The authority is given a list of powers, including suing and being sued, holding and managing property, using eminent domain, contracting, supervising bond sales, hiring staff, making agreements, and delegating duties.
The authority shall have the following powers: (1) To have succession by its corporate name without time limit; (2) To bring civil actions and have civil actions brought against it and to prosecute and defend in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties; (3) To have and to use a corporate seal and to alter the same at pleasure; (4) To receive, take and hold by sale, gift, lease, devise or otherwise real and personal property of every kind and description, and to manage the same; (5) To acquire by purchase, gift or the exercise of the power of eminent domain, or by any other lawful means, any property, whether real, personal or mixed, the acquisition of which is found by the board to be necessary or convenient to the authority in the carrying out of the purposes for which the authority is authorized to be organized, and to lease or convey any such property or to cause any such property to be leased or conveyed to the United States, the state, any county or municipality in the state, or to any agency, department or instrumentality of any of such political entities, or to any public or private corporation, individual or other private entity, or to grant to any of the aforesaid entities an option to lease or purchase any such property for specified rentals or for a specified purchase price, (i) for any purpose for which the authority is authorized to be organized or (ii) for the purpose of disposing of such property because such property is not needed in the direct operations of the authority or because such property, in the judgment of the board, can be developed or utilized to the greater benefit of the state and its citizens if it is so leased or conveyed by the authority to another entity or if an option to lease or purchase the same is granted by the authority to another entity; provided, that any lease or sale (or any option respecting the lease or sale) of any property of the authority to any entity other than the state or a public corporation that is an agency or instrumentality of the state shall be made or granted only for fair value and pursuant to a resolution of the board containing findings as to such fair value and as to the absence of the authority’s need for the property or as to the public benefits to be achieved by disposition of the property; provided further, that any such leasing, sale or granting of an option to any county or municipality or any agency, department or instrumentality of any such political entity may be made at a private or public sale or by private negotiation as the board deems to be in the best interests of the state and its citizens; and provided further, however, that, unless the terms of any such lease provide that the net monetary proceeds therefrom must be applied for the improvement of the property to be leased, the net monetary proceeds received by the authority from any lease or sale of any such property and the net monetary proceeds received by the authority from the granting of an option to lease or purchase the same shall be paid into the State Treasury (i) to be used toward retirement of any bonds that may have been issued by the state or any instrumentality of the state and proceeds of which were used to pay for the acquisition of such property by the authority or for improvements to such property, or (ii) if no such bonds are outstanding, then for deposit into the general funds; (6) To exercise the right of eminent domain as freely and completely as, and in the same manner that, the State of Alabama is empowered to exercise such right; (7) To enter into contracts with the United States, the State of Alabama, counties and municipalities, with all agencies, departments and instrumentalities of such political entities, and with private individuals, firms, corporations and other persons for any purpose related to the authority’s duties and obligations in connection with the waterway and the flood control project; (8) To supervise the sale of general obligation bonds of the state subject to the provisions of Section 33-17-12 and to expend the proceeds of the said bonds in discharging its duties and obligations in connection with the waterway and the flood control project; (9) To appoint and employ such attorneys and agents as the business of the authority may require; provided, that the authority shall not employ fiscal agents in connection with the sale of bonds; (10) To appoint and employ an administrator and supporting staff with such duties and powers, for such terms, and at such salaries as the board of directors shall deem advisable; (11) To enter into agreements with the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development authority for the performance by the administrative staff of that agency of administrative functions of the authority for such periods and on such terms as the board of directors shall deem advisable; and (12) To delegate, subject to the provisions of Section 33-17-10, the performance of the authority’s duties and obligations to the Highway Department, the State Docks Department, and any other public corporations, agencies and departments of the state, in such part, to such extent, and on such terms as the board of directors shall deem advisable and to turn over to such other public corporations, agencies and departments of the state any and all funds of the authority necessary to enable such other public corporations, agencies and departments to perform the duties and obligations of the authority delegated to them.