PART III. POWERS AND DUTIES OF AUTHORITIES.

§8-27-10. Powers and duties of authorities generally.

Each authority is hereby given the power:

(a) To sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded;

(b) To have and use a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

(c) To make and adopt all rules and regulations and bylaws as may be necessary or desirable to enable it to exercise the powers and perform the duties conferred or imposed upon it by the provisions of this article;

(d) To employ, in its discretion, planning, architectural and engineering consultants, attorneys, accountants, construction, financial, transportation and traffic experts and consultants, superintendents, managers and such other employees and agents as may be necessary in its judgment, and to fix their compensation;

(e) To acquire by grant, purchase, gift, devise or lease and to hold, use, sell, lease or otherwise dispose of real and personal property of every kind and nature whatsoever, licenses, franchises, rights and interests necessary for the full exercise of its powers pursuant to the provisions of this article, or which may be convenient or useful for the carrying out of such powers;

(f) To acquire, construct, reconstruct, complete, develop, improve, own, equip, maintain and operate any system or systems, or any part thereof, including, without limitation, the power to acquire by purchase, lease or gift all or any part of any licenses, franchises, rights, interests, engineering and technical studies, data or reports owned or held by any person and determined by its board to be necessary, convenient or useful to the authority in connection with the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, completion, development, improvement, ownership, equipping, maintenance or operation of any system or systems and to reimburse public utilities for relocation of any utility line or facility made necessary by the construction, reconstruction, completion, development, improvement, equipping, maintenance or operation of any system or systems;

(g) To acquire any land, rights or easements deemed necessary or incidental for the purposes of the authority by eminent domain to the same extent and to be exercised in the same manner as now or hereafter provided by law for such right of eminent domain by business corporations;

(h) To enter into contracts and agreements which are necessary, convenient or useful to carry out the purposes of this article with any person, public corporation, state or any agency or political subdivision thereof and the federal government and any department or agency thereof, including, without limitation, contracts and agreements for the joint use of any property and rights by the authority and any person or authority operating any system, whether within or without the service area of the authority, and contracts and agreements with any person or authority for the maintenance, servicing, storage, operation or use of any system or part thereof, facility or equipment on such basis as shall seem proper to its board;

(i) To enter into contracts and agreements for superintendence and management services with any person, who has executive personnel with experience and skill applicable to the superintendence and management of any system, for the furnishing of its services and the services of experienced and qualified personnel for the superintendence and management of any system or any part thereof, including, without limitation, superintendence over personnel, purchases, properties and operations and all matters relating thereto, and any revenue bond trust indenture may require such contract or agreement, but the personnel whose services are to be so furnished under any such contract or agreement shall not include any member of the board, any member of the immediate family of a member of the board or any agents or employees of the authority, and no such contract or agreement shall extend beyond a term of ten years or such longer time as there are outstanding any revenue bonds under a trust indenture which requires such contract or agreement;

(j) To assume any lien indebtedness of any system or part thereof acquired by it under the provisions of this article;

(k) To execute security agreements, contracts, leases, equipment trust certificates and any other forms of contracts or agreements, granting or creating a lien, security interest, encumbrance or other security in, on or to facilities and equipment, containing such terms and provisions as the board deems necessary;

(l) To apply for, receive and use grants, grants-in-aid, donations and contributions from any source or sources, including, but not limited to, the federal government and any agency or department thereof, and a state government whose Constitution does not prohibit such grants, grants-in-aid, donations and contributions, and any agency or department thereof, and to accept and use bequests, devises, gifts and donations from any person;

(m) To lease any system or any part thereof to, or contract for the use of any system or any part thereof by, any person, but a trust indenture may prohibit, limit or restrict the exercise of such power;

(n) To acquire for cash or in exchange for its bonds all or any part of any publicly or privately owned system or systems;

(o) To make or cause to be made either by itself or in cooperation with other persons or organizations, whether public or private, traffic surveys, population surveys and such other surveys and studies as it shall consider useful in the performance of its duties or the exercise of its powers under the provisions of this article and in connection therewith the authority may contract with any person or organization for such planning services;

(p) To enter into contracts and agreements with any public or private system either within or contiguous to its boundaries for the transfer of passengers between it and the system operating in territory contiguous to its boundaries;

(q) To fix and establish from time to time, such fees, rates or other charges and routes, time schedules and standards of service as will provide revenues in each year at least sufficient to pay the principal of and interest on all bonds issued by the authority, and reasonable reserves therefor, as the same shall become due, together with the cost of administration, maintenance, repair and operation of such system or systems in each year, together with all other payments required in each such year by the resolution which authorized the issuance of such bonds, or the trust indenture securing the same, including, without limitation, reasonable reserves or margins for any of such purposes: Provided, That prior to the initial implementation of any fees, rates or other charges and any subsequent increase thereof affecting generally the users of the system, every authority shall hold a public hearing in the service area of the system on such proposed fees, rates or other charges or any increase thereof, and each authority shall publish a notice of the time and place of said hearing as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the service area of the authority. Such notice shall plainly state the fees, rates or other charges or any increase thereof to be imposed, the time when they shall go into effect, and the time and place where such public hearing will be conducted. Said public hearing shall not be less than ten days subsequent to the date of the last publication of such notice. At such hearing all objections and suggestions shall be heard, and after the hearing has been held the authority shall take such action as it shall deem proper: Provided, however, That the foregoing public hearing and notice requirements shall not apply to fees, rates or charges imposed for charter or special services rendered by said authorities;

(r) To issue revenue bonds of the authority for any of its purposes or projects and to refund its bonds, all as provided in this article;

(s) To encumber or mortgage all or any part of its facilities and equipment;

(t) To prepare plans for and assist in the relocation of persons displaced by the authority and to make relocation payments to or with respect to such persons for moving expenses and losses of property for which reimbursement or compensation is not otherwise made, including the making of such payments financed by the federal government; and

(u) To do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers given in this article unless otherwise forbidden by law.