2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 33 - Municipalities and Parishes › §33:9097.21. Southern Heights Neighborhood Crime Prevention and Improvement District

RS 33:9097.21 - Southern Heights Neighborhood Crime Prevention and Improvement District
A. Creation. There is hereby created within the parish of East Baton Rouge, as more specifically provided in Subsection B of this Section, a body politic and corporate which shall be known as the Southern Heights Neighborhood Crime Prevention and Improvement District, hereinafter referred to as the "district". The district shall be a political subdivision of the state as defined in the Constitution of Louisiana.
B. Boundaries. The boundaries of the district shall be coterminous with the boundaries of the Southern Heights Neighborhood in East Baton Rouge Parish as established in the official subdivision plat filed with the clerk of court of East Baton Rouge Parish.
C. Purpose. The purpose of the district shall be to aid in crime prevention and to add to the security of district residents by providing for an increase in the presence of law enforcement personnel in the district and to serve the needs of the residents of the district by funding beautification and improvements for the overall betterment of the district.
D. Governance. (1) The district shall be governed by a board of commissioners consisting of seven members as follows:
(a) The board of directors of the Southern Heights Property Owners Association, Inc., shall appoint three members.
(b) The member or members of the Louisiana House of Representatives who represent the area which comprises the district shall appoint one member.
(c) The member or members of the Louisiana Senate who represent the area which comprises the district shall appoint one member.
(d) The assessor for the parish of East Baton Rouge shall appoint one member.
(e) The metro council member or council members who represent the district shall appoint one member.
(2) All members of the board shall own property and reside within the district.
(3)(a) The terms of the members appointed pursuant to Subparagraph (1)(a) of this Subsection shall be two years.
(b) The terms of the members serving pursuant to Subparagraphs (1)(b) through (e) of this Subsection shall be three years.
(4) The members of the board shall select from among themselves a president and such other officers as they deem appropriate. The terms and responsibilities of officers shall be as provided by the bylaws of the board.
(5) The members of the board shall serve without compensation and shall not receive reimbursement for expenses.
E. Powers and duties. The district, acting through its board of commissioners, shall have the following powers and duties:
(1) To sue and be sued.
(2) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal.
(3) To receive and expend funds collected pursuant to Subsection F of this Section and in accordance with a budget adopted as provided by Subsection G of this Section.
(4) To accept private grants and donations.
(5) To enter into contracts with individuals or entities, private or public, for the provision of security patrols in the district.
(6) To purchase items and supplies which the board deems instrumental to achieving the purpose of the district.
(7) To acquire, lease, insure, and sell immovable property within the boundaries of the district in accordance with district plans.
(8) To perform or have performed any other function or activity necessary for the achievement of the purpose of the district.
F. Parcel fee. The governing authority of East Baton Rouge Parish is hereby authorized to impose and collect a parcel fee within the district subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this Subsection:
(1)(a) The fee shall be imposed on each improved and unimproved parcel located within the district.
(b) For the purposes of this Section, a parcel shall be defined as a lot, a subdivided portion of ground, or an individual tract on which a residential or commercial structure is situated; however, the term "parcel" shall not include "condominium parcel" or "condominium property" as defined in R.S. 9:1121.103.
(2)(a)(i) The initial amount of the fee shall be as requested by duly adopted resolution of the governing authority of the district. The initial fee shall not exceed one hundred dollars per parcel per year.
(ii) The fee shall be imposed only after the question of its imposition has been approved by a majority of the registered voters of the district voting on the proposition at an election held for that purpose in accordance with the Louisiana Election Code. Not less than thirty days prior to any election held to approve such parcel fee, the board of commissioners shall mail notification of the upcoming election to each registered voter of the district and to the owner of a parcel if the owner is not a registered voter of the district.
(b) Not less than five years after approval of the parcel fee by a majority of the registered voters of the district, the governing authority of the district may increase the amount of the parcel fee one time without an election. The amount of the increased fee shall be as provided in a duly adopted resolution of the board, not to exceed one hundred fifty dollars per parcel per year.
(3) A parcel fee shall expire ten years after its levy but may be renewed if the renewal is approved by the voters in the manner provided in Subparagraph (2)(a) of this Subsection. The renewed fee shall not exceed one hundred fifty dollars per parcel per year. If renewed, the term of the imposition of the fee shall be as provided in the proposition authorizing such renewal, not to exceed ten years.
(4) The owner of the parcel is responsible for payment of the fee.
(5) The fee shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ad valorem taxes are collected by the sheriff, as ex officio tax collector, of East Baton Rouge Parish. The sheriff shall collect and remit to the district all amounts collected not more than sixty days after collection; however, the district may enter into an agreement with the sheriff to authorize the sheriff to retain a collection fee.
(6) Any parcel fee shall be added to the tax rolls of East Baton Rouge Parish and shall be enforced with the same authority and subject to the same penalties and procedures as ad valorem taxes.
G. Budget. (1) The board of commissioners shall adopt an annual budget in accordance with the Louisiana Local Government Budget Act, R.S. 39:1301 et seq.
(2) The district shall be subject to audit by the legislative auditor pursuant to R.S. 24:513.
H. Miscellaneous provisions. (1) It is the purpose and intent of this Section that the additional law enforcement personnel and their services provided for through the fees authorized herein shall be supplemental to and not in lieu of personnel and services provided in the district by the city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish.
(2) If the district ceases to exist, any funds of the district shall be transmitted to the governing authority of East Baton Rouge Parish and shall be used for law enforcement purposes in the area which comprised the district.
I. Indemnification and exculpation. (1) The district shall indemnify its officers and board members to the fullest extent permitted by R.S. 12:227, as fully as if the district were a nonprofit corporation governed thereby, and as may be provided in the district's bylaws.
(2) No board member or officer of the district shall be liable to the district or to any individual who resides, owns property, visits, or otherwise conducts business in the district for monetary damages for breach of his duties as a board member or officer, provided that the foregoing provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a board member or officer for any of the following:
(a) Acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law.
(b) Any transaction from which he derived an improper personal benefit.
(3) To the fullest extent permitted by R.S. 9:2792 et seq., including R.S. 9:2792.1 through 2792.9, a person serving the district as a board member or officer shall not be individually liable for any act or omission arising out of the performance of his duties.
Acts 2013, No. 338, §1.