§4570.3. Powers and duties

A. The commission shall have perpetual existence and shall have the right and power to incur debts and contract obligations; to sue and be sued; to acquire by purchase, donation, expropriation, and otherwise, from other political entities or from any other source, money and property, movable and immovable, tangible and intangible, and to own, administer, alienate, and otherwise dispose of the said money and property; to contract generally; to adopt an official seal; and generally to have and enjoy all of the rights, powers, and immunities incident to public corporations engaged in public recreational and public park purposes. The powers and duties of the commission shall be inclusive of the right to own and acquire, and to develop and administer, lands for public parks, and other properties and improvements, movable and immovable, tangible and intangible, as well as additional rights, leases, concessions, and privileges for public recreational and park purposes generally. The commission is invested with full power to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations within the scope of this Section to apply to its own governmental functions, and to control and regulate the public recreational and park facilities under its jurisdiction.

B. The commission shall have full power and authority on its own motion, or upon recommendation of its superintendent, to make such studies and investigations as it may deem necessary in formulating policies, or in determining the wisdom and efficiency of policies, plans, and procedures to be carried out in acquiring, developing, and operating public recreational park facilities that will be available to all of the people of the parish of East Baton Rouge; and the policies and plans and procedures thus formulated shall be binding upon the superintendent. The superintendent shall have the power and authority to make recommendations as to said policies, plans, and procedures, and to establish and abolish positions, to transfer duties between positions, to assign duties, to direct and control, transfer, promote, demote, and otherwise change the status of all employees of the said commission, to nominate any and all such employees, and to recommend the salary to be paid in each case. Such nominations and recommendations shall finally be passed upon by the commission. The commission cannot and shall not act in the actual administration of public recreation and park facilities except through the superintendent, or through someone acting under this authority, and every lawful act of the superintendent performed in his capacity as superintendent pursuant to the provisions of this Section and the rules and regulations of the commission shall be the act of the commission.

C. For the purpose of acquiring and developing land and other property as public park areas or for public recreational purposes, the commission shall have the right to expropriate property in the same manner and by the same proceedings and under the same limitations now invested in and imposed by law on railroads and other quasi-public corporations.

Acts 1985, No. 95, §1, eff. June 29, 1985.