Authority Shall Be Public Nonprofit Corporation — Powers of Authority

  1. Law
  2. Tennessee Code
  3. Consolidated Governments and Local Governmental Functions and Entities
  4. Convention Center Authorities Act of 2009
  5. Authority Shall Be Public Nonprofit Corporation — Powers of Authority

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Each convention center authority created pursuant to this chapter shall be a public nonprofit corporation and a public instrumentality of the municipality with respect to which the authority is organized. The authority shall have the following powers, together with all powers incidental to the following powers or necessary for the performance of those powers, to:

  1. Have succession by its corporate name for the period specified in the charter, unless sooner dissolved as provided in § 7-89-119;
  2. Sue and be sued and to prosecute and defend, at law or in equity, in any court having jurisdiction of the subject matter and of the parties;
  3. Have and use a corporate seal and alter the seal at pleasure;
  4. Acquire, whether by purchase, construction, exchange, gift, lease or otherwise, and design, plan, site, construct, improve, repair, extend, equip, furnish, operate and maintain one (1) or more projects, which projects shall be within at least one (1) of the municipalities with respect to which the authority has been created, including all real and personal properties that the board of directors of the authority may deem necessary in connection with the projects and regardless of whether or not any such projects shall then be in existence, and including the power to demolish such existing structures as may be on sites acquired when those structures are not needed for the project;
  5. Appoint officers, agents and employees, describe their qualifications and fix their compensation;
  6. Operate, maintain, manage and enter into contracts for the operation, maintenance and management of any project undertaken, and to make rules and regulations with regard to the operation, maintenance and management;
  7. Employ, contract with, fix the compensation of and discharge engineering, architectural, legal, financial and other professional experts, consultants, agents and employees as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter and to provide for the proper construction, operation and maintenance of any project;
  8. Lease, rent and contract for the operation of all or any part of any project and charge and collect rent for the project and terminate any such lease upon the failure of the lessee to comply with any of the obligations of the lease; and include in or exclude from any such lease provisions that the lessee shall have the option to renew the term of the lease for such period or periods and at such rent as shall be determined by the board of directors;
  9. Lease such space in a project as from time to time may not be needed for convention center related purposes to any other person, corporation, partnership or association for such purposes as the board of directors may determine are in the best interest of the authority or will help facilitate the purposes for which the authority was created, and upon such terms and in such manner as the board may determine;
  10. Fix and collect rates, rentals, fees and charges for the use of any and all of the projects of the authority and for the naming rights relating to any and all of the projects of the authority;
  11. Make contracts, including, without limitation, contracts with vendors, concessionaires, tenants or convention center facility users, or both, occupant managers and service providers;
  12. Advertise within or without the state any of the projects of the authority;
  13. Sell, exchange, donate and convey any or all of its properties, whenever the board of directors shall find the action to be in furtherance of the purposes for which the authority was organized; provided, however, that the authority may not sell, exchange, donate or convey all or substantially all of its properties without the prior approval, by resolution, of the governing body of the municipality;
  14. Procure and enter into contracts for any type of insurance, surety or performance bond, or indemnity against loss or damage to property from any cause, including, but not limited to, general errors and omissions, property loss and casualty, loss of use and occupancy, against death or injury of any person, against employer's liability, against any act of any member, officer or employee of the authority in the performance of the duties of such person's office or employment, or the authority itself, or any other insurable risk, as the board of directors, in its discretion, may deem necessary, and to exercise all rights, immunities and protections afforded by Tennessee law and the Governmental Tort Liability Act, compiled in title 29, chapter 20;
  15. Accept donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts of any kind from any individuals, associations, public or private corporations and municipalities, the state or the United States, or any agency or instrumentality of the state or the United States, for or in aid of any of the purposes of this chapter and enter into agreements in connection with the donations, contributions, revenues, capital grants or gifts;
  16. Enter into joint ventures with third parties for the purpose of owning a project or any portion of a project, on such terms and conditions as the board of directors of the authority may determine;
  17. Borrow money from time to time and, in evidence of any obligation incurred, issue and sell its revenue bonds in accordance with this chapter, in such form and upon such terms as its board of directors may determine and as approved by resolution of the governing body of the creating municipality, payable out of any revenues of the authority, including grants or contributions or other revenues specifically provided to the authority, for the purpose of financing the cost of any project, refund and refinance, from time to time, revenue bonds so issued and sold as often as may be deemed to be advantageous by the board of directors and, pending the issuance of its revenue bonds for the purposes in this chapter authorized, issue its interim certificates or notes or other temporary obligations;
  18. Enter into any agreement or contract with any lessee who, pursuant to the terms of this chapter, is renting or is about to rent from the authority all or part of any building or buildings or facilities, whereby, under such agreement or contract, the lessee obligates itself to pay all or part of the cost of maintaining and operating the premises so leased. The agreement may be included as a provision of any lease entered into pursuant to the terms of this chapter or may be made the subject of a separate agreement or contract between the authority and the lessee;
  19. Mortgage and pledge as security for the payment of the principal of and interest on any revenue bonds so issued and any agreements made in connection with the bonds, any or all of the projects or any part or parts of the projects, whether then owned or thereafter acquired;
  20. Exercise all powers expressly given in its charter and establish bylaws and make all rules and regulations not inconsistent with the charter or this chapter deemed expedient for the management of the affairs of the authority;
  21. Acquire, whether by purchase, construction, exchange, gift, lease or otherwise, and improve, repair, extend, equip, furnish, operate and maintain any roads, streets, highways, curbs, bridges, flood control facilities, utility services such as water, sanitary sewer, electricity, gas and natural gas and telecommunications that the board of directors of the convention center authority deems to be necessary, expedient or advisable in connection with the development or operation of any project; dedicate any such highways, roads or services to the public use; enter into any contract to facilitate these purposes and make any payments required under the contracts; borrow funds for the purpose of making any payment authorized by this subdivision (21) and pledge and otherwise use the revenues of the authority to repay the borrowed funds;
  22. Establish, secure, own, develop and hold patents, copyrights, trademarks and service marks and enforce its rights with respect to the copyrights and marks; and
  23. Do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly given in this chapter.


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