§2571.1. Port of New Orleans; parking violations; administrative adjudication; procedure; appeal; penalties

A. The board of commissioners of the Port of New Orleans may prescribe civil fines for violation of its traffic and parking ordinances which prohibit speeding, parking, stopping, or standing in certain areas of the jurisdiction of the port pursuant to the procedures for administrative adjudication provided in this Chapter.

B. The board may adopt an ordinance establishing an administrative adjudication hearing procedure under this Chapter. Each ordinance shall provide a time period for persons charged with violating a speeding, parking, stopping, or standing ordinance to have a hearing under this Chapter. The ordinance shall provide for appointment of hearing officers who shall have been licensed to practice law in Louisiana for five years and who may administer oaths and affirmations and to issue orders compelling the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents. Any order compelling the attendance of witnesses or the production of documents may be enforced by the appellate court in the parish in which the violation is alleged to have occurred.

C.(1) If the ordinance provides for an instanter hearing at any time within fifteen days of the alleged violation for those denying liability for the violation, then the ticket or summons shall inform the person ticketed of the right to and place of such instanter hearing; however, the officer issuing the summons or ticket need not be present and the ticket shall be prima facie proof of its contents.

(2) The ticket or summons shall also provide information as to the time and place of an administrative adjudication hearing, at which the officer issuing the summons, citation, or ticket is present. The failure of any person charged with a violation to appear at the hearing shall be considered an admission of liability for the charged violation. The original summons, citation, ticket, or any carbon, machine, or true copy thereof is a record kept in the ordinary course of business of the port, and shall be rebuttable proof of the facts contained therein.

D. Any administrative adjudication hearing held under this Chapter shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of evidence of the Administrative Procedure Act. Testimony by any person shall be taken under oath or by affirmation. The person charged with the ordinance violation may present any relevant evidence and testimony at such hearing; however, his physical presence shall not be required at the hearing if documentary evidence is submitted to the hearing officer prior to the date of the hearing.

E. The hearing officer shall issue an order stating whether or not the person charged is liable for violation of the speeding, parking, stopping, or standing ordinance and the amount of any fine, penalty, costs, or fee assessed against him, which order may be filed with the port. Any such order filed with this port may be enforced by immobilization of the offending vehicle.

F. Any order or decision of the hearing officer filed under this Chapter with the port shall be maintained in a separate index and file. These orders or decisions may be recorded utilizing computer printouts, microfilm, microfiche, or other similar data processing techniques.

G. The ordinance shall provide for the amount and disposition of fines, penalties, costs and fees.

H. Any person determined by the hearing officer to be in violation of a speeding, parking, stopping, or standing ordinance may appeal this determination to the appellate court in the parish in which the violation is alleged to have occurred. The appeal shall be instituted by filing, within thirty days of the filing of the hearing officer's order, a petition with the clerk along with payment of such reasonable costs as may be required by the clerk. After filing a petition for appeal, the clerk shall schedule a hearing and notify all parties of the date, time, and place of such hearing. Service of notice of appeal under this Subsection shall not stay the enforcement and collection of the judgment unless the person who files the appeal posts bond prior to filing notice of appeal with the agency of the port designated by ordinance to accept payments of violations of speeding, parking, stopping, or standing ordinances.

I. As used in this Section:

(1) "Appellate court" means a city court in Orleans Parish, a parish court in Jefferson Parish, or a justice of the peace court in St. Bernard Parish.

(2) "Clerk" means the clerk of a city court in Orleans Parish, the clerk of a parish court in Jefferson Parish, and the justice of the peace in St. Bernard Parish.

Acts 2001, No. 744, §1, eff. July 1, 2001; Acts 2015, No. 164, §1.