix, alter, charge and collect fares, rates, rentals and other charges for its facilities by zones or otherwise at reasonable rates to be determined exclusively by the board, subject to judicial review, as hereinafter provided.
K. The power to provide for police and fire protection having jurisdiction over the facilities of the authority provided that the board may contract for such services with municipalities or parishes or both, or with private enterprise, within its jurisdiction.
L. The power to plan, develop, build and operate, if in the authority's majority judgment it is desirable, a mass transit system between the facilities operated by the authority and to other points, and to acquire or contract with such other existing transit systems which private enterprise should no longer desire to operate, but whose continuity the authority deems necessary in the public interest.
M. The power to make agreements with the federal government, the state of Louisiana, any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof, for payments to the authority in lieu of fares for the transportation of personnel or other persons for whom such department, agency, instrumentality or political subdivisions desires such transportation.
N. The power to make studies and establish procedures and regulations endeavoring to prevent air contamination and water and land pollution within its jurisdiction, and to coordinate the efforts of and cooperate with other governmental agencies dealing with the problems of pollution and the environment.
O. The power to mortgage properties constructed or acquired by the authority, and to mortgage and pledge any lease or leases and the rents, income and other advantages arising out of any leases granted, assigned, or subleased by the authority.
P. The power to operate visitor tolls, rental areas and to levy charges, tolls, fees, head taxes, and/or use taxes, and grant permits for admission to or for the use of its facilities; and to issue licenses and permits for operations and related activities conducted on, or between the facilities of the authority.