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2020 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 411
BY SENATOR BARROW
SPECIAL DISTRICTS. Provides relative to the Bethany Convention Center Development
District. (gov sig)
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 33:9038.71(A), (B), and (D), relative to the Bethany Convention
3 Center Development District; to provide for a change in the name of the district; to
4 provide for a change in the boundary lines; to provide for its governance; to provide
5 relative to the board of commissioners; to provide for the rights and powers of the
6 board of commissioners; and to provide for related matters.
7 Notice of intention to introduce this Act has been published.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 33:9038.71(A), (B), and (D) are hereby amended and reenacted to
10 read as follows:
11 ยง9038.71. Bethany Convention Center Development District Baker Economic
12 Development District and Convention Center
13 A. Creation. There is hereby created in the city of Baker, parish of East Baton
14 Rouge, hereinafter referred to as "Baker", the Bethany Convention Center
15 Development District Baker Economic Development District and Convention
16 Center, a special taxing district, body politic and corporate of the state, referred to
17 in this Section as the "district". The district shall be a political subdivision of the
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1 state and the district is hereby granted all of the rights, powers, privileges, and
2 immunities accorded by law and the Constitution of Louisiana to political
3 subdivisions of the state, subject to the limitations provided in this Section.
4 B. Boundaries. The district shall be comprised of all parcels of land
5 bordering Plank Road within the city limit boundaries of the City of Baker;
6 beginning at the northern city limits on Plank Road identified by the bridge as
7 land parcel to the west approximately 250 yards past Lake Mary Drive directly
8 adjacent to parcel 3624560: Tract Y-1 CONT 7.41 ACRES, MORE OR LESS,
9 PARTITION OF THE DR ERIC W DAY ESTATE, BEING LOTS 4-B-1, 3-A,
10 2-A, & A-1, OF THE T C PAULSEN & JJ MUNDINGER SUB & A 29.46
11 ACRE TRACT, ALL LYING IN SEC 29, T55 R1E RESUB 2004 and the
12 following described parcels or tracts of land located in Baker, referred to in this
13 Section as the "property":
14 * * *
15 D. Governance. (1) In order to provide for the orderly development of the
16 district and effectuation of the purposes of the district, the district shall be
17 administered and governed by a board of commissioners, referred to in this Section
18 as the "board", comprised of seven persons as follows:
19 (a) The mayor of the city of Baker, or his designee.
20 (b) Each council member of the Baker City Council. The mayor of the city
21 of Baker shall appoint one member.
22 (c) A member appointed by the board of directors of the Baker Chamber of
23 Commerce who shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The Baker City Council
24 shall appoint one member who's elected to the city council.
25 (d) The member of the Louisiana State Senate who represents District
26 15 shall appoint one member.
27 (e) The member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who
28 represents District 63 shall appoint one member.
29 (f) The board of directors of the Baker Chamber of Commerce shall
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1 appoint one member who is serving or has served as president of the chamber's
2 board.
3 (g) The Baker City School Board shall appoint one member from a list
4 of nominees submitted to the school board.
5 (2) All members of the board shall own property or have a principal
6 place of business or profession within the city of Baker.
7 (3)(a) The commissioners appointed shall serve for three years. At the
8 expiration of the term of office, the successors shall be appointed in the same
9 manner as the predecessor appointees were selected.
10 (b) A vacancy that occurs prior to the expiration of a term shall be filled
11 for the remainder of the unexpired term in the same manner as the predecessor
12 appointee was selected.
13 (2)(4) All the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the
14 transaction of business. The board shall keep minutes of all meetings and shall make
15 them available for inspection through the board's secretary-treasurer. The minute
16 books and archives of the district shall be maintained by the board's
17 secretary-treasurer. The monies, funds, and accounts of the district shall be in the
18 official custody and control of the board commissioners. The board's treasurer
19 shall maintain adequate accounting records and assure all monies are deposited,
20 expended, and accounted for in accordance with the bylaws.
21 (3)(5) The board shall adopt bylaws and prescribe rules to govern its
22 meetings. The members of the board shall serve without salary or per diem and shall
23 be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable, actual, and necessary expenses incurred
24 in the performance of their duties.
25 (4)(6) The domicile of the board shall be established by the board at a
26 location within the district or at Baker City Hall.
27 (5)(7) The board shall elect from its own members a president, vice president,
28 and a secretary-treasurer, a treasurer, and a parliamentarian, whose duties shall
29 be common to such offices or as may be provided by bylaws adopted by the district.
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1 The board shall hold regular meetings and may hold special meetings as provided in
2 the bylaws. The failure of the board to hold any regular meeting shall not impair any
3 existing obligations of the district. All such meetings shall be public meetings subject
4 to the provisions of R.S. 42:11, et seq.
5 (6)(8) The district shall be subject to the Public Records Law, official
6 journals law, Code of Governmental Ethics, and audit law pursuant to R.S. 24:513.
7 * * *
8 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
9 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
10 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
11 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
12 effective on the day following such approval.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Michael Bell.
DIGEST
SB 411 Reengrossed 2020 Regular Session Barrow
Present law established the Bethany Convention Center Development District in East Baton
Rouge Parish.
Proposed law changes the name from Bethany Convention Center Development District to
Baker Economic Development District and Convention Center.
Present law provides for a three member board of commissioners as follows:
(1)The mayor of the city of Baker, or his designee.
(2)Each council member of the Baker City Council.
(3)A member appointed by the board of directors of the Baker Chamber of Commerce
who shall serve at the pleasure of the board.
Proposed law provides for a seven member board of commissioner as follows:
(1)The mayor of the city of Baker, or his designee.
(2)The mayor of the city of Baker shall appoint one member.
(3)The Baker City Council shall appoint one member who's elected to the city council.
(4)The member of the Louisiana State Senate who represents District 15 shall appoint
one member.
(5)The member of the Louisiana House of Representatives who represents District 63
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shall appoint one member.
(6)The board of directors of the Baker Chamber of Commerce shall appoint one
member who is serving or has served as president of the chamber's board.
(7)The Baker City School Board shall appoint one member from a list of nominees
submitted to the School Board.
Proposed law further provides for the board of commissioners to serve a three-year term and
at the expiration of the term of office, the successors are to be appointed in the same manner
as the predecessor appointees were selected. Proposed law further requires the board to elect
a president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and a parliamentarian.
Present law requires that the domicile of the board is to be at a location within the district
or at Baker City Hall.
Proposed law requires that the domicile of the board is to be at a location within the district.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 33:9038.71(A), (B), and (D))
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