The board has broad powers to run the district, adopt a master plan, make rules, collect fees, work with other agencies, levy taxes and issue bonds with voter approval, and must complete an annual audit within six months after the fiscal year ends.
§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. Acts 1984, No. 161, §1; Acts 2010, No. 861, §15; Acts 2015, No. 442, §1.