reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
AR Code § 14-94-107 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-107. Board of commissioners generally

 (a)  (1)  (A) Within thirty (30) days after their appointment, the commissioners shall take and file with the clerk their oath of office, in which they shall swear to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas, to discharge faithfully their duties as commissioners, and to not be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract let by the board except upon the approval of all the owners of real property located in the district.  (B) Any commissioner failing to file the oath within this period shall be deemed to have declined the office, and the governing body shall appoint some property owner as his successor, who shall qualify in like manner within a like time.    (2)  (A) In case of a vacancy on the board after the commissioners have organized, except as set forth in § 14-94-108, the remaining commissioners shall select some property owner in the district or creditors of the district as a successor; provided, however, if all improvements in the district have been completed, then the governing body shall select the successor.  (B) The person so selected shall qualify by taking the oath of office as prescribed for the original commissioners.      (b)  (1)  (A) The board shall organize by electing one (1) of its members as chairman and another as secretary.  (B) It may also employ such agents, servants, engineers, and attorneys as it deems best and fix their compensation and the compensation of the secretary.    (2) The board shall also select some solvent bank or trust company as the depository of its funds.    (c) In addition to and not by way of limitation of the above powers, the board shall have the power to:  (1) Make and execute all contracts, leases, conveyances, and other instruments of the district;  (2) Join with any county, municipality, improvement district, or other political subdivision or government agency, local, state, or federal, in the acquisition, construction, maintenance, operation, and financing of any of the improvements authorized by this chapter or as to the performance of any of its functions;  (3) Establish rules and regulations for the transaction of the district's business and for the services, use, and right to use of its facilities or services, or both, or to effectuate any purpose of this chapter;  (4) Do all things incidental to the exercise of the express powers granted by this chapter; and  (5) Perform all acts useful to carry out the purposes of this chapter, unlimited by any express provision hereof.    (d) No member of the board shall be liable for any damages unless it shall be made to appear that he acted with a corrupt intent.
AR Code § 14-94-108 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-108. Removal of board members

 (a) When the owners of two-thirds (2/3) in assessed value of the real property located within any district shall sign a petition stating that the petitioners believe it to be in the best interest of the district that the board, or any member thereof, be removed and shall file the petition with the governing body, the governing body shall set a date for a hearing on the petition and shall give notice of the hearing by one (1) publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the district at least ten (10) days before the date of the hearing.  (b)  (1) The purpose of the hearing shall be to determine the sufficiency of the petition.  (2) Any property owner of the district may appear and present evidence either in support of or against the sufficiency of the petition.    (c) If, after hearing, based upon the evidence presented, the governing body shall determine that the petition is signed by at least two-thirds (2/3) in assessed value of the real property owners in the district, the governing body shall immediately adopt a resolution removing the member of the board in accordance with the petition and appoint some property owner in the district or creditor of the district as a successor to fill the vacancy created by his removal.  (d) No member of the board shall be liable for any damages unless he or she shall have acted with a corrupt intent.
AR Code § 14-94-109 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-109. Planning by board

 (a) The board shall form plans relative to the acceptance, purchase, or construction of the improvement.  (b) To that end, the board may employ such engineers, attorneys, and other assistants as it may find necessary and shall file copies of all pertinent reports and actions of the board with the clerk.
AR Code § 14-94-110 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-110. Powers of districts generally

 (a) Any district, in furtherance of any of the purposes set forth in § 14-94-105, shall have the authority to hire managers and other employees and to pay their salaries incident to the operation and maintenance of any of the improvements authorized by this chapter. It shall also have the authority to acquire and purchase equipment and machinery incident to the operation and maintenance of these improvements and shall be further authorized to do any and all other acts which shall be deemed necessary in order to purchase, construct, accept as a gift, operate, and maintain any and all improvements authorized by this chapter.  (b) Any district shall have the power to sell or lease any improvements owned by it to any nearby municipality or district or other improvement district within the nearby municipality serving on behalf of the property owners of the district or to any other person. The district may make contracts with any person, or it may operate any improvement and may connect any improvement with the improvements, systems, and transmission lines of any nearby municipality or other district or improvement district and, with respect to sewers, may carry its sewers to any proper outlet within or without the district.  (c) Any district may accept as a gift any or all of the improvements and facilities authorized in this chapter upon the assumption of the maintenance and operation of the improvements and shall have the authority to assess and collect benefits as provided in this chapter, in order to provide the revenue for the costs of the maintenance and operation.
AR Code § 14-94-111 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-111. Corporate powers

 Each district shall be a body corporate with power to sue and to be sued on its contracts, and it shall have a corporate seal.
AR Code § 14-94-112 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-112. Right of eminent domain

 (a) All districts organized under this chapter shall have the right of eminent domain in order that they may carry out the purposes of their creation.  (b) This right shall be exercised in the same manner as in the case of railroad, telegraph, and telephone companies, but without the necessity of making a deposit of money before entering into possession of the property condemned.  (c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to authorize any property owner improvement district to issue or sell revenue bonds or use the proceeds thereof to purchase, condemn, or otherwise aquire a utility generating plant, transmission or distribution system owned or operated by a regulated public utility.
AR Code § 14-94-113 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-113. Sale of land

 Any property that may be acquired by any district organized under this chapter may be sold by the board of the district for the price and on the terms it deems best.
AR Code § 14-94-114 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-114. Priority of cases

 (a) All cases involving the validity of districts or the assessment of benefits and all suits to foreclose the lien or taxes shall be deemed matters of public interest and shall be advanced and disposed of at the earliest possible moment.  (b) All appeals therefrom must be taken and perfected within thirty (30) days after the order or decree.
AR Code § 14-94-116 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-116. Filing and notice of assessment — Hearing

 (a)  (1) The assessment shall be filed with the clerk.  (2)  (A) The secretary of the board shall thereupon give notice of its filing by two (2) publications in a newspaper having a general circulation in the municipality in which the district lies, with the first publication to be not fewer than seven (7) days prior to the date set for the hearing.  (B) This notice may be in the following form:      (b) On the day named in the notice, it shall be the duty of the commissioners and assessors as a board of equalization to meet together at the place named to hear all complaints against the assessment, and to equalize and adjust them. Their determination shall be final, unless suit is brought in the chancery court in which the municipality is located within thirty (30) days to review it.    “Notice is hereby given that the assessment of benefits and damages of District Number has been filed in the office of the City Clerk (or Town Recorder) of , where it is open to inspection. All persons wishing to be heard on the assessment will be heard by the commissioners and the assessor of the District between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at , in the City of , Arkansas, on the day of , 19 . Secretary”   Click to view form.
AR Code § 14-94-117 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-117. Reassessment

 (a) The board may, not more often than one (1) time a year, require the assessor to reassess the benefits in the district. However, in the event the district shall have incurred any indebtedness or issued bonds, the total amount of assessed benefits shall never be diminished.  (b) The reassessment shall be made, advertised, and equalized in the same manner as provided in this subchapter for making the original assessment.
AR Code § 14-94-118 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-118. Levy of tax

 (a)  (1) At the same time that the assessment of benefits is equalized or at any time thereafter, the board shall enter upon its records an order, which shall have all the force of a judgment, providing that there is levied upon the real property of the district a tax sufficient to pay the estimated cost of the improvement with ten percent (10%) added for unforeseen contingencies.  (2) The tax is to be paid by the real property owners in the district in the proportion to the amount of the assessment of benefits thereon and is to be paid in annual installments, as provided in the order.    (b) The tax so levied shall be a lien upon all the real property in the district from the time it is levied, shall be entitled to preference over all demands, executions, encumbrances, or liens whenever created, and shall continue until the assessment, with any penalty costs that may accrue thereon, shall have been paid. Provided, however, with the prior written approval of the board, the county clerk shall release from the lien for the assessment and tax any lot, block, or tract with respect to which the assessment and tax shall have been paid or prepaid.  (c)  (1) Promptly after entry of an order levying the tax, the board shall publish at least one (1) time in some newspaper having general circulation in the municipality a notice setting forth the order of levy and warning all persons affected by it that the order shall become final unless suit is brought to contest the order within thirty (30) days of the date of first publication of the notice; and  (2) No property owner shall be barred from contest of the levy within the thirty-days' publication period.    (d)  (1) The remedy against such levy of taxes shall be by suit in chancery.  (2) The suit must be brought within thirty (30) days from the time of notice that the levy was made, and, on the appeal, the presumption shall be in favor of the legality of the tax.
AR Code § 14-94-119 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-119. Interest on assessment

 The assessment of the benefits shall bear interest at a rate equal to the lesser of the maximum rate permitted by law or the rate of ten percent (10%) per annum from the time it is equalized, but the interest need not be calculated until it is necessary to do so to avoid exceeding the total amount of benefits and interest, or the interest may be first collected.
AR Code § 14-94-120 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-120. Extension and collection of taxes

 (a)  (1) When the board shall make the levy of taxes, it shall be the duty of the assessor to extend the amount levied and set forth the amount in the assessment book opposite each benefit assessed in a column marked “Annual Collection”. The assessor shall file a certified copy of the completed assessment book with the county clerk.  (2)  (A) It shall be the duty of the county clerk of the county to extend the taxes annually upon the tax books of the county until the levy is exhausted.  (B) For his or her services, he or she shall receive a commission of one and one-half percent (1.5%) of the amount so extended.      (b)  (1)  (A)  (i) It shall then be the duty of the collector of the county to collect each year the taxes extended upon the tax books along with the other taxes until the entire levy is exhausted.  (ii) For his or her services in making the collections, including prepayments, the collector shall receive a commission of one and one-half percent (1.5%). In the case of prepayments, the maximum commission shall be the lesser of one and one-half percent (1.5%) or fifty dollars ($50.00).    (B) The taxes shall be paid over by the collector to the district at the same time he or she pays over the county funds.    (2) In counties operating under the unit tax ledger system, the tax collector shall receive a commission of one and one-half percent (1.5%) for extending the taxes and a commission of an additional one and one-half percent (1.5%) for collecting the taxes.    (c) A property owner shall pay the taxes under this subchapter as a prerequisite to paying his or her ad valorem real property taxes.
AR Code § 14-94-121 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-121. Subsequent levies

 (a) If the tax first levied shall prove insufficient to pay the bonds, both the principal and interest, issued by the board on account of the improvement, as provided in this chapter, as the principal and interest on the bonds shall become due and payable, the board shall from time to time make the further levy upon the property previously assessed for a sum sufficient to complete the improvement and to pay the bonds and interest, which shall be extended and collected in the same manner as the first levy. However, the total levy shall in no case exceed the value of the benefits assessed on the property with interest.  (b) The performance of the duties set forth in this section may be enforced by mandamus.
AR Code § 14-94-123 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-123. Negotiable notes, bonds, or evidence of debt

 (a)  (1) In order to meet preliminary expenses and to finance the cost of the improvements to be accomplished, with costs incidental to them and to the issuance of the bonds, the board may issue bonds of the district and may pledge all assessments of benefits to the district and all or any part of the profits of the district derived from its operation of any improvements of the district to the payment of the bonds.  (2) The board may also issue to the contractors who do the work evidences of debt bearing interest at the rate or rates prescribed by the board and secure them in the same manner.  (3) As for the security for the payment of any indebtedness, the members of the board may, by resolution, establish the rates for use of the improvements to be collected from the users of the improvements and may mortgage any or all of its property, including improvements.    (b)  (1) Bonds issued under the authority of this chapter shall:  (A) Bear interest at such rate or rates;  (B) Mature at such time or times;  (C) Be payable, as to principal, premium, if any, and interest, at such places, within or without the State of Arkansas;  (D) Be in such form, whether bearer or registered, negotiable or nonnegotiable;  (E) Be subject to such exchange privileges; and  (F) Have such other details as may be set forth in the resolution of the board authorizing their issuance.    (2) The resolution may provide for the execution and delivery of a trust indenture or like instrument by the board securing the bonds and for the execution and delivery of other writings pertaining thereto.  (3) The bonds, and coupons, if any, may be executed by the manual or facsimile signatures of the members of the board.
AR Code § 14-94-124 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-124. Tax exemption

 The bonds, and interest on them, shall be exempt from all state, county, and municipal taxes, including income, property, and inheritance taxes.
AR Code § 14-94-125 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-125. Payment of bonds and interest

 (a)  (1) All bonds issued under the terms of this chapter shall be secured by a lien on all real property in the district.  (2) The making of assessments, levies, and collections, as authorized by this chapter, may be enforced by mandamus.    (b)  (1)  (A) If any bond, or interest thereon, is not paid within thirty (30) days after its maturity, it shall be the duty of the chancery court, on application of any holder of the bond or any interest coupon so overdue, to appoint a receiver to collect the taxes aforesaid and an assessor to reassess the benefits, if necessary.  (B) The proceeds of the taxes and collections shall be applied, after payment of costs, first to overdue interest, and then to payment pro rata of all bonds issued by the district which are then due and payable.    (2)  (A) The receiver may be directed by suit to foreclose the lien of the taxes on the real property.  (B) The suits brought by the receiver shall be conducted in all matters as suits by the board as provided in this chapter and with like effect, and the decree and deeds therein shall have the same presumption in their favor.  (C) When all the sums have been paid, the receiver shall be discharged and the affairs of the district conducted by the board as provided in this chapter.
AR Code § 14-94-126 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-126. Dissolution of district

 (a)  (1) After all bonds or other evidences of indebtedness, plus all interest on them, shall have been paid in full, then a district may, by unanimous vote of the members of the board, be dissolved and all further levies and assessments cancelled, the members of the board relieved from further duties, and the surplus funds of the district distributed in accordance with the procedures set forth in subsection (b) of this section.  (2) The districts are authorized, at the discretion of the respective boards, to enter into repair and maintenance agreements and to expend funds of the districts for these purposes.    (b)  (1) In the event that the board shall vote to dissolve a district under subsection (a) of this section, the board shall convert all assets into cash and shall first pay from the surplus funds all debts of the district, including any reasonable legal and other expenses incurred in connection with the dissolution.  (2)  (A) The board shall then refund all remaining funds of the district pro rata to the property owners who hold title to the property in the district at the time the refund is made.  (B)  (i) The pro rata refund to the property owners shall be made on the basis of the most recent assessment or reassessment of benefits on the parcel of property prior to dissolution and shall be in the same proportion that the assessed benefits of each individual parcel of property bears to the total of the assessed benefits of all the property in the district.  (ii) No property or owner whose property is delinquent in any sum for district assessments, penalties, or interest at the time the refund is made shall be counted in calculating the pro rata distribution or receive any portion of the refund.    (C) Within ninety (90) days after the distribution of surplus funds has been completed, the board shall file a copy of the resolution of dissolution and a financial statement of the district, verified by all members of the board, in the office of the clerk of the municipality in which the district was established.
AR Code § 14-94-127 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-127. Lien for preliminary expenses

 If for any reason the improvement contemplated by any district organized under this chapter is not made, the preliminary expense shall be a first lien upon all the real property in the district and shall be paid by a levy of a tax on it. The levy shall be made by the chancery court of the county and shall be collected by a receiver to be appointed by the court.
AR Code § 14-94-128 (2020)
2020 Arkansas Code|Title 14 - Local Government|Subtitle 5 - Improvement Districts Generally|Chapter 94 - Municipal Property Owners' Improvement District Law|§ 14-94-128. Continued existence of district

 If the petition for formation of the district provides therefor or the owners of real property in the district agree thereto, a district shall not cease to exist upon the acquiring, construction, or completion of the improvement, but it shall continue to exist for the purpose of preserving, maintaining, and operating the improvement, replacing equipment, paying salaries to employees, and performing any other functions or services authorized in this chapter. To this end, the board may, from time to time, make such additional levies based upon the assessment of benefits as may be necessary for such purposes. However, the amount of the total levies shall not exceed the assessed benefits and interest thereon.