SEC. 1917. The members of the police juries of the several 1829-38-1. parishes throughout the State shall possess the same qualifica- Qualifications tions as members of the House of Representatives.

of police juries.

SEC. 1918. The persons who shall be allowed to vote for mem- 1829-38-2. bers of the police jury shall possess the same qualifications as Qualifications electors for members of the General Assembly.

of voters.

which shall re

SEC. 1919. The police jury of each parish shall, on the first 1877–87, extra Monday of July, 1877, meet at the court-house of their respective session. Police juries parishes, and shall redistrict their parishes into not less than to re-district five nor more than ten police jury wards, as the convenience of their parishes, the people may require, and shall at the same time district these main unchangpolice jury wards into one or more justice of the peace and elec- ed, except by a tion wards, as they may think proper, and shall designate said of the police wards numerically and in consecutive order. When the wards have been thus established, they shall not be changed without a two-third vote of the police jury, recorded by yeas and nays.

two-third vote

jury.

ors, justices of

constables,

SEC. 1920. The election for police jurors, justices of the peace Time and and constables shall be held in each ward at the same time as mode of electthe general election. The police jurors shall be elected by the ing police jurqualified electors of the police jury ward, and justices of the the peace and peace and constables shall be elected by the qualified electors of the justice of the peace or election ward; and, in order that none but qualified electors of the ward shall vote for ward officers, the officers now charged by existing laws or by any amendment thereto are hereby instructed to provide, at each election poll, a separate box, in which the ballots for ward officers shall be deposited, and the returns of said election shall be made separate from the returns of votes cast for other officers, in the manner required by law.

SEC. 1921. Each ward shall be entitled to one police juror, unless otherwise provided by law, who shall hold their office for four years.

Each ward to elect one police juror.

1884-122.

One additional police juror

for each ward in

SEC. 1922. For each parish ward there shall be appointed, in the manner provided by law, in addition to the police juror to which the ward is entitled, one additional police juror for each to be appointed (5000) five thousand inhabitants which the said ward contains; which there are also one additional police juror for each additional (5000) five 5000 inhabitants thousand inhabitants, or part thereof in excess of (2500) twentyfive hundred, to be selected from the resident voters of the ward.

1877-87, extra session.

President of the police jury

to

tions to fill va

cancies in the

police jury.

1847-82-3.

To elect a president.

1824-134-2. President pro tempore.

1847-82-7. President may resign.

1830-130-4. Meetings.

1811-184-4.

Extra meetings.

1850-24-1.

Clerks to call

SEC. 1923. It shall be the duty of the president of the police jury to order elections to fill vacancies which may occur in the police jury, giving at least ten days' notice of the election by having printed or written notices posted in at least five most public places in different parts of the ward wherein such vacancy may occur, and also by publication in the official newspaper of the parish, if such official newspaper exists in said parish, and the police jury shall have the election held according to the provisions of section 1920.

SEC. 1924. The police juries shall, at such times as they may think proper, elect a president from their own body, to serve for one year.

SEC. 1925. Whenever the president does not attend, the juries are authorized and required to appoint a president pro tempore, from among themselves, who shall have all the powers and perform all the duties required by law of the president.

SEC. 1926. The president, when desirous of resigning his seat as a member or president, shall tender his resignation to the police jury.

SEC. 1927. They shall have the power to fix the periods of their respective regular meetings, and to meet at any other times which they may deem necessary.

SEC. 1928. The president of the several police juries shall be obliged to call a meeting of the police jury, whenever he shall be thereto required by twelve inhabitants, freeholders.

SEC. 1929. The clerks of the district courts of the different meetings when parishes of this State are empowered to convene the police juries of their respective parishes, whenever there is a vacancy in the office of president, in the same manner and for the reasons that the president could himself do.

there is no president.

1818-74-7.

Notice of

SEC. 1930. Notice to members shall be necessary only in cases

meeting, when of special meetings.

necessary.

1877-87, extra

of police jurors.

SEC. 1931. Members of the police jury shall be entitled to session. a compensation to be fixed by themselves, which shall not exCompensation ceed three dollars per day and ten cents per mile going to and from the conrt-house of their respective parishes for every day they are actually employed in the service of their parish at meetings of the police jury, to be paid out of the funds of the sev eral parishes on the warrant of the president, and no more, this allowance and per diem including mileage; provided, That the police jurors shall not be paid per diem for more than fifteen days in any one year.

Proviso.

Penalty against the president for

bers of the po

SEC. 1932. For failure of the president of a police jury to perform any of the duties imposed on him by law, without reasona neglect of duty, ble excuse, he shall forfeit the sum of twenty-five dollars for and the mem- each failure, to be recovered before any court of competent jurislice jury for not diction by motion of the district attorney, after three days' notice; and for the failure of any member of the police jury to attend at any meeting, after being duly notified, or without notice if at a regular session, such member, if he has no reasonable excuse, shall forfeit the sum of ten dollars, to be recovered as above; provided, Such forfeitures to be be paid into the parish treasury.

attending the

regular session of the board.

Certain offi

positions under

and school boards.

SEC. 1933. It shall be unlawful for any assessor, sheriff or 1884-135. clerk, or any person holding any office or trust under authority of cers prohibited the United States Government, or any of the departments there- from holding of, to hold any office or position of profit under the police juries, police juries or boards of school directors in this State; that police juries and school boards are hereby prohibited from allowing any compensation to such officers in such cases. Any member of a police jury or school board who shall violate the provisions of this section shall ipso facto be deprived of his office.

THEIR POWERS, DUTIES, ETC.

1813-158-5. Powers and duties. 1813-158-5. 1870-Statute of

SEC. 1934. The police juries shall have power to make all such regulations as they may deem expedient: First-For their own governmen. Second-As to the proportion and direction, the making and re- Revision. pairing of the roads, bridges, causeways, dikes, levees and other highways.

Third-For the clearing of the banks of the Mississippi river and other navigable streams, for the purpose of securing a free passage for boats and other small crafts, and for the tow lines of the same.

Roads,

bridges, levees,

etc.

Clearing the

banks of rivers.

Fourth-As to the form and height of inclosures or fences, Fences. whenever they may think proper to require the proprietors to inclose any ground.

Cattle.

Fifth-To pass all ordinances and regulations which they shall 1825-64-3. deem necessary in relation to the marking, the sale, destruction of cattle in general, and especially of wild cattle, which are not marked; and also of horses and mules; and to take any measures concerning the police of cattle in general, in all the cases not provided for by law; to fix the time in which cattle may be suf fered to rove in the parishes of this State, where that custom prevailes, so that such roving may not be detrimental to the crops; to determine what animals shall not be suffered to rove, and in what cases they may lawfully be killed.

Police of tay

Sixth-To regulate the police of taverns and houses of public 1842–440-11. entertainment, and shops for retailing liquors in their respective erns, etc. parishes; and to impose a parish tax on all keepers of billiard tables and grog shops, and on all hawkers, pedlers and trading boats.

Tax on ped

dlers.

Seventh-To determine the quantum of fines against all such 1813–158–5. as shall transgress their regulations.

Eighth-To lay such taxes, within the constitutional restriction, as they may judge necessary to defray the expenses of their respective parishes.

Fines.

Taxes.

Ninth-The police juries of the several parishes of the State 1855-367. Powers of po(the parish of Orleans excepted) shall have the exclusive privi- lice juries relalege of establishing ferries and toll-bridges within their respective tive to estab limits; of fixing the rates of ferriage and toll to be charged etc. thereon, and of generally regulating the police of the same. This privilege shall not extend to any ferries or bridges already established, until the expiration of their charters; nor to any ferries or bridges within the control of municipal corporations; and said police juries shall have the right to lease the ferries within their respective parishes for any number of years, not to exceed five; and the lessees of said ferries shall give bond and

Treasurer.
Officers.

1852-163-1.

Taxation for

the poor.

1813-160-6. 1814-46-1. Natural drains.

1825-62-1. Trespasses by hunters.

1827-36-6.

Bridges and

security, annually, payable to the president of the police jury, in such sum as may be required, for the faithful performance of their duties as public ferrymen.

Tenth-To appoint a treasurer for the parish.

Eleventh-To appoint all officers necessary to carry into execution the parish regulations, and to remove them from office.

Twelfth-To provide for the support of the poor and necessitous within their respective parishes by taxation or otherwise. Thirteenth-To cause to be opened in any town, suburb, or other place divided into house lots, or when a point of land on the Mississippi or other water course shall be divided among several proprietors, such ancient natural drains as have been obstructed by the owners of the adjacent lands; and to prescribe the mode to be observed in that respect; to cause any water course which is not navigable to be filled up for the purpose of carrying the public highways over the same; provided, That no injury be thereby occasioned to the neighboring inhabitants; and whenever, on application made by more than twelve inhabitants of a town, suburb or other place divided into house lots, or when a point of land on the Mississippi or other water course shall be divided among several proprietors, it shall be found necessary to dig one or more common draining ditches, the said juries shall have power to ordain that the said ditches be dug at the expense of the owners of the lots, and that the expense be borne by a contribution among the owners, to be levied in such manner as the jury shall prescribe; saving to individuals or persons aggrieved the right of complaining for the making or opening of such natural or artificial drainings, when unnecessary or hurtful to them.

Fourteenth-To adopt such regulations as they may think necessary to prevent and punish trespasses committed by hunters in closes or lands fenced in; provided, however, That the fines imposed by the said police juries for such offenses shall in no case be less than five dollars nor more than fifty dollars.

Fifteenth-To grant permission and determine the rate of toll turnpike roads. to be demanded by persons desiring to build a bridge, or make a turnpike road; provided, That in no case whatever the police jury shall grant the right of toll for more than ten years.

1817-156-3.

To sue for work done.

1820-54-1.

Overseers of roads and levees

1827-104-54.

To lease

school lands.

Sixteenth-To sue any person for whose account levees, roads, etc., may have been made or repaired at the expense of the parish, and to obtain the re-imbursement of said amount, by privilege on the land subject to the said works.

Seventeenth-To appoint parish syndics, and overseers of roads and levees, at any regular meeting, by a majority of the votes present, and whether a quorum be in attendance or not.

Eighteenth-To lease to the bidder for the shortest time, not exceeding ten years, any tract of land within the limits of their respective parishes, given by the General Government to the State for the use of schools, and upon which a levee shall be necessary, as well for its own protection as that of the adjoining lands from inundation; the only consideration of said lease to be the making and keeping in repair of the necessary levee by the lessee for the whole term of his lease..

Taxes to be

the members

SEC. 1935. A vote of a majority of all the members elect of 1847-82-5 & 8. police juries shall be required to levy any parish tax, or to make levied and ap any appropriation; provided, That in levying parish taxes the propriations made only by a police juries shall levy a uniform per centum on every species of majority of all property, trade or profession on which the State assesses a tax. theted. Nothing in this section shall be so construed as to prevent police juries in the river parishes from levying a special tax, Special tax under the legal formalities, on land for the construction and for levees. support of levees.

Estimate of

posted.

SEC. 1936. The police juries of the several parishes of the 1847–82–6. State, before they shall fix and decide on the amount of taxes to 1848-105-1. be assessed for the current year, shall cause to be made out an expenditures to estimate exhibiting the various items of expenditure, and shall be published or cause the same to be published in the official newspaper of the parish, or in parishes where an official newspaper is not published, then by posting up written statements of said estimates in at least three of the most public places in such parishes, at least thirty days before their meeting, to fix and decide on the amount of taxes to be assessed, as aforesaid.

SEC. 1937. The police juries of all the parishes of this State 1858-146. are authorized to pass all such ordinances as they may deem Powers conferred on police necessary relative to roads, bridges and ditches, and to impose juries relative such fines and penalties to enforce the same as they may think to roads and levees, bridges proper; to be recovered and enforced by indictment or information and ditches. in the name of the State, or by ordinary process before any court of competent jurisdiction in the name of the police jury of the parish.

1855-394.

dents and non

SEC. 1938. The police juries shall direct in what manner Notice to resinotice shall be given to resident and non-resident proprietors of residents, how the works to be done to the roads and ditches.

given.

SEC. 1939. Said police juries shall have power to let out con- 1867-355. tracts for opening and repairing roads, making and repairing Contracts to bridges, on such terms and conditions as they may in their discretion deem most conducive to the public interest; provided, They shall not make contracts for work exceeding in amount the funds in their treasury, or the amount of taxes levied for that purpose.

Proviso.

1813-160. 1880-139.

table building

SEC. 1940. Each parish of the State shall provide a suitable Each parish building and the requisite furniture for the sitting of the district to provide a suiand circuit courts, a good and sufficient jail, and such offices and and furniture furniture as may be needed by the clerks and sheriff of said for the sitting courts, the expenses thereof to be paid by the parish.

of the district and circuit courts.

authorized to

posts and barb

SEC. 1941. The police juries throughout the State are hereby 1880–53. empowered to declare in their respective parishes that hedges of Police juries such height and thickness, and possessing such other requisites adopt hedges as they may establish, and fences constructed with posts and and fences with barbed wire, and possessing such other requisites as they may ed wire. establish, shall be lawful; and said police juries may authorize the use of said hedges and fences throughout their respective parishes, or in certain parts only of the same.

SEC. 1942. It shall be the duty of the several police juries 1880-42. throughout this State to provide for the support of all infirm, Police juries sick and disabled paupers residing within the limits of their the support of to provide for respective parishes, except such as may reside in municipal cor- all infirm, sick