§1003. Authority to acquire, construct, and finance certain facilities and improvements

A. The Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission, in addition to those duties specified in R.S. 25:1002, shall have the authority to acquire, construct, and finance a landing facility for commercial excursion boats, an observation area, a platform for tourist related recreational projects, and other related improvements to the U.S.S. Kidd and its related maritime museum and memorial center, as needed public facilities and improvements, and as a means of enhancing the revenue-producing potential of such facilities. In the exercise of this authority, the commission is further authorized and empowered to enter into and execute an agreement or agreements with the city of Baton Rouge, the parish of East Baton Rouge, or both, hereinafter referred to as "the city and the parish", and such entities are likewise authorized to enter into such agreement for participation by the city and the parish in the acquisition, construction, and financing of such facilities and improvements.

B.(1) Subject to the approval of their respective governing authorities and the State Bond Commission, the city and the parish are further authorized to issue certificates of indebtedness for the purpose of paying the cost of constructing, acquiring, and improving any public facility or improvement authorized in this Section. These certificates of indebtedness shall be authorized by resolution of the respective governing authority and shall be payable from the income and revenues to be derived from admittance charges to such facilities together with any other income and revenues pledged by the commission to be derived from the operation of the landing facility, observation area, platform, and other improvements after payment of the reasonable cost of operation and maintenance thereof. Certificates issued hereunder shall not constitute an indebtedness or pledge of the general credit of the state of Louisiana nor of the city or parish within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory limitation on indebtedness. Such certificates of indebtedness shall mature over a period not exceeding twenty years, shall be in such form, and shall be callable under such terms at such premiums as may be set out in the resolution of the respective governing authority. These certificates of indebtedness shall be sold and bear interest at such rate or rates as may be determined by the respective governing authority and approved by the State Bond Commission. Such certificates of indebtedness and the income therefrom shall further be exempt from all taxation in the state of Louisiana. These certificates of indebtedness when issued shall be negotiable paper under the law merchant, shall not be invalid for any irregularity or defect in the proceedings providing for their issuance, and shall be incontestable in the hands of bona fide purchasers thereof for value. No court shall have authority or jurisdiction to inquire into the legality thereof if the validity of such certificates is not raised within thirty days from the date of publication of the ordinance providing for their issuance.

(2) In addition to the authority set forth in Paragraph (1) above, the city and the parish may issue certificates of indebtedness under the authority of R.S. 33:2921 to R.S. 33:2925, after satisfying the legal requirements set forth therein, but for terms not to exceed twenty years.

C. Subject to the approval of their respective governing authorities and the State Bond Commission, the city and the parish may issue revenue bonds under the terms and provisions of Part XIII of Chapter 4, Chapter 13, and Chapter 13-A, all of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, for the purpose of financing all or any portion of the costs of the public improvements or facilities authorized in this Section. Such revenue bonds shall not be general obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the city, the parish, or the state of Louisiana. The principal, interest, and redemption premiums on the revenue bonds, if any, shall be payable solely from the income and revenue derived from the facility or improvement so financed, all as more fully set forth in said Part XIII. The commission is further authorized to contract with respect to such projects or facilities as herein provided and more fully set forth in said Part XIII.

D. Under such agreement, the commission is further authorized to recognize an undivided interest of the city and the parish in the property acquired, constructed, or improved with the proceeds of the certificates or bonds in the proportion that the actual contribution of each to principal and interest requirements bears to the total principal and interest on the certificates or bonds to maturity, the proportion of ownership interest to be vested in each of the participating entities to be finally fixed and determined upon payment of the certificates or bonds. The revenues to be derived from the operation thereof shall be attributed to the city, the parish, and the commission in the manner provided in the aforesaid agreement.

E. Under such agreement, the commission, the city, and the parish may conjointly provide for the operation of the facilities and improvements so financed. The commission, the city, and the parish are further jointly authorized to lease commercial space within or on such properties in accordance with the provisions of Part I of Chapter 10 of Title 41 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, including requirements for advertising for and receiving public bids for such leases, except that such leases shall be awarded and executed according to the following terms and conditions:

(1) The following determinations shall be made in awarding each lease:

(a) The financial qualifications of the applicants for the proposed lease.

(b) The compatibility of the proposed lease with the integrity, structure, and safety of the property.

(c) The impact of the proposed lease on the character of the area in which the properties are located.

(d) The fair market rental price based upon other comparable properties.

(2) Such leases shall provide for a fair and equitable return of revenue to the lessor based upon the fair market rental price.

(3) Additional procedural requirements for such leases may be adopted by the governing authority of the city and the parish.

F. The commission, the city, and the parish may apply for and receive Urban Development Action Grant monies and any other federal funds available through grant or loan programs for the purposes of this Section.

Acts 1985, No. 248, §1, eff. July 6, 1985.