This section ratifies the New Orleans special tax and sewerage-and-water-board arrangements, and limits how water rates and related funds may be used.
§4093. New Orleans; special acts ratified The special tax for public improvements, voted by the property taxpayers of the city of New Orleans, on June 6, 1899, and levied by the city council by Ordinance No. 15391, approved June 22, 1899, is hereby ratified, and its validity shall never be questioned. The special act adopted by the legislature at the special session held on August 8, 1899, constituting the Sewerage and Water Board of the City of New Orleans, authorizing the city of New Orleans to issue bonds and providing the means to pay the principal and interest thereof, and for other purposes cognate to the purposes of the special tax aforesaid, is hereby ratified and approved, specially including therein reserved legislative right to amend the same; with the exception that in fixing the rates to be charged private consumers of water, taken from the public water supply of the city of New Orleans, the sewerage and water board shall base said rates so as to provide for the maintenance and operation of the said water system and the public and private supply therefrom, and the cost of maintenance and operation of the public sewerage system; and the city of New Orleans shall be hereafter relieved of the duty of providing in its annual budget or otherwise for the maintenance and operation of the sewerage and water systems; and the said board shall be authorized to use the collections from water rates charged to private consumers for the maintenance and operation of the public water system, and the public and private supply therefrom, and the cost of maintenance and operation of the public sewerage system, and the creation of a sinking fund for an ultimate renewal of said systems; and any surplus existing, after providing for the uses aforesaid, may be used for the maintenance and operation of the public drainage system; provided, that the rates charged private consumers shall never exceed the total rates charged private consumers by the sewerage and water board, in force November 1, 1913, unless otherwise authorized by the legislature, provided, the water rates shall never exceed the cost of operating and maintaining the water, sewerage, and drainage systems, and all extensions, replacements, repairs and betterments. The sewerage and water board is authorized to contract with parties having franchises for that purpose to supply water to consumers in the adjoining parishes, at rates to be fixed by the sewerage and water board. The provisions of Act 19 of 1906, and of Act 116 of 1908, relating to the issuance by the city of New Orleans of new public improvement bonds to the extent of eight million dollars ($8,000,000.00), are also ratified and approved, and the respective amendments to the constitution carrying same into effect are reaffirmed. Added by Acts 1976, No. 167, §1.