RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 510 (HB 806) 2018 Regular Session Johnson
Existing law requires that a parish governing authority provide a courthouse, with rooms for
jurors and a jail.
New law creates a parish justice center district (district), as a political subdivision having
boundaries coterminous with the parish, in any parish with a population of not less than
41,500 and not more than 45,000 people. Provides that the purposes of the district are to
locate, build, operate, and maintain courtroom and related facilities for the judicial district
that encompasses the district (judicial district).
New law provides for governance of the district by the elected judges of the judicial district.
New law provides that the district has all powers necessary or convenient to effectuate its
purpose including:
(1)To acquire and develop property to be used as a justice center.
(2)To develop plans for and to construct a justice center.
(3)To operate and maintain the justice center.
(4)To govern, manage, and direct the justice center; to lay out, regulate, improve, and
beautify the same; to pass ordinances for the regulation and governance thereof; to
appoint and employ such architects, engineers, surveyors, clerks, and others as may
be necessary and to prescribe and define their respective duties and authority and the
amount of their compensation; and generally to do all things in regard to the powers
granted pursuant to new law.
Existing law authorizes any political subdivision which is authorized to own public facilities
to finance or refinance the acquisition, construction, improvement, rehabilitation, repair, or
enlargement of such facilities by entering a sale, sale-back, lease, or sublease transaction or
other agreement or any combination thereof with any public corporation, joint commission,
or public trust provided that any such agreement contains a provision that the political
subdivision will make a good faith effort to appropriate funds sufficient to pay all amounts
due under the agreement but that failure to do so shall not constitute a default. Provides that
the purpose of such agreements shall be to facilitate the issuance of bonds by any public
corporation, joint commission, or public trust on behalf of the political subdivision. Provides
further with respect to such agreements including provisions for use and control of the
facility and title to the facility. Authorizes the state treasurer to withhold state aid funds from
the political subdivision and pay such funds to the public corporation, joint commission, or
public trust which is party to such agreement if and in the exact amount that the political
subdivision fails to make required payments to the public corporation, joint commission, or
public trust. New law authorizes the district to enter such agreements.
New law authorizes the district, in accordance with existing law and subject to voter
approval, to levy ad valorem and sales and use taxes. New law requires that any tax
proposition submitted to the voters state the rate, duration, and purpose of the tax as such are
requested by resolution of the district governing authority.
New law authorizes the district to incur debt and fund tax revenues into bonds in accordance
with existing law. Provides that a proposition authorizing bonds secured by a sales and use
tax shall state the amount of bonds to be issued.
New law provides that the district governing authority shall exercise the authority granted
in new law to the extent that revenues for such exercise are approved by the voters, and that
the parish shall not exercise any authority which conflicts with such exercise. Further
provides that to the extent that sufficient revenues are not authorized, the parish may exercise
its own authority with respect to the acquisition, construction, renovation, operation, or
maintenance of a parish courthouse.
New law provides that the district shall be subject to audit in accordance with existing law. Effective August 1,2018.
(Adds R.S. 33:4715.3)