(a) All power and authority granted to Lawrence County pursuant to Amendment 190 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, or to any public authority or corporation created by Lawrence County pursuant to Amendment 190 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, shall be consolidated into the Industrial Development Board of Lawrence County, governed by a board of directors, for the unified economic development of the county. The public authority or corporation shall have all the power and authority and assume all of the obligations of public authority or corporation created pursuant to Article 2, commencing with Section 11-20-30, Chapter 20 of Title 11. The board of directors of the county public authority or corporation shall be composed of one member appointed by each member of the county legislative delegation and three members appointed by the county commission. One member of the board of directors shall be a member of a minority race. No elected official may serve on the board. The board shall be appointed within 10 days after February 29, 2000, and shall be subject to the State Ethics Law. The terms of the members of the board shall be staggered. Three members shall serve an initial term of three years and two members shall serve an initial term of two years. At the first meeting of the board, the members shall draw lots to determine which members shall serve initial terms of three years and which members shall serve initial terms of two years. After the initial terms of the members, the appointed members of the board shall serve a term of three years. The members of the board may succeed themselves if reappointed to additional terms on the board. The first meeting of the board shall be held within 20 days after February 29, 2000, and shall be called by the chair of the county commission. Thereafter, the board may meet as provided in its bylaws. At the first meeting and each year thereafter, the members shall select a chair. The industrial development board shall continue to receive one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for operating expenses to be paid by the county from the TVA in lieu of tax funds previously allocated for such purposes.
(b) The George C. Wallace Airport Authority shall henceforth be known as the Lawrence County Airport Authority and the ownership thereof shall be transferred to the Lawrence County Commission including, but not limited to, all real estate, including runways located in the airport boundaries, all hangars, the headquarters building, and all personal property and accounts receivable. The authority shall henceforth be owned and managed by the Lawrence County Commission or its delegate. All existing airport funding and sources of income shall continue to be the property of the airport authority including, but not limited to, grants, hangar leases, cotton leases, and income from the sale of aviation fuel. The Lawrence County Commission shall have the authority to manage the airport authority directly or authorize an incorporated or unincorporated board to oversee and manage the airport authority and to appoint a board of directors consisting of not more than three members who shall serve staggered terms.
Last modified: May 3, 2021