Service charges for fire ant abatement

A. A fire ant abatement district created under the provisions of this Chapter may levy and collect special taxes, or assess special fees or service charges to residents and property owners within the fire ant abatement district to finance its programs. However, the question of the imposition of any such tax, fee, or charge shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of the district at an election to be conducted in accordance with the election laws of the state and the majority of those voting in said election shall have voted in favor of the imposition of said tax, fee, or charge. It may use legal, proper, necessary, and expedient means to collect and enforce the collection of such taxes, including the contracting with a waterworks district located within the same parish to collect special fees or service charges for fire ant abatement. B. Any special fee or service charge so levied shall be uniform upon the customers of the waterworks district, but each separate water meter or connection to the waterworks district's water supply lines shall be treated as a separate customer for purposes of such special fee or service charge. The waterworks district, acting as collection agency for special taxes of the fire ant abatement district, may add the tax levied by said fire ant abatement district to the water bills of its customers. On or before the tenth day of the month following the collection of the taxes, the waterworks district shall remit to the fire ant abatement district all funds collected for the purposes of fire ant abatement less a reasonable service charge for administrative purposes of collection.