Each district shall be deemed to be a public body and body politic and corporate exercising public and essential governmental functions to provide for the preservation and promotion of the public health and welfare, and each district is hereby authorized and empowered:

(1)        To adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business not in conflict with this or other law;

(2)        To adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure;

(3)        To maintain an office at such place or places in the district as it may designate;

(4)        To sue and be sued in its own name, plead and be impleaded;

(5)        To acquire, lease as lessor or lessee, construct, reconstruct, improve, extend, enlarge, equip, repair, maintain and operate any sewerage system or part thereof within or without the district; provided, however, that no such sewerage system or part thereof shall be located in any city, town or incorporated village outside the district except with the consent of the governing body thereof, and each such governing body is hereby authorized to grant such consent;

(6)        To issue general obligation bonds and revenue bonds of the district as hereinafter provided to pay the cost of a sewerage system or systems;

(7)        To issue general obligation refunding bonds and revenue refunding bonds of the district as hereinafter provided;

(8)        To fix and revise from time to time and to collect rents, rates, fees and other charges for the use of or for the services and facilities furnished by any sewerage system;

(8a)      To impose and require system development fees only in accordance with Article 8 of this Chapter.

(9)        To cause taxes to be levied and collected upon all taxable property within the district sufficient to meet the obligations of the district, to pay the cost of maintaining, repairing and operating any sewerage system or systems, and to pay all obligations incurred by the district in the performance of its lawful undertakings and functions;

(10)      To acquire in the name of the district, either within or without the corporate limits of the district, by gift, purchase or the exercise of the right of eminent domain, which right shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 40A of the N.C. Gen. Stat. of North Carolina, any improved or unimproved lands or rights in land, and to acquire such personal property, as it may deem necessary in connection with the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, improvement, extension, enlargement, repair, equipment, maintenance or operation of any sewerage system, and to hold and dispose of all real and personal property under its control;

(11)      To make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this Article, including a trust agreement or trust agreements securing any revenue bonds issued hereunder;

(11a)    To pledge a security interest in accordance with N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160A-20;

(12)      To employ such consulting and other engineers, superintendents, managers, construction and financial experts, accountants, attorneys, employees and agents as may, in the judgment of the district board be deemed necessary, and to fix their compensation; provided, however, that the provisions of N.C. Gen. Stat. § 159-20 shall be complied with to the extent that the same shall be applicable;

(13)      To receive and accept from the United States of America or the State of North Carolina or any agency or instrumentality thereof loans, grants, advances or contributions for or in aid of the planning, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, improvement, extension, enlargement, repair, equipment, maintenance or operation of any sewerage system or systems, to agree to such reasonable conditions or requirements as may be imposed, and to receive and accept contributions from any source of either money, property, labor or other things of value, to be held, used and applied only for the purposes for which such loans, grants, advances or contributions may be made;

(13a)    To adopt ordinances to regulate and control the discharge of sewage into any sewerage system owned or operated by the district. Prior to the adoption of any ordinance or any amendment to any ordinance the district shall first pass a declaration of intent to adopt such ordinance or amendment. The declaration of intent shall describe the ordinance or amendment which it is proposed that the district adopt. The declaration of intent shall be submitted to each governing body for review and comment. The district shall take into consideration any comment and suggestions with respect to the proposed ordinance or amendment offered by any governing body and may modify such proposed ordinance or amendment to reflect comment and suggestions offered by any governing body. Thereafter, the district shall be authorized to adopt such ordinance or any amendment to it at any time after 60 days following the submission of the declaration of intent to each governing body;

(13b)    To require the owners of improved property located within the district so as to be served by a sewer collection line owned or leased and operated by the district to connect their premises with the sewer line, and fix charges for these connections; and

(13c)    To exercise any power of a Metropolitan Water District under Article 4 of this Chapter not set forth in this section; [and]

(14)      To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers granted by this Article.

Each district shall keep its accounts on the basis of a fiscal year commencing on the first day of July and ending on the thirtieth day of June of the following year. ?(1961, c. 795, s. 6; 1973, c. 822, s. 4; 1981, c. 919, s. 32; 1983, c. 333, s. 3; 1987, c. 396, ss. 1-3; 2012-203, s. 4; 2015-207, s. 5(c); 2017-138, s. 7(a).)