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A.  The governing authority of any fire protection district situated wholly within the geographical boundaries of Morehouse Parish is hereby authorized to establish, by majority vote of the members of the authority, a service charge or rates of service charges to be assessed persons owning each residential or commercial structure, whether occupied or unoccupied, located wholly or partly within the boundaries of the fire protection district, subject to the provisions of Subsection B of this Section.  For purposes of this Section, each residential or commercial unit and each housing unit within a multiple dwelling structure shall be considered a separate structure, and a mobile home, as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 9:1149.2(3), shall be considered a structure.  Such service charges or rates of service charges shall be framed by the governing authority of such a district so as to cover and shall be used for the costs of any or all fire protection services.  The fire protection district shall provide a receipt to each property owner paying the service charge.  All insurers and all insurance agents shall have proof of a current service charge receipt before considering any reduced rates because of fire district protection.

B.  Service charges or rates of service charges so established shall be assessed by resolution of the governing authority of the fire protection district.  However, the resolution assessing said service charges shall be adopted by the governing authority only after the question of the assessment and the amount of the service charge or rates of service charges established have been submitted to and approved by a majority of electors of the district voting at an election held for that purpose.  Such election shall be conducted in accordance with the election laws of the state and shall be held at the same time that an election authorized by the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 18:402 is held.

C.(1)  The governing authority of any fire protection district assessing a service charge or rates of service charges for fire protection services as provided in this Section shall also have the authority to use any reasonable means to collect and enforce the collection of such service charges, including any means authorized by law for collection of taxes.  Such means shall include the assessor carrying the fire protection service charges on the tax rolls for Morehouse Parish and the sheriff of Morehouse Parish collecting such service charges at the time ad valorem taxes are collected and with the same authority with which such taxes are collected.  If any fire protection service charge becomes delinquent and unpaid, the sheriff shall send “Final Notices” to the delinquent property owners by registered or certified mail.  He shall also publish the delinquent property owners’ names and addresses in the parish journal setting forth the date and place of property sale to enforce collection in the same manner as ad valorem taxes.  Such fire protection service charge obligations shall prime all other liens, mortgages, and privileges against the property except those for taxes and prior recorded local and special assessments.  The governing authority may compensate the sheriff and tax assessor for such collection upon mutual agreement of the governing authority and the sheriff and tax assessor.

(2)(a)  The governing authority of any such district shall also have the authority to place liens for fire protection service charges upon the structure subject to the charge, upon the building, if any, in which the structure is located if it is owned by the owner of the structure, and upon the lot of ground not exceeding one acre on which the structure is situated if such lot of ground belongs to the person who owns such structure; however, if such structure or building is owned by a lessee of the lot of ground, the lien shall exist only against the lease and shall not affect the owner of the lot.  Such lien shall be placed upon property only in the event of the refusal of the owner of a structure to pay said service charges when requested to do so by said governing authority within thirty days of receipt by the owner of such a request by registered or certified letter.

(b)  The governing authority may file a statement reflecting the amount of the unpaid charges in the mortgage office of Morehouse Parish, which, when so filed and recorded, shall operate as a lien and privilege in favor of the district against property as provided herein.

(c)  In addition, the governing authority of the district shall be entitled to recover the amount of said charges, together with all costs of court and attorney fees, by ordinary process in the Fourth Judicial District.  Said governing authority may also provide, by resolution, for interest on the amount of said charges, which shall be paid prior to cancellation of the lien.  The rate of interest charged shall not exceed the rate of legal interest, as provided in La. Rev. Stat. 9:3500, and shall be computed from the date of recordation of the lien until paid.

(d)  Alternatively, the lien authorized by this Paragraph may be enforced by assessing the amount of the lien against the immovable as a tax against the immovable, to be enforced and collected as any ordinary property tax lien to be assessed against the property.  Said lien may be collected in the manner fixed for collection of taxes and shall be subject to the same civil penalties for delinquencies.  After the governing authority of the fire protection district has incurred such costs and expenses as constitute the lien on the property, including any costs of court, attorney fees, and interest, said governing authority may send an attested bill of said costs and expenses to the assessor of Morehouse Parish, who shall add the amount of said bill to the next tax bill of the owner.  Such liens shall prime all other liens or privileges against the property, except other tax liens, filed after the statement specified in this Subsection is filed with the recorder of mortgages, regardless of the date on which said lien is perfected.

Acts 1988, No. 744, §1; Acts 1989, No. 802, §1; Acts 1990, No. 814, §1; Acts 2004, No. 743, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2005.