CHAPTER 17-F. LASALLE CULTURAL CORRIDOR DISTRICT

§850.21. LaSalle Cultural Corridor District

            A. There is hereby created within the parish of Orleans, as more specifically provided in Subsection B of this Section, a body politic and corporate which shall be known as the LaSalle Cultural Corridor District, referred to in this Section as the "district". The district shall be a political subdivision of the state as defined in the Constitution of Louisiana.

            B. The boundaries of the district shall encompass the area included within the following perimeter: South Robertson Street, Delachaise Street, South Saratoga Street, and Josephine Street.

            C. The purpose of the district shall be to promote, encourage, and enhance the cultural and economic assets of the district through renewed commerce, industry, and utilization and development of the human resources of the area. The objectives of the district may include such matters as music, housing, economic development, skills and technical training, the cultural and historic value of the area, tourism, entertainment, and health.

            D.(1) The district shall be governed by a board of commissioners, referred to in this Section as the "board", composed of nine members as follows:

            (a) The president of the Louisiana Senate or his designee, who shall be a member of the Louisiana Senate.

            (b) The speaker of the Louisiana House Representatives or his designee, who shall be a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

            (c) The lieutenant governor or his designee, who shall be a member of his staff.

            (d) The member of the governing authority of the city of New Orleans or his designee.

            (e) The mayor of the city of New Orleans shall appoint five members as follows:

            (i) Two appointees from a neighborhood located within the district.

            (ii) Two appointees from industries representing cultural economy and related industries, including the music, food, and film industries, culture bearers, or related cultural economy industries such as the performing and visual arts.

            (iii) One appointee with community and economic development experience.

            (2)(a) Members appointed pursuant to Subparagraph (1)(e) of this Subsection shall serve three-year terms after serving initial terms as provided in this Subparagraph. Two members shall serve an initial term of three years, two shall serve an initial term of two years, and one shall serve an initial term of one year, as determined by lot at the first meeting of the board.

            (b) Members serving pursuant to Subparagraphs (1)(a) through (d) of this Subsection shall serve during their terms of office. Any designee serving on the board shall serve at the pleasure of the designating authority.

            (3) Any vacancy in the membership of the board, occurring either by reason of the expiration of the term for which appointed or by reason of death, resignation, or otherwise, shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment. If the entity responsible for the appointment of a member fails to fill a vacancy within thirty days, the board may appoint an interim successor to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.

            (4) Board members are eligible for reappointment.

            (5) The board shall elect from its members a chairman, a vice chairman, a secretary-treasurer, and such other officers as it deems necessary. The duties of the officers shall be fixed by the bylaws adopted by the board.

            (6) The minute books and archives of the district shall be maintained by the secretary-treasurer of the board. The monies, funds, and accounts of the district shall be in the official custody of the board.

            (7) The board shall adopt such rules and regulations as it deems necessary or advisable for conducting its business affairs and, to the extent that funds are available, shall hire such assistants and employees as are needed to assist the board in the performance of its duties. Rules and regulations of the board relative to the notice and conduct of meetings shall conform to applicable law, including, if applicable, R.S. 42:11 et seq., relative to open meetings. The board shall hold regular meetings as shall be provided for in the bylaws and may hold special meetings at such times and places within the district as may be prescribed in the bylaws.

            (8) A majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The board shall keep minutes of all meetings and shall make them available through the secretary-treasurer of the board.

            (9) Each member of the board shall have one vote, and the vote of a majority of the members of the board present and voting, a quorum being present, shall be required to decide any question upon which the board takes action.

            (10) The members of the board shall serve without compensation but shall receive reimbursement for reasonable expenses directly related to the governance of the district.

            E. The district shall have and exercise all powers of a political subdivision necessary or convenient for the purpose of funding the district and carrying out its objects and purposes, including but not limited to the following:

            (1) To incur debt.

            (2) To sue and be sued.

            (3) To adopt, use, and alter at will a corporate seal.

            (4) To adopt bylaws and rules and regulations.

            (5) To receive by gift, grant, donation, or otherwise any sum of money, property, aid, or assistance from the United States, the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof, or any person, firm, or corporation.

            (6) To enter into contracts, agreements, or cooperative endeavors with the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations and with any public or private association, corporation, business entity, or individual.

            (7) To elect officers and appoint agents and employees, prescribe their duties, and fix their compensation.

            (8) To acquire property by purchase, gift, grant, donation, or lease.

            (9) To establish monetary, bank, and investment accounts.

            (10) To establish committees or subcommittees.

            F. In order to provide for the growth and development of the district, to encourage the fullest use of underutilized resources, to provide for the enhancement of the tax base, and to improve communication and coordination among the economic and human development efforts of state, federal, and local governments, the board may:

            (1) Make recommendations concerning natural and environmental factors, trends in industrial, population, or other developments; the habits and lifestyles of the people of the district; the relation of land use within the district as it relates to the city as a whole; areas for the concentration of wholesale, retail, business, and other commercial uses; and areas for recreational uses, and for spaces and areas of mixed uses.

            (2) Make recommendations concerning the need for and the proposed general location of public and private works and facilities.

            (3) Make or assist in studies and investigations of the resources of the district and the existing and emerging problems of industry, commerce, transportation, population, housing, and public service affecting the redevelopment of the district, and in making such studies to seek the cooperation and collaboration of the appropriate state departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of federal, state, and local government, educational institutions, research organizations, whether public or private, and of civic groups and private persons and organizations.

            (4) Prepare and from time to time revise inventory listings of the district's resources and of the major public and private works and facilities of all kinds which are deemed necessary to the redevelopment of the district.

            (5) Cooperate and confer with and upon request supply information to federal agencies and to local and regional agencies created pursuant to a federal program or which receive federal support and to cooperate and confer with economic development authorities in and outside of the state.

            (6) Advise and supply information to civic groups and private persons and organizations who may request such information or advice or who study or otherwise concern themselves with the district's problems and development of the fields of business and industry, labor, natural resources, urban growth, housing, and public service activities, such as public health and education, insofar as such problems and development may be relevant to the district's redevelopment.

            (7) Provide information to officials of departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of state and local government and to the public at large in order to foster public awareness and understanding of the objectives of the district in order to stimulate public interest and participation in the orderly, integrated development of the district.

            (8) Accept and receive, in furtherance of its functions, funds, grants, and services from the federal government or its agencies, from departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of state, from parish, municipal, and other local governments, and from private and civic sources.

            (9) Hold public hearings and sponsor public forums whenever it deems necessary or useful in the execution of its functions.

            Acts 2022, No. 401, §1.