§9038.81. Hotel Francis District; cooperative economic development

            A. There is hereby created within the town of St. Francisville, as more specifically provided in Subsection B of this Section, a body politic and corporate which shall be known as the Hotel Francis District, referred to in this Section as the "district". The district shall be a political subdivision of the state as defined in the Constitution of Louisiana.

            B. The boundaries of the district shall encompass the following area: One (1) certain tract or parcel of ground designated as "Tract A", containing 14.800 Ac. (644,671 Sq. Ft.) with all improvements thereon, located in Section 68, T-3-S, R-3-W, Greensburg Land District, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, and more particularly described as follows: Commence at a point and corner at the intersection of the Southwesterly right-of-way of U.S. Highway 61 with the boundary line common to Tract B and a Tract owned by Whitney Bank of Louisiana; thence, departing said right-of-way, S 50°05'59" W a distance of 403.60 feet to the Point of Beginning; Thence, S 40°18'40" E a distance of 109.48 feet to a point and corner; thence, S 72°09'24" E a distance of 727.64 feet to a point and corner; thence, S 29°58'47" E a distance of 248.97 feet to point and corner; thence, S 64°48'40" W a distance of 670.30 feet to a point and corner; thence, N 81°10'20" W a distance of 472.14 feet to a point and corner; thence, N 80°14'15" W a distance of 77.17 feet to a point and corner; thence, N 03°04'00" W a distance of 625.61 feet to a point and corner; thence, N 50°00'07" E a distance of 287.53 feet to a point and corner; thence, S 40°18'40" E a distance of 115.15 feet to the Point of Beginning.

            C. The district is created to provide for cooperative economic development among the municipality, the parish, the owners of property in the district, the district, and the state, in order to provide for the redevelopment of and dramatic improvement to the blighted property within the area of the district into a conference-style hotel and related facilities.

            D.(1) The district shall be governed by a three-member board of commissioners composed as follows:

            (a) The mayor of the town of St. Francisville.

            (b) The mayor of the town of St. Francisville shall appoint two members of the governing authority of the town of St. Francisville.

            (2) A majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The board shall keep minutes of all meetings and shall make them available for inspection through the board's secretary-treasurer. The minute books and archives of the district shall be maintained by the board's secretary-treasurer. The monies, funds, and accounts of the district shall be in the official custody of the board.

            (3) The board shall adopt bylaws and prescribe rules to govern its meetings. The members of the board shall serve without salary or per diem but shall be entitled to reimbursement for reasonable, actual, and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

            (4) The domicile of the board shall be established by the board at a location within the district.

            (5) The board shall elect from its own members a president, a vice-president, and a secretary-treasurer, whose duties shall be common to such offices or as may be provided by bylaws adopted by the district. The board shall hold regular meetings and may hold special meetings as provided in the bylaws.

            E. The district, acting by and through its board, shall be a special taxing district and shall have and exercise all powers of a political subdivision and special taxing district necessary or convenient for the carrying out of its objectives and purposes, including but not limited to the following:

            (1) To sue and to be sued.

            (2) To adopt bylaws, rules, and regulations.

            (3) To receive by gift, grant, donation, or otherwise any sum of money, property, aid, or assistance from the United States, the state of Louisiana, or any political subdivision thereof, or any person, firm, or corporation.

            (4) To enter into contracts, agreements, or cooperative endeavors with the state and its political subdivisions or political corporations and with any public or private association, corporation, business entity, or person, including but not limited to pledge and collateral assignment agreements and tax collection agreements.

            (5) To appoint officers, agents, and employees, prescribe their duties, and fix their compensation.

            (6) To acquire by gift, grant, purchase, lease, or otherwise property as necessary or desirable for carrying out the objectives and purposes of the district and to mortgage and sell such property.

            (7) In its own name and on its own behalf to incur debt and to issue bonds, notes, certificates, and other evidences of indebtedness. If the district issues bonds pursuant to this Section, the district shall be deemed and considered to be an issuer for purposes of R.S. 33:9037 and shall, to the extent not in conflict with this Section, be subject to the provisions of R.S. 33:9037.

            (8) To establish such funds or accounts as necessary for the conduct of the affairs of the district.

            (9) To levy and collect the taxes authorized by this Section.

            (10) To enter into one or more agreements to provide for the collection of the taxes collected within the district and remittance of the taxes to the appropriate recipients.

            F.(1) In order to provide funds for the purposes of the district, the board of commissioners may levy and collect the following taxes:

            (a) A tax upon the occupancy of hotel rooms within the district at a rate not to exceed the aggregate rate of all sales and use taxes levied and collected by local taxing authorities upon the occupancy of hotel rooms in West Feliciana Parish. The hotel occupancy tax authorized to be levied within the district pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection shall be in addition to hotel occupancy taxes levied and collected by local taxing authorities and sales and use taxes levied and collected by all taxing authorities on services as defined in R.S. 47:301.3 pursuant to Chapters 2, 2-A, and 2-B of Title 47 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, in West Feliciana Parish.

            (b) A sales and use tax upon purchases of food and beverages not intended for home consumption sold within the district. The rate of the sales tax levied by the board of the district pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection for purchases of food and beverages within the district shall not exceed the aggregate rate of sales and use taxes levied and collected on purchases of food and beverages levied and collected by local taxing authorities in West Feliciana Parish. The sales and use tax authorized to be levied upon purchases of food and beverages within the district pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection shall be in addition to sales and use taxes levied and collected by all taxing authorities in West Feliciana Parish.

            (2)(a) The word "hotel" as used in this Section shall have the same meaning as provided in R.S. 47:301(6).

            (b) The occupancy tax shall be paid by the person who exercises or is entitled to occupancy of the hotel room and shall be paid at the time the rent or fee of occupancy is paid.

            (c) The food and beverage tax shall be paid by the person who pays for the food and beverages at the point of sale.

            (d) The word "person" as used in this Section has the same meaning as contained in R.S. 47:301(8).

            (3) The taxes authorized in this Section shall be imposed by resolution adopted by the board without the need of an election.

            G.(1)(a) The district may issue revenue bonds, in one or more series, payable from an irrevocable pledge and dedication of available non-voter elected, pledged, or dedicated up to the full amount of hotel occupancy and food and beverage sales tax increments, in an amount to be determined by the district, to finance or refinance any project or projects or parts thereof which are consistent with the purposes of the district. Additionally, without the necessity of issuing revenue bonds, the district may pledge the tax increments collected under the authority of this Section to any financing or multiple refinancing of a hotel and related facilities within the district in furtherance of the purposes of the district. Such financing may include but shall not be limited to loans, mortgages, the issuance of bonds, or the issuance of certificates of indebtedness. For each of the designated non-voter elected, pledged, or dedicated food and beverage and hotel occupancy taxes collected within the district, a tax increment shall consist of that portion of the aggregate of such tax revenues collected by the district each year which exceeds the amount of such taxes that were collected in the year immediately prior to the year in which the district was established.

            (b) Dedication of tax increments to pay the revenue bonds shall not impair existing obligations of the district and shall not include tax revenues previously dedicated by the district for a special purpose.

            (2) The authority granted to the district pursuant to the provisions of this Section is subject to the limitations provided in R.S. 33:9038.42.

            H. The district shall dissolve and cease to exist one year after the date on which all loans, bonds, notes, and other evidences of indebtedness of the district, including refunding bonds, are paid in full as to both principal and interest; however, the district shall not have an existence of more than forty years from the date on which a tax authorized pursuant to this Section is first levied by the district.

            I. Any ordinance or resolution authorizing bonds or other debt obligations or the pledge of tax increments collected under the authority of this Section to any financing authorized by this Section shall be published at least once in the official journal of the parish of West Feliciana. For thirty days after the date of publication, any person in interest may contest the legality of the ordinance or resolution and of any provision therein made for the security and payment of the debt obligation or the levy and collection of such taxes. After that time, no one shall have any cause of action to test the regularity, formality, legality, or effectiveness of the ordinance or resolution, and provision thereof for any cause whatever. Thereafter, it shall be conclusively presumed that every legal requirement for the levy and collection of taxes, the issuance of bonds or other debt obligation, or legal requirement for the levy and collection of taxes, the issuance of bonds or other debt obligations, or the pledge of tax increments collected, including all things pertaining to the authorizing thereof, has been complied with. No court shall have authority to inquire into any of these matters after the thirty-day period after publication.

            J. This Section, being necessary for the welfare of the municipality and the parish and the residents thereof, shall be liberally construed to effect the purposes thereof.

            Acts 2025, No. 260, §1, eff. June 11, 2025.