§3324. Board of commissioners; appointments; terms; vacancies

            A. The Board of Commissioners of the Acadiana Watershed District, referred to in this Chapter as the "board", is hereby created. The governance, control, and management of the affairs of the district shall be vested in the board.

            B. The board shall be comprised of the following members:

            (1) The police jury presidents of the parishes of Acadia, Allen, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Evangeline, Jefferson Davis, Rapides, and Vermilion or their respective designees.

            (2) The mayor-president of Lafayette Parish or his designee.

            (3) The parish presidents of the parishes of Iberia, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Martin, and St. Mary or their respective designees.

            (4) The chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment or his designee.

            (5) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources or his designee.

            C. The board may appoint a technical advisory committee to advise the board on scientific, engineering, and other technical matters. Committee members shall not have voting rights on the board of commissioners. The committee shall be composed of the following members, who shall be nominated by their respective constituent organizations:

            (1) A representative of Louisiana Soil & Water Conservation District IV.

            (2) A representative of the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District.

            (3) A representative of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Watershed Flood Center.

            (4) A representative of the Louisiana Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Division.

            (5) Two at-large members nominated by a municipality or municipalities with a population of thirty thousand or more and meeting the technical qualification requirements described in this Section.

            (6) Two at-large members nominated by a municipality or municipalities with a population of less than thirty thousand and meeting the technical qualification requirements described in this Section.

            (7) One member nominated by the secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.

            (8) One member nominated by the executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

            (9) One member nominated by the Commander and District Engineer of the New Orleans District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

            D. All public officials or designees serving on the board shall serve terms concurrent with their term of office. Technical advisory committee members shall serve terms of three years, with the initial terms staggered in accordance with the board's bylaws.

            E. Members of the board, member designees, and technical advisory committee appointees shall reside within the boundaries of the district or any parish within which a portion of the district lies.

            F. Technical advisory committee appointees shall have professional experience in engineering, project management, certified flood plain management, or other drainage-related field such as geosciences, hydrology, or water management.

            Acts 2023, No. 323, §1.