A.(1) There is hereby created a commission to be known as the Avoyelles Parish Port Commission, which shall be composed of five members, at least one of whom shall be a minority, who shall serve without compensation and who shall be appointed as follows:

            (2) The members of the police jury of Avoyelles Parish shall select two commissioners, the Town of Simmesport shall select one commissioner, the representative representing House District Twenty-Eight shall select one commissioner, and the senators representing Senate District Twenty-Eight and Senate District Thirty-Two shall, collectively, select one commissioner. Each commissioner shall be domiciled in Avoyelles Parish.

            (3)(a) Upon the effective date of this Paragraph, the existing commissioners shall remain until their termed year. Commissioners appointed thereafter shall serve four-year terms subsequent to staggered terms as provided in Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph. The term shall end on January thirty-first of the termed year. The selection process shall commence February first and be completed within thirty days.

            (b)(i) Two members shall serve a term of two years; two members shall serve a term of three years; and one member shall serve a term of four years.

            (ii) The terms of the respective members shall be determined from a selection by lot at the first meeting of the board.

            (iii) For purposes of this Subparagraph, “selection by lot” shall mean a random selection from the pool of chosen commissioners.

            (4) The mayor of Simmesport or his designee, who shall be a member of the board of aldermen of the town of Simmesport, shall be an ex-officio nonvoting member of the commission.

            (5) Except as in Paragraph (4) of this Subsection, no person who holds an elective public office of any kind in federal, state, or local governments shall be appointed or serve as a member of the commission. Any member of the commission who, during his term of office, is elected to such office shall be deemed to have resigned from the commission by virtue of being elected to such public office.

            B. Any vacancy on the commission for any reason shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments and for the unexpired term of office. Each commissioner shall be a citizen of the United States, and a qualified voter and a taxpayer of the State of Louisiana.

            Added by Acts 1960, No. 331, §1. Amended by Acts 1966, No. 446, §1; Acts 2016, No. 594, §1, eff. June 17, 2016; Acts 2021, No. 332, §1, eff. June 14, 2021.