§551.11. Vernon Parish Industrial Development District

A. The Vernon Parish Industrial Development District is hereby created as a political subdivision of the state. The territorial limits and jurisdiction of the district shall extend throughout the entire parish of Vernon.

B. The governing authority of the district shall be a board of commissioners consisting of eleven members, appointed as follows:

(1) Nine members shall be appointed, one each, by the high school teachers representing the nine secondary schools throughout the parish of Vernon.

(2) One member shall be the state representative from the Thirtieth Representative District.

(3) One member shall be the mayor of Leesville, Louisiana.

C. The terms of office of the board of commissioners shall be as follows:

(1) Of the initial appointments, the members appointed by the teachers of Anacoco High School, Evans High School, and Hicks High School shall be appointed to serve one year.

(2) Of the initial appointments, the members appointed by the teachers of Hornbeck High School, Leesville High School, and Rosepine High School shall be appointed to serve two years.

(3) Of the initial appointments, the members appointed by the teachers of Pickering High School, Pitkin High School, and Simpson High School shall be appointed to serve three years.

(4) At the termination of these initial terms of office, each term thereafter shall be for three years.

D. Any vacancy in the membership of the board of commissioners occurring either by reason of the expiration of the term or by reason of death, resignation or otherwise, shall be filled by appointment consistent with the original appointment procedure. Each member shall be a qualified voter and bona fide resident of the district during his term of office, and shall serve without compensation, however, such members shall be entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses incurred in connection with official business of the district. Any member may be removed by the entity which originally nominated him, but only for cause and after public hearing.

E.(1) The powers and duties conferred by the constitution and laws of this state governing industrial districts and the power to incur debt and issue bonds to encourage industrial enterprises, including but not by way of limitation, the provisions of R.S. 39:551.1 through 551.3 and the provisions of Part XII of Chapter 4 of Subtitle II of Title 39 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.

(2) In addition to the above enumerated powers, the board of commissioners may, when necessary, and upon approval of the police jury of Vernon Parish, levy an annual ad valorem tax not to exceed twenty mills on the dollar of assessed valuation of all property within the district, provided that the amount, term, and purpose of said tax, as set forth in a proposition submitted to a vote in accordance with the Louisiana Election Code, shall be approved by a majority of the qualified electors voting in a special election held for that purpose.

Acts 1988, No. 338, §1, eff. July 7, 1988; Acts 1995, No. 365, §1.

NOTE: SEE ACTS 1995, NO. 365, §2.