Executive officer: means the mayor, county mayor, or other chief executive of a municipality. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
Governing body: means the body in which the general legislative powers of a municipality are vested. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
Municipality: means any county or incorporated city or town in this state with respect to which an authority may be organized. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
Port: means and includes any one (1) or more harbors or ports and related facilities, including, but not limited to, land and interests in land, wharves, piers, loading and unloading machinery, scales, transportation equipment, harbor and riverfront or lake front improvements, buildings, storage and transfer facilities, elevators, railroads, switchyards, concentration yards, roads, bridges, communication, electric power, gas, water and all other utility facilities and such other structures, facilities and improvements necessary or convenient to the development of harbors and river ports and for the promotion either directly or indirectly of trade, industry, and commerce. See Tennessee Code 7-87-103
Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
(1) The governing body of the authority shall be a board of commissioners of eight (8) persons appointed by the executive officer of the municipality and approved by its governing body, none of whom shall have a financial interest in a port or its concessions, or be an employee of the municipality.(2) Commissioners first appointed to the board shall be appointed for terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4), five (5), six (6), seven (7), and eight (8) years, respectively, but thereafter, each commissioner shall be appointed for a term of eight (8) years.(b) In the case of authorities created pursuant to the approval of two (2) or more municipalities acting jointly, the number of commissioners appointed by the chief executive officer and approved by the governing body of each municipality shall be as nearly equal as practicable.(c) All commissioners shall be of excellent character and reputation.(d) Any vacancy by reason of incapacity, resignation, or death shall be filled in like manner for the unexpired term.(e) A commissioner’s term shall continue until the appointment and qualification of a successor.(f) A commissioner may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the governing body of the municipality that appointed such commissioner, but only after notice of the cause of such removal has been served upon the commissioner and only after such commissioner has been granted an opportunity for a public hearing on such cause.(g) The board shall elect from among its members a chair, vice chair, and secretary, each of whom shall continue to be voting members, and shall adopt its own bylaws and rules of procedure. A majority of the commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Except as expressly otherwise specified in this chapter, all powers granted in this chapter to an authority shall be exercised by the board.(h) Commissioners shall receive no salary, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
