From and after the date of the adoption of the order creating any public service district, it is a public corporation and political subdivision of the state, but without any power to levy or collect ad valorem taxes. Each district may acquire, own, and hold property, both real and personal, in its corporate name, and may sue, may be sued, may adopt an official seal, and may enter into contracts necessary or incidental to its purposes, including contracts with any city, incorporated town, or other municipal corporation located within or without its boundaries for furnishing wholesale supply of water for the distribution system of the city, town, or other municipal corporation, or for furnishing stormwater services for the city, town, or other municipal corporation, and contract for the operation, maintenance, servicing, repair, and extension of any properties owned by it or for the operation and improvement or extension by the district of all or any part of the existing municipally owned public service properties of any city, incorporated town, or other municipal corporation included within the district: Provided, That no contract may extend beyond a maximum of 40 years, but provisions may be included therein for a renewal or successive renewals thereof and shall conform to and comply with the rights of the holders of any outstanding bonds issued by the municipalities for the public service properties.
The powers of each public service district shall be vested in and exercised by a public service board consisting of not less than three members who shall be persons residing within the district, who possess certain educational, business, or work experience which will be conducive to operating a public service district, with the exception, however, that in the event a public service board has had a vacancy for more than one year one member of the public service board may be a county commissioner of the county commission with authority to appoint the members of the board regardless of whether the commissioner resides within the district. In the event the public service district is providing any utility service and billing rates and charges to its customers, at least one board member shall be a rate-paying residential customer of the public service district: Provided, That if an existing public service board does not have a member who is a rate-paying residential customer of the public service district on July 1, 2013, the next following appointment to the board shall be a rate-paying residential customer of that public service district. For purposes of this section, “rate-paying residential customer” means a person who:
(1) In the case of a water or sewer public service district, is physically connected to and actively receiving residential public service district utility services; or