Arkansas § 14-234-307 - Further powers of commissioners — Donations to charitable organizations — Use of waterworks commission funds.

§ 14-234-307. Further powers of commissioners — Donations to charitable organizations — Use of waterworks commission funds.

The commissioners shall, in addition to the powers enumerated in § 14-234-306, have such other and further powers as are now by law given to the city council of any city. The commissioners shall be governed by all existing statutes pertaining to the duties of city councils. The commissioners shall be authorized to make donations of money from the revenue of municipal waterworks systems to local community chests or other citywide nonsectarian, incorporated, charitable organizations. Any commissioner or commissioners making donations to local community chests or other organizations under the provisions of this section and § 14-42-108 shall not be liable for the penalty provided in § 14-42-108; nor shall they be personally liable by civil action because of any donation made to a local community chest or other organization under the provisions of this section. It is the purpose of this section to authorize such donations and to relieve the commissioners from any criminal or civil liability as a result of their official act in making the donation. The General Assembly finds that payments to a chamber of commerce for industrial development activities or prevention of community deterioration are authorized payments within the board of commissioners' authority to manage and operate a waterworks and distribution system pursuant to this subchapter. A board of waterworks commissioners created pursuant to this subchapter may expend operation and maintenance funds of the waterworks for industrial development or community deterioration prevention activities conducted by a chamber of commerce or similar not-for-profit organization, if such activities in the judgment of the board of commissioners are likely to increase revenues of the waterworks or decrease expenditures resulting from system deterioration. It is not intended that this subsection should in anywise alter any authority that a board of waterworks commissioners has as of April 12, 1993.