§8-12-12. Power and authority to lease, establish, maintain and operate off-street parking facility.

Every municipality shall have plenary power and authority to enter into a lease with the owner or owners of any real property situate within the corporate limits of such municipality by which such real property is demised, leased and let to such municipality for an off-street parking facility (including parking lots, buildings, ramps, parking meters and other appurtenances deemed necessary, appropriate or incidental to the regulation, control and parking of motor vehicles), which off-street parking facility is hereby declared to be a municipal public work, and every such municipality shall have plenary power and authority to establish, maintain and operate such parking facility. Every such lease shall be authorized by an ordinance adopted by the municipality. Every municipality shall have this power and authority whether such real property is at the time of the execution of such lease already equipped, maintained and operated, in whole or in part, as a parking facility or whether such real property is at such time unimproved and is to be, under the terms of the lease, improved by the installation of parking meters, lighting equipment, pavement or other equipment necessary, appropriate, useful, convenient or incidental to the use of such property for such purpose.

Any such ordinance may provide that the police force or department of such municipality shall police the parking facility; and that overtime parking at the facility or other violations of the ordinance shall be a misdemeanor punishable as provided in said ordinance. Any such ordinance shall also provide for the collection of reasonable charges for the use of such parking facility by the public generally, and any such ordinance may be amended from time to time. Any lease entered into by and between any such municipality and the owner or owners of any such real property may contain such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon between the parties, not inconsistent with any of the provisions of this section or other provisions of law. The ordinance authorizing any such lease may also specify terms and conditions which must be contained in such lease.

Under no circumstances whatever shall any obligation incurred under the provisions of this section or any such lease be deemed to be or create an indebtedness of the municipality, the governing body or any member thereof, any officer thereof, or other municipal official, and all of the expenses of whatever kind, nature or character incident to the establishment, maintenance and operation of such parking facility, including, but not limited to, such rental payments as are provided for in the lease and the cost of policing the facility, shall be paid solely from revenues derived from such parking facility, and from revenues derived from other parking facilities or meters not pledged to pay for such other parking facilities or meters. No member of the governing body of any such municipality, or any officer thereof, or other municipal official, shall under any circumstances be personally liable under any such lease or upon any obligation of any kind, nature or character arising under the provisions of this section.

The power and authority herein granted shall be in addition to and not in derogation of any power and authority vested in any municipality under any Constitutional, statutory or charter provision now or hereafter in effect. This section shall, without reference to any other provisions of this code or any other statute or any charter, be deemed full authority for the acquisition of any such real property by lease for a parking facility, for the establishment, maintenance and operation of any such parking facility and for the enactment of an ordinance as hereinbefore specified. This section shall be construed as an additional alternative method for providing off-street parking facilities, and shall not in any way limit the provisions of article sixteen of this chapter authorizing the establishment, maintenance, operation and financing of such facilities by the issuance of revenue bonds.

This section, being necessary for the public safety and welfare, shall be liberally construed to effectuate its purposes.