2006 Alabama Code - Section 4-2A-6 — Powers of authority.

The authority shall have the following powers among others specified in this chapter, together with all powers incidental thereto or necessary to the discharge thereof in corporate form:

(1) To have succession by its corporate name for the duration of time (which may be in perpetuity) specified in its certificate of incorporation;

(2) To sue and be sued in its own name in civil actions;

(3) To adopt and make use of a corporate seal and to alter the same at pleasure;

(4) To adopt and alter bylaws for the regulation and conduct of its affairs and business;

(5) To acquire, receive, take and hold, whether by purchase, option to purchase, gift, lease, devise or otherwise, property of every description, whether real, personal or mixed, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality, and to manage said property and to develop any property and to sell, exchange, lease or grant an option to purchase any property (whether developed or undeveloped) owned, leased or controlled by it;

(6) To make, enter into, execute and perform such contracts, agreements, leases and other instruments and to take such other action as may be necessary or convenient to accomplish any purpose for which the authority was organized or the exercise of any power granted hereunder;

(7) To plan, establish, develop, acquire, purchase, lease, construct, reconstruct, enlarge, improve, maintain, equip, operate, regulate and protect airports and air navigation facilities, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality, including the acquisition, construction, installation, equipment, maintenance and operation at or in connection with or in furtherance of the use of such airports of sanitary and storm sewage systems and water, electric and gas systems, buildings, hangars and other facilities for airlines and the servicing of aircraft or for the comfort, use and accommodation of air travelers and the purchase and sale of such supplies, goods and commodities as are incident to the operation of its airport properties;

(8) To construct, acquire, establish, improve, extend, enlarge, reconstruct, equip, maintain, repair and operate heliports, aerial aircraft (by whatever name such may be known) landing, loading or storage areas and transportation terminals, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality;

(9) To construct, acquire, establish, improve, extend, enlarge, reconstruct, equip, maintain and repair buildings, structures and facilities suitable for use as manufacturing plants, industrial plants, retail shopping areas or centers, parks, exhibits or exhibitions or for the conduct of any lawful business, at, upon or adjacent to any airport, heliport or aircraft landing area owned or operated by such authority, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality, and to sell, exchange, grant an option to purchase, lease or let such buildings, structures and facilities or any one or more of them to such tenant or tenants for such term or terms, at such compensation or rental and subject to such provisions, limitations and conditions as the authority may require or approve;

(10) To furnish or supply upon any airport, heliport or aircraft landing area or other property owned or operated by or under the jurisdiction of the authority, for reward or compensation, goods, commodities, space, facilities and services, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, food, lodging, shelter, lawful drinks, confections, reading matter, oil, gasoline, motors and aircraft, motor and aircraft parts and equipment, space in buildings, space for buildings and structures, parking space for aircraft and automobiles and the services of mechanics, instructors and hostlers;

(11) To confer upon individuals, firms, corporations or companies for reward or compensation the privilege or concession of supplying upon any airport, heliport or aircraft landing area owned or operated by or under the jurisdiction of the authority all or any part of the goods, commodities, things, services and facilities authorized to be supplied by subsection (10);

(12) To acquire, by eminent domain and otherwise, establish, construct, expand, own, control, equip, improve, maintain, operate and regulate satellite airports or landing fields for the use of aircraft in the state, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality;

(13) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, existing airports, air navigation facilities and other facilities, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality; provided, however, that the authority shall not acquire or take over any airport or air navigation facility owned or controlled by any county, municipality, public corporation, public authority or public agency of the state, or any one or more thereof, without the consent of such county, municipality, public corporation, public authority or public agency;

(14) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, property which may be used or useful for educational facilities, to establish, construct, own, maintain, operate, improve, expand, equip, control and regulate schools, institutions of higher learning and other educational facilities upon or adjacent to the properties of the authority and to sell, lease or donate such educational properties;

(15) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, property which has been or may be used or useful for housing, apartments and other residential buildings, structures, complexes and projects, to establish, construct, own, maintain, operate, improve, expand, equip, control and regulate such housing and residential facilities upon or adjacent to the properties of the authority and to sell, lease or donate such properties;

(16) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease, eminent domain proceedings or otherwise, to establish, expand, own, control, equip, improve, maintain, operate, manage and regulate any and all types of transportation facilities and services in, to or from the state, including, but not limited to, rail systems, railroads, spur tracks and other railway facilities and equipment, mass transportation facilities, bus systems, buses, intrastate airlines and other facilities, systems or services for any mode of transportation, and to sell, lease or donate such properties;

(17) To acquire, by purchase, gift, devise, lease or otherwise, and to operate docks, wharves, maritime warehouses, machinery and equipment and port facilities;

(18) Subject to the provisions of this chapter, to borrow money and issue its bonds in evidence thereof to provide funds for any corporate function, use or purpose;

(19) As security for payment of the principal of and interest and premium (if any) on its bonds and any agreements made in connection therewith, to pledge, mortgage, assign or grant security interests in any or all of

a. The funds, revenues or receipts from which its bonds may be made payable or

b. Its properties or any part or parts thereof (whether then owned or thereafter acquired) and to arrange for and provide such additional security for its bonds, including, but not limited to, letters of credit, bond insurance policies, surety bonds, all as the board shall determine to be necessary or desirable;

(20) To borrow money on a short-term basis and to issue its temporary bonds or notes in evidence thereof for any corporate function, use or purpose, which bonds or notes shall mature not later than 24 months from their date of issuance, to provide for the payment of the same from the principal proceeds of the sale of its long-term bonds, and to mortgage, assign and pledge, as security for payment of the principal of and interest on any such temporary bonds or notes and any agreements made in connection therewith, any funds, revenues, receipts or properties it is authorized to pledge, mortgage or assign as security for its bonds under subdivision (19);

(21) To assume obligations secured by a lien on or payable out of or secured by a pledge of the revenues, rents, receipts and funds from any air transportation facilities, air navigation facilities or other facilities, or any part thereof, that may be acquired by the authority;

(22) To exercise the power of eminent domain in the manner and subject to the provisions of Title 18 with respect to any property, real, personal or mixed, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality, including air space, navigation easements, structures and obstructions to flights and property already devoted to public use, that may be reasonably necessary for the construction, extension, maintenance, operation, protection, enlargement, improvement or preservation of an airport or airport facility, or sanitary or storm sewage systems or water, electric and gas systems, upon, adjacent to, in connection with or in furtherance of the use of any airport, heliport or aircraft landing area or other properties owned or operated by the authority;

(23) To appoint, employ, contract with and provide for compensation of officers, employees and agents, including engineers, attorneys, consultants, fiscal advisers and such other employees as the business of the authority may require, including the power to fix working conditions and other conditions of employment by general rule and, at its option, to provide a system of disability pay, retirement compensation and pensions, or any of them, and to hire and fire servants, agents, employees and officers at will;

(24) To fix, establish, collect and alter landing fees, tolls, rents, passenger facility charges, access fees and other charges with respect to any airport, heliport, landing area, air navigation facility or other facility, building, structure or property owned or controlled by the authority or any service provided pursuant thereto, or any benefit derived therefrom;

(25) To make and enforce reasonable rules and regulations governing the use of any airport, heliport, landing area or airport facility or other facility owned or controlled by the authority;

(26) To provide for such insurance, including but without limitation to, use and occupancy insurance, as the board may deem advisable;

(27) To invest any funds of the authority that the board may determine are not presently needed for its corporate purposes in any permitted investments or in any obligations in which municipal or county funds are authorized to be invested pursuant to Section 11-81-21;

(28) To cooperate with the United States of America, the state or any county, city, town, public corporation, agency, department or political subdivision of the state or the United States of America, and to make such contracts with them or any of them as the board may deem advisable to accomplish the purposes for which the authority was established;

(29) To sell, exchange and convey, including the granting of options to acquire, any or all of its properties that may have become obsolete or worn out or that may no longer be needed or useful to the authority in connection with, or in the operation of the airport, heliport or other facility with respect to which they were acquired or of which they form a part, or that the board deems to be in furtherance of any purpose for which the authority was organized;

(30) To receive and accept grants for or in aid of the construction, extension, improvement, maintenance or operation of any airport, heliport or airport facility, air navigation facility or other facility from the United States of America or any agency thereof and from the state or any department or agency thereof and any political subdivision thereof, and to receive and accept money, property, labor or other things of value from any source whatever;

(31) To sell, donate and convey, with or without consideration, any of its properties to the state or any one or more counties, municipalities or public corporations organized and existing under the laws of the state which have the corporate power to operate the properties so conveyed and the property and income of which are not subject to taxes; provided, that any such conveyance shall not be made if it would constitute a violation of a provision of any then outstanding indenture to which the authority is a party;

(32) To purchase equipment and supplies necessary or convenient for the exercise of any power of the authority;

(33) To appoint, employ, contract with and provide for compensation of one or more suitable persons to act as police officers to keep off intruders and prevent trespass upon and damage to property owned by or under the jurisdiction of the authority. All such persons shall be charged with all the duties and invested with all the powers of police officers. Any police officer appointed pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision is a peace officer whose authority extends to any place in the state; provided, that the primary duty of any such police or peace officer shall be the enforcement of the law on property owned by or under the jurisdiction of the authority; and provided further, that any such police or peace officer shall not otherwise act as a peace officer in enforcing the law except:

a. When in pursuit of any offender or suspected offender who is charged with the commission of a crime while on premises owned by or under the jurisdiction of the authority, or

b. To make arrests otherwise lawful for crimes committed, or for which there is probable cause to believe have been committed, within his presence or within the boundaries of said property owned by or under the jurisdiction of the authority. The provisions of this subdivision granting powers to police officers employed by the authority are not intended to limit or abridge any powers heretofore granted to said officers by law, or to imply that such powers do not otherwise exist on the date of the enactment of this chapter, and the provisions of this subdivision are, therefore, to be considered cumulative;

(34) To enter into a management agreement or agreements with any county or municipality in the state for the management by the authority of any airport, heliport, air navigation facility or other facility useful to the authority, whether in one or more counties and whether within or without the corporate limits of any municipality, upon such terms and conditions as may be mutually agreeable; and

(35) To assess and collect fines from any person, firm or corporation occupying, leasing or utilizing any part of an airport, airport facility or other facility or property owned by or under the jurisdiction of the authority in order to reimburse the authority for civil penalties levied by any government entity (including the FAA) if such penalties arise as the result of one or more acts or omissions of such person, firm or corporation.

(Acts 1991, No. 91-667, p. 1275, §6.)