2013 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 32 - Motor Vehicles and Traffic Regulation
RS 32:1751 - TRI-STATE CORRIDOR COMMISSION

CHAPTER 17. TRI-STATE CORRIDOR COMMISSION

§1751. Powers of the commission

The Tri-State Corridor Commission is hereby declared to constitute and is declared to be a body politic and political subdivision of the state of Louisiana, as defined in Article VI, Section 44 of the Constitution of Louisiana. The commission is hereby granted all of the rights, powers, privileges, and immunities granted to political subdivisions, including but not limited to the following:

(1) The commission is declared to constitute and be a body politic and political subdivision of the state and is empowered to, among other things:

(a) Sue and be sued.

(b) Adopt, use, and alter a corporate seal.

(c) Initiate or coordinate research, studies and the gathering of information pertaining to the four laning, construction, expansion, improvement or extension of Louisiana Highway 1.

(d) Provide for the long-term economic/industrial development and tourism development of the corridor area.

(2) Further provision is hereby authorized that the boundary of the commission shall be the geographical boundaries of the parish of Caddo in Louisiana and the counties of Marion, Cass, and Bowie in Texas and Miller and Little River Counties in Arkansas.

(3) The management and control of the commission shall be vested in a twelve member board of commissioners, who shall serve without compensation, and shall be appointed by the municipalities, parish, or county government within the boundaries of the commission with three members who shall be appointed by the three highway departments, one each from Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, and who shall serve as an ex officio-nonvoting member.

(4) The commission shall have the authority to undertake and perform economic development, industrial development, and tourism development in the corridor and in behalf of the membership comprising those political subdivisions (city, town, village, county, parish) within the boundaries of the commission's authority.

(5) The commission shall be designated as an official depository for all research, analyses, and information relating to the project area and shall receive and preserve all such information. It shall further be the depository for maps, aerial photography, and other study and survey materials.

(6) The commission is authorized to receive monies from any public or private body which may so desire to appropriate, donate, or transfer funds, real property or other items of value to be used by the commission to defray costs of operation and expenses of the commission. Further, the commission has the authority to apply for, receive, and accept from any public agency or private entity, group, or its designee any grant, contribution, or loan of money, property, or other things of value for purposes authorized by the commission.

(7) The commission shall abide by all provisions of Louisiana and federal law pertaining to open meetings, public records, fiscal agents, official journals, dual office holding and employment, public bid law, and the Code of Governmental Ethics.

(8) The commission shall have the authority to levy and cause to be collected any taxes, except ad valorem taxes, fees, or charges authorized under the constitution or laws of this state, which shall be limited to those taxes, fees, or charges that are commonly referred to as user fees or charges and which bear relationship to the proposed four laning highway project or highway usage, including motor vehicle transfer fees and annual road use charges or license fees, and to pledge the proceeds of such levy to the reimbursement of debt service payments for bonds issued on the behalf of the commission by the state of Louisiana. Provided, however, that no tax, fee, or charge may be levied or imposed unless first approved by a majority of the qualified electors who vote in an election called for such purposes within the commission and by a majority of the qualified electors within Caddo Parish.

(9) The commission shall have the authority to enter into cooperative agreements and arrangements or a cooperative endeavor with the state as authorized by Article VII, Section 14(C) of the Constitution of Louisiana, under which the state will agree to issue bonds for the completion of the project, and in return, the commission shall agree to reimburse the state for a portion of the total cost of said highway project which portion shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the total cost to the state, from the revenues of the commission, for debt service payments of those bonds.

(10) No tax, fee, or charge shall be proposed unless and until public notice of the intention to submit such tax, fee, or charge for voter approval is published in the official journal of the parish included within the boundaries of the commission at least thirty days prior to the date on which the board of commissioners shall consider and vote on a resolution calling for said tax election. Such notice must set forth:

(a) A general description of the highway project to be funded through bonds to be serviced by said tax.

(b) The total approximate cost of the highway project.

(c) The portion of the total cost of said highway project which will be funded through revenues of the commission.

(d) The date on which construction is anticipated to begin and the anticipated date of completion.

(e) The date, time, and place of the meeting at which said resolution shall be considered.

Acts 1990, No. 912, §1, eff. July 25, 1990.