Appointment and terms of commissioners

A. (1) In the ordinance creating a drainage district, the police juries creating the district shall appoint the five commissioners, except in Lafourche Parish where the police jury shall appoint seven commissioners for Lafourche Parish Drainage District No. 1 and in St. Mary Parish where the police jury shall appoint seven commissioners for Wax Lake East Drainage District, who shall constitute the governing authority of the drainage district, and who shall possess the qualifications, as provided in R.S. 38:1607. (2) The appointments of commissioners by the police jury shall be made upon the recommendations of a majority in number of acres of the landowners of the proposed drainage district, or a majority in numbers of the landowners of the districts. Where the proposed district has more than forty landowners embraced therein, then the appointments shall be made upon the recommendation of twenty-five of the landowners of the district. When there is a contest over the appointment of commissioners, the police jury must and shall give the appointment to those commissioners who are recommended by a majority in number of the landowners in the district. B. The commissioners shall at their first meeting immediately determine by lot their terms of office, which shall be respectively, one, two, three, four and five years. They shall serve until their successors shall have been appointed and qualified. C. The police jury or juries creating the drainage district shall thereafter annually at their regular meeting in the month nearest the date of the creation of the drainage district appoint one commissioner for the drainage district in the same manner as the original commissioners were appointed, and the commissioner shall hold office for a term of five years, or until his successor is appointed and qualified. The secretary of the board of commissioners of any drainage district created under this Part shall call to the attention of the police jury or juries the expiration of the term of office of any commissioner of the drainage district. D. Recommendations of landowners for appointments of commissioners shall be in writing and signed by the landowners making the recommendation. Amended by Acts 1950, No. 532, §1; Acts 1988, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 20, §1, eff. Oct. 27, 1988; Acts 1992, No. 714, §1. {{NOTE: SEE ACTS 1988, 2ND EX. SESS., NO. 20, §2.}}