§9353. Corporate status of district; powers of district

A. Any veterans' memorial district created under the provisions of this Chapter shall constitute a body corporate in law with all the power and right to incur debts and contract obligations, to sue and be sued, and to do and perform any and all acts in its corporate capacity and its corporate name necessary and proper for the carrying out of the objects and purposes for which the veterans' memorial district was created. The district shall be domiciled as designated by the parish governing authority.

B. Every veterans' memorial district may do all of the following:

(1) Provide and maintain memorial halls, assembly halls, buildings, or meeting places, together with suitable indoor and outdoor park and recreation facilities, including swimming pools, picnic areas, and playgrounds, for the use of persons or organizations other than veterans, and veteran soldiers, sailors, and marines who have honorably served the United States or for the use of patriotic, fraternal, or benevolent associations of those persons. However, no district shall provide and maintain indoor and outdoor park and recreation facilities, including swimming pools, picnic areas, and playgrounds, unless these projects have been approved by a majority of the voters at either a general election or at a special election called for that purpose. The question of whether the district shall provide and maintain indoor and outdoor park and recreation facilities may be submitted to the electors of the district by the board on its own motion and shall be submitted by the board upon petition signed by eight percent of the registered electors of the district, at either regularly scheduled election or at a special election called for that purpose.

(2) Purchase, receive by donation, lease, or acquire except by expropriation real or personal property, necessary or convenient for the construction or maintenance of halls, buildings, meeting places and facilities, and improve, preserve, manage, and control these facilities.

(3) Purchase, construct, lease, build, furnish, or repair halls, buildings, meeting places, and facilities upon sites owned or leased by the district or made available to the district; and provide custodians, employees, attendants, and supplies for the proper maintenance, care, and management thereof.

(4) Furnish sites for halls, buildings, meeting places, or facilities, to be built either by the district or by or for patriotic, fraternal, or benevolent associations of veterans, if the funds for these sites are supplied by the district or from other sources.

(5) Enter into agreements with parish, municipal, school, recreational, or other public authorities, political subdivisions, or agencies of the state conveying, leasing, or making available to the district, either gratuitously or for compensation, sites upon public land for the construction, maintenance, and management thereon by the district of assembly or memorial halls, buildings, meeting places, or facilities, and construct and maintain thereon halls, buildings, meeting places, or facilities.

(6)(a) Sell or lease any district property to the highest responsible bidder, as determined by the board pursuant to the public bid laws of the state of Louisiana.

(b) No sale or lease shall be transacted, however, if a petition has been filed with the board requesting it not to enter into the sale or leasing of the property.

(c) The petition shall have affixed thereto, as petitioners, the signatures indicating place of residence and place of signing, of the electors of the district in a number of equal to at least ten percent of the votes cast in the district at the last preceding general election held in the state.

(d) If the petition meets these requirements, as determined by the records of the clerk of court or registrar of voters for the parish in which the district is situated, the board either shall not convey the property or submit the matter to the electors of the district to be voted upon at the next primary or general election, or at a special election called for the purpose of ratifying or rejecting the action of the district to sell or lease the property.

(7) Sell or lease any district property to any political subdivision, or portion thereof, in which the district lies for purposes of roads, streets, or highways, or for the improvements thereof, without regard to the highest responsible bidder.

(8) Adopt, from time to time, reasonable rules and regulations for the use of halls, buildings, meeting places, and facilities by veterans or by organizations thereof, and to allow the halls, buildings, meeting places, and facilities to be used for lawful purposes consistent with the objects of this Section by persons or organizations other than veterans either free of charge or for stated compensation to aid in defraying the cost of maintenance thereof, if that use will not unduly interfere with the reasonable use of the facilities by veterans' associations.

(9) Enter into cooperative endeavor agreements for recreational or senior citizens' services within the boundaries of the district.

Acts 1988, No. 384, §1, eff. July 10, 1988.