Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

A.  The city of New Orleans, acting by and through the New Orleans Aviation Board, an agency of the city, or such other agency as may be hereafter created by law as the successor thereof, is hereby authorized, with the approval of the city council, to acquire and construct improvements to and betterments and extensions of the Moisant International Airport, now known and hereinafter referred to as New Orleans International Airport, now owned and operated by the city of New Orleans, including a helioport or helioports.  The city of New Orleans is also authorized to acquire by purchase, lease, contract, or exchange, such lands, easements, or other property or rights in property, located within or without the city of New Orleans, as may be necessary or convenient for the acquisition and construction of such improvements, betterments, extensions, and helioports, and the maintenance and operation of the said airport and helioports and all facilities related to air navigation, air safety, and aviation services.

In connection with the extension or improvement of said airport, the city shall have power to widen existing roads, streets, parkways, avenues, or highways, or to close any roads, streets, parkways, avenues, or highways as may be necessary or convenient to facilitate the construction or operation of said airport, with the consent of the parish or municipality affected, and may enter into contracts with any other political subdivision of the state of Louisiana for any of such purposes, which contracts shall contain such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon by the parties thereto, and no other authorization on the part of the city or any other such political subdivision to enter into such contracts shall be required except that contained herein.

The city may, with the consent of the parish or municipality affected, further relocate such electric, gas, water, or other public utility services as may be necessary in the construction of any extension or improvement to said airport.

For the purpose of providing additional revenues for the extension, betterment, and improvement of said airport, the city may construct thereon public recreation, business, trade, or other exhibition facilities and accommodations for public meetings, conventions, and all other kinds of assemblages for business and commercial purposes.

The city may accept grants, loans, or contributions from the United States government, the state of Louisiana, or any agency or instrumentality of either of them and may expend the proceeds thereof for any purpose connected with the ownership and operation of said airport.

B.  For the purpose of providing for the acquisition and construction of any or all of the facilities referred to in Subsection A of this Section and for the purpose of funding or refunding any obligations incurred for said purposes or issued hereunder, the city of New Orleans, acting by and through the city council of said city, is authorized to issue obligations of said city in the form of bonds, notes, certificates, or other evidences of indebtedness payable and secured only in the manner hereinafter provided.  Such obligations shall be payable solely from the revenues derived by the city from the use of the said airport and such facilities and shall not constitute an indebtedness of the city for which the city’s general credit or taxing power is pledged, and shall not constitute bonds or indebtedness of the city within the meaning of any constitutional, statutory, or charter limitation or restriction upon the amount of bonds that may be issued by the city, or the amount of indebtedness which the city may incur, or the manner in which the obligations herein authorized may be issued and the indebtedness herein authorized may be incurred, other than the restrictions contained herein.  Obligations issued pursuant to this Part shall constitute negotiable instruments within the meaning of the law governing negotiable instruments, and such obligations and the income therefrom are to be exempt from all taxation for state, parish, municipal, or other local purposes.

C.  All obligations issued pursuant to the provisions of this Part shall be secured solely and only by a pledge of the revenues derived from the operation of the said New Orleans International Airport and any improvements to, and extensions and betterments of, the said airport heretofore or hereafter made, and shall be paid therefrom.  These obligations shall not be secured by any tax, assessment, or levy upon the taxable property of the city of New Orleans or of any other political subdivision or out of any other funds or revenues of said city or of any other political subdivision.  However, the city of New Orleans may include as a part of the cost of acquisition and construction of the said improvements to and betterments and extensions of the said New Orleans International Airport and pay from the proceeds of the sale of obligations issued pursuant to the provisions of this Part the interest upon the obligations issued hereunder for a period of three years from the date of such obligations, and all fees and expenses incident to the issuance of said obligations.

D.  The city of New Orleans, acting by and through the New Orleans Aviation Board, with the approval of the city council, is empowered to, and shall, impose, charge, and collect, rates, fees, rentals, and other charges for the use of the said New Orleans International Airport and of the facilities constructed pursuant to this Part, in such amounts as will be sufficient at least to provide revenues adequate to maintain and operate the said airport and facilities heretofore or hereafter constructed, to pay the principal of and interest on and premiums, if any, upon redemption of such obligations, to provide for the renewal and replacement of any or all of the airport facilities and adequate reserves for all of such purposes, and for that purpose may contract for the operation of the said New Orleans International Airport or lease all or any part thereof, to any person or corporation, public or private, upon such terms and conditions, and for such period of years as the New Orleans Aviation Board may deem advisable, after having received the approval of the city council.

E.  Obligations may be issued hereunder in definitive or temporary form from time to time in such amounts as may be determined by the city council of said city and shall bear such date or dates, mature at such time or times, bear interest at such rate or rates, be in such denominations and form, either coupon or registered, carry such registration privileges, be executed in such manner, be payable in such place or places within or without the state of Louisiana and be subject to redemption prior to maturity upon such terms and with or without premiums, all as the said city council may determine and the city council approves and as set forth in said obligations.  Such obligations shall be sold by the city council of the city of New Orleans at such price or prices as the city council shall determine at public sale, after advertisement thereof has been given as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 39:1426(A), or at a private sale after notice of intention thereof has been given as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 39:1426(B).

F.  The issuance of obligations pursuant to the provisions of this Part shall be by resolution of the city council, which resolution may contain provisions constituting a part of the contract with the holders of such obligations regarding the application of the proceeds of the sale of such obligations, the custody, disbursement, and investment of such proceeds, and the pledge thereof as additional security for such obligations; the collection, deposit, disbursement, pledging, and assignment of all or any part of the gross or net revenues derived from the operation of the New Orleans International Airport or from any or all of the facilities acquired and constructed from the proceeds of sale of such obligations and any improvements, extensions, or betterments hereafter constructed or acquired and the pledging or assignment of any contracts or leases under which such revenues may accrue; the appointment of trustees, paying agents, and such other depositaries or fiscal agents as may be required for the benefit and security of the holders from time to time of obligations issued hereunder; the amount or proportion of revenues that may be applied to the cost of maintaining and operating the said New Orleans International Airport; the amount and nature of insurance on the said airport, including use and occupancy insurance; the rates, fees, rentals, and other charges to be imposed and collected for the use of the said airport; the collection, custody, disbursement, and investment of the revenues derived from the said airport, including the setting aside of reserves, depreciation funds, or sinking funds; limitations upon the issuance of additional obligations, either as to amount or purpose, or both; limitations upon the right to sell, mortgage, lease, or otherwise encumber or dispose of the said airport or the revenues derived therefor; limitations on the right to acquire, construct, or improve other facilities that may compete with those, the cost of the acquisition and construction of which have been paid from the proceeds of sale of obligations issued hereunder; the procedure, if any, by which the term of any contract with the holders from time to time of obligations issued hereunder may be amended or abrogated, including the amount or percentage of obligations that must consent to any such amendment or abrogation, and any other matters of like or different character which in any way affect the security for the payment of, or protection of the holders of, the obligations issued hereunder.

G.  Subject to the provisions contained in any proceedings of the city council, as aforesaid, authorizing the issuance of obligations hereunder, the revenues received by the city acting by and through the New Orleans Aviation Board from the said New Orleans International Airport and from the facilities acquired or constructed from the proceeds of such obligations shall be segregated and kept separate and apart from all other income or revenues of the city and shall be applied to the payment and security of such obligations, the maintenance and operation of the said New Orleans International Airport, the renewal and replacement thereof, and the acquisition or construction of improvements to and extensions and betterments of the said New Orleans International Airport and the purchase of equipment and furnishings therefor, and subject to the provisions of any agreement with the holders of obligations hereunder, any balance of such revenues may be applied to the payment of general obligation bonds of the city of New Orleans heretofore issued by the city for the acquisition, construction, improvement, and extension of the New Orleans International Airport, or to reimburse the city of New Orleans for advances for capital improvements to said airport heretofore supplied from the general fund or from the proceeds of general obligation bonds of the city.

H.(1)  Except as otherwise provided by Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, all property and facilities and all other property and rights of use or possession thereof acquired, constructed, or dedicated to the use herein provided, which shall be owned by the city of New Orleans shall be exempt from every form of taxation; however, as to property owned by the city located outside of the city, the city is hereby authorized to make payments to political subdivisions in which such property is located in lieu of taxes in accordance with agreements therefor that may be entered into by the New Orleans Aviation Board and approved by the city council.

(2)  All property acquired by or on behalf of the New Orleans International Airport located outside of the city of New Orleans after January 1, 1989, shall not be exempt from ad valorem taxation by other political subdivisions in which such property is located if such property is developed for commercial or industrial use by a nonpublic entity and results in income-producing activity.  All such property shall be assessed and placed on the tax rolls of the political subdivisions in which such property is located for the tax year 1992 and shall be subject to the levy and collection of ad valorem taxes thereon for 1992 and subsequent years.

I.  The provisions of this Part shall be self-operative and shall constitute complete authority for the exercise of the powers herein authorized, and no proceedings, publications, notices, elections, consents, or approvals shall be required for exercising any of such powers except such as are herein prescribed, and the provisions hereof are intended as supplemental and additional grants of power and shall not be construed as supplanting or repealing any existing powers of the city of New Orleans.

J.  The provisions of this Part shall constitute a contract between the holders of any obligations issued hereunder and the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans.

K.  The obligations issued under the authority of this Part shall be legal investments for the funds in the hands of savings banks, tutors of minors, curators of interdicts, trustees, and other fiduciaries, and said bonds may be used for deposit with any officer, board, municipality, or any political subdivision in the state of Louisiana, in any case where, by present or future laws, deposit or security is required.

Added by Acts 1981, No. 334, §1, eff. July 15, 1981.  Acts 1989, No. 669, §1, eff. July 7, 1989; Acts 1992, No. 890, §1, eff. July 8, 1992.