Each sports authority created pursuant to this chapter shall be a public nonprofit corporation and a public instrumentality of the municipality with respect to which the authority is organized. The authority shall have the following powers, together with all powers incidental to the following powers or necessary for the performance of those powers, to:

(1) Have succession by its corporate name for the period specified in the charter, unless sooner dissolved as provided in § 7-67-119;
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 7-67-109

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Governing body: means the body in which the general legislative powers of a municipality are vested, and in the case of counties means the legislative body of any county. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Metropolitan government: means the political entity created by consolidation of all, or substantially all, of the political and corporate functions of a county and a city or cities. See Tennessee Code 7-1-101
  • Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
  • Municipality: means any county, metropolitan government or incorporated city or town in this state with respect to which an authority may be organized. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Project: means any building, sports complex, stadium, arena, sports and recreational facility, or any other structure or facility constructed, leased, equipped, renovated or acquired for any of the purposes set forth in this chapter, and also includes, but is not limited to, roads, streets, highways, curbs, bridges, flood control facilities, and utility services, such as water, sanitary sewer, electricity, gas and natural gas, and telecommunications that are constructed, leased, equipped, renovated or acquired as a supporting system or facility for any of the purposes set forth in this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • revenue bonds: means bonds, notes, interim certificates or other obligations of an authority issued pursuant to this chapter, or pursuant to any other law, as supplemented by, or in conjunction with, this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • Sports and recreational facilities: means and includes facilities for any and all types of sports and recreational pursuits, including, but not limited to, football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track and field meets, swimming and diving meets, and any and all other sports, games, events or exhibitions that add to the recreational enrichment of the community. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • sports authority: means any public corporation organized pursuant to this chapter. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • State: means the state of Tennessee and, unless otherwise indicated by the context, any agency, authority, branch, bureau, commission, corporation, department or instrumentality of the state, now or hereafter existing. See Tennessee Code 7-67-103
  • United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(2) Sue and be sued and to prosecute and defend, at law or in equity, in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties;
(3) Have and use a corporate seal and alter the seal at pleasure;
(4) Acquire, whether by purchase, construction, exchange, gift, lease, or otherwise, and to improve, repair, extend, equip, furnish, operate and maintain one (1) or more projects, which projects shall be within at least one (1) of the municipalities with respect to which the authority shall have been created, including all real and personal properties that the board of directors of the authority may deem necessary in connection with the projects and regardless of whether or not any such projects shall then be in existence, and including the power to demolish such existing structures as may be on sites acquired when such structures are not needed for the project;
(5) Operate, maintain, manage, and enter into contracts for the operation, maintenance and management of any project undertaken, and to make rules and regulations with regard to such operation, maintenance and management;
(6) Employ, contract with, fix the compensation of, and discharge engineering, architectural, legal and financial experts, and such consultants, agents and employees, as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and to provide for the proper construction, operation and maintenance of any project;
(7) Lease, rent and contract for the operation of all or any part of any project for sports and recreational facilities, and charge and collect rent for the project and terminate any such lease upon the failure of the lessee to comply with any of the obligations of the lease; and include in or exclude from any such lease provisions that the lessee shall have the option to renew the term of the lease for such period or periods and at such rent as shall be determined by the board of directors;
(8) Lease such space in a project as from time to time may not be needed for sports and recreational purposes to any other person, corporation, partnership or association for such purposes as the board of directors may determine are in the best interest of the authority or will help facilitate the purposes for which the authority was created, and upon such terms and in such manner as the board may determine;
(9) Fix and collect rates, rentals, fees and charges for the use of any and all of the sports and recreational facilities of the authority;
(10) Contract for the operation of concessions on or in any of the sports and recreational facilities of the authority;
(11) Advertise within or without the state any of the sports and recreational facilities of the authority;
(12) Sell, exchange, donate, and convey any or all of its properties, whenever the board of directors shall find any such action to be in furtherance of the purposes for which the authority was organized;
(13) Procure and enter into contracts for any type of insurance or indemnity against loss or damage to property from any cause, including loss of use and occupancy, against death or injury of any person, against employer’s liability, against any act of any member, officer or employee of the authority in the performance of the duties of such person’s office or employment or any other insurable risk, as the board of directors, in its discretion, may deem necessary;
(14) Accept donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts from any individuals, associations, public or private corporations, and municipalities, the state or the United States, or any agency or instrumentality of the state or the United States, for or in aid of any of the purposes of this chapter and enter into agreements in connection with the donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts;
(15) Borrow money from time to time and, in evidence of any obligation incurred, issue and sell its revenue bonds in accordance with this chapter and the applicable provisions of title 9, chapter 21, in such form and upon such terms as its board of directors may determine and as approved by the governing body of the creating municipality, payable out of any revenues of the authority, including grants or contributions or other revenues specifically provided to the authority, for the purpose of acquiring, erecting, extending, improving, equipping, renovating or repairing any project or for any combination of such purposes, and demolishing structures on the project site and acquiring a site or sites necessary and convenient for such project, including, but without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing, architectural, engineering, legal, consulting and financing expenses, and including an amount sufficient to meet the interest charges on such revenue bonds during such estimated period or periods as may elapse prior to the time when the project or projects may become revenue producing and for one (1) year in addition to the estimated period; refund and refinance, from time to time, revenue bonds so issued and sold, as often as may be deemed to be advantageous by the board of directors; and, pending the issuance of its revenue bonds for the purposes in this chapter authorized, issue its interim certificates or notes or other temporary obligations;
(16) Enter into any agreement or contract with any lessee who, pursuant to the terms of this chapter, is renting or is about to rent from the authority all or part of any building or buildings or facilities, whereby, under such agreement or contract, such lessee obligates itself to pay all or part of the cost of maintaining and operating the premises so leased, and such agreement may be included as a provision of any lease entered into pursuant to the terms of this chapter or may be made the subject of a separate agreement or contract between the authority and such lessee;
(17) Mortgage and pledge as security for the payment of the principal of and interest on any revenue bonds so issued and any agreements made in connection with the bonds, any or all of the projects or any part or parts of the projects, whether then owned or thereafter acquired, and pledge the revenues and receipts from the bonds or from any of the bonds;
(18) Enter into any contract to facilitate the location of a professional sports team in a project located in a metropolitan government or in any county having a population in excess of eight hundred thousand (800,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census, make any payments required under the contract and borrow funds for the purpose of making any such payment as provided in this chapter funded from revenues other than tax revenues;
(19) Exercise all powers expressly given in its charter and establish bylaws and make all rules and regulations not inconsistent with the charter or the provisions of this chapter, deemed expedient for the management of the affairs of the authority; and
(20) Acquire, whether by purchase, construction, exchange, gift, lease or otherwise, and improve, repair, extend, equip, furnish, operate and maintain any roads, streets, highways, curbs, bridges, flood control facilities, utility services such as water, sanitary sewer, electricity, gas and natural gas, and telecommunications that the board of directors of the sports authority deems to be necessary, expedient or advisable in connection with the development or operation of any project; dedicate any such highways, roads or services to the public use; enter into any contract to facilitate these purposes and make any payments required under such contracts; borrow funds for the purpose of making any payment authorized by this subdivision (20); and pledge and otherwise use the revenues of the sports authority to repay such borrowed funds.
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