Creates the Real Timbers Crime Prevention and Security District in Orleans Parish. (gov sig)

Senate Bill 380 enacts Louisiana Revised Statutes section 33:9091.30 to establish the Real Timbers Crime Prevention and Improvement District as a political subdivision of Orleans Parish. The legislation creates a corporate body with defined boundaries encompassing areas bounded by Iowa Street, Amazon Street, Delaware Street, Memorial Park Drive, Kansas Street, and Hudson Street. The district is granted broad powers including the ability to sue and be sued, adopt a corporate seal, enter into contracts with public and private entities, provide or enhance security patrols within its boundaries, and make expenditures for security, beautification, and quality of life improvements. The statute amends existing law by adding an entirely new special district framework specifically tailored to this geographic area.

The district directly affects property owners and residents within the defined geographic boundaries of Real Timbers. The governing structure places control primarily with the Real Timbers Homeowners Association, whose president, secretary, treasurer, and parliamentarian automatically serve as four board members, with three additional residents appointed by the association to complete a seven-member board. The City of New Orleans is authorized to levy a parcel fee not exceeding three hundred fifteen dollars annually per parcel, subject to voter approval within the district and with a maximum initial term of five years, renewable for additional five-year periods through voter approval. Property owners bear responsibility for payment of this fee, which is collected concurrently with ad valorem taxes and enforced with the same penalties as unpaid property taxes. The city retains one percent of collected fees as a collection fee and must remit remaining amounts to the district within sixty days.

The legislation operates within the existing framework of Louisiana special district law and the constitutional definition of political subdivisions. The district must comply with the Louisiana Local Government Budget Act under Revised Statutes 39:1301 et seq. and is subject to audit by the legislative auditor pursuant to Revised Statutes 24:513. The statute incorporates provisions from corporate law relating to indemnification, specifically referencing Revised Statutes 12:227 regarding nonprofit corporation liability protections and Revised Statutes 9:2792 et seq. regarding individual liability limitations for board members and officers. The parcel fee mechanism must follow the Louisiana Election Code procedures for voter approval and operates parallel to the existing ad valorem tax collection system. The statute explicitly provides that law enforcement and security services funded through district fees shall be supplemental to, not in lieu of, services provided by the New Orleans Police Department, establishing a complementary rather than substitutional relationship with municipal services.