Title 29, Public Lands, Buildings and Property

Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 29-1-63, it shall be the duty of the county board of education in any county within the Chickasaw cession to ascertain whether or not such county has title to any Chickasaw lands to which it may, by law, be entitled by virtue of long-term…

Land granted in lieu of sixteenth section lands in this state and situated outside of the county holding or owning the same may be sold. Such lands shall be sold in accordance with the provisions of Sections 29-3-15 through 29-3-25, and the proceeds from such sales may be investe…

The purpose of Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 is to authorize the improvement, development, management and maintenance of sixteenth section lands, or lands granted in lieu thereof, within any county in Mississippi with a population in excess of two hundred thousand (200,000) …

(a) Whenever used in Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183, unless a different meaning clearly appears in the context, the following terms, whether used in the singular or plural, shall be given the following respective definitions:(a) “Trustees” shall refer to the board of trustees…

The board of supervisors of any county with a population of two hundred thousand (200,000) or more shall have the authority to create, by appropriate order spread on its minutes and approved by vote of at least three-fifths (⅗) of its members, a sixteenth section development auth…

(a) All powers of the authority shall be exercised by a board of trustees to be selected and composed as follows:(a) There shall be five (5) members of the board of trustees. One (1) member shall be appointed by the board of supervisors to serve one (1) year and four (4) members …

(a) The authority, through its trustees, is hereby empowered:(a) To develop land or any interest in land or property under its jurisdiction.(b) To acquire, construct, improve, reconstruct, cause to be constructed, extend, expand, maintain, use and operate all facilities of any ki…

The board of trustees of the authority is hereby authorized and empowered to issue bonds of the authority for the purpose of paying the costs of acquiring, owning, constructing, operating, repairing and maintaining the projects and works specified herein, including related facili…

In the event net revenues of the project are insufficient to pay fully the principal and interest on bonds when due, the authority is hereby specifically authorized to pay, and shall pay, all or the remainder of said principal and interest from rental income. The county school bo…

On all revenue bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 and hereafter sold, the trustees shall advertise them for sale on sealed bids for at least two (2) times in a newspaper within the county in which the bonds are to be sold, the first publ…

The board of trustees, subject to the call for an election as outlined in Section 29-3-161, is authorized and empowered, in its discretion, for the purpose of providing funds to assist in defraying expenses of the authority created under Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183, to iss…

All such bonds provided for by Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 shall be securities within the meaning of Article 8 of the Mississippi Uniform Commercial Code, being Sections 75-8-101 et seq. They shall be lithographed or engraved and printed in two (2) or more colors to preven…

A commission is hereby established to be known as the lieu land commission, hereinafter referred to as the commission, and such commission shall consist of the attorney general, who shall be ex officio chairman, the secretary of state and the state land commissioner, who shall be…

All bonds issued pursuant to Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 shall be validated as now provided in Sections 31-13-1 through 31-13-11, inclusive, Mississippi Code of 1972.

The authority shall have authority to act jointly with political subdivisions of the state and agencies, commissions and instrumentalities thereof, with municipalities, and with the federal government and other agencies thereof, in the performance of the purposes and services aut…

Except for willful or gross negligence, no action or suit sounding in tort arising out of the lease or use of the land for recreational purposes shall be brought or maintained against the authority or the trustees on account of any act or omission done in performance of the purpo…

The accomplishment of the purposes stated in Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 being for the benefit of the people of the county and for the improvement of their properties, the authority, in carrying out the purposes of Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183, will be performing an …

All bonds of the authority shall be and are hereby declared to be legal and authorized investments for public funds of counties, cities, towns, school districts, banks, savings banks, trust companies, building and loan associations, savings and loan associations, and insurance co…

All construction contracts by the authority where the amount of the contract shall exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) shall be made upon at least three (3) weeks’ public notice by advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation in the area, which notice shall state the t…

All funds of the authority shall be deposited in the bank or banks utilized as depositories for other sixteenth section funds.

The authority is hereby authorized to pay from the proceeds of any bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 29-3-151 through 29-3-183 the preliminary expenses, including engineers’ reports, attorneys’ fees, and organization or administration expenses and any expenses incurre…

Any person desiring to purchase such lands shall file his application for the purchase of same with said lieu land commission upon application blanks to be supplied by said commission for said purpose, and said commission shall fix the price to be charged for said land; provided,…

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to assist the local school districts, when so requested, in establishing and maintaining local school trust land management systems. The Secretary of State shall also identify and coordinate consultative services which might be avail…

All oil and mineral rights in and to the lieu lands disposed of under the provisions of Sections 29-3-15 through 29-3-25 shall be retained by said lieu land commission and shall remain the property of the township owning said lieu land.

(1) The proceeds derived from such sales shall be used for the benefit of the schools situated in the township owning the lands. The principal derived from the sale of such land shall not be spent, but only the interest and income derived from such funds may be spent. (2) [Repeal…

Said lieu land commission shall make a report to the Legislature every year, setting forth a statement of all such lands sold during that year, and shall file a copy of said report with the Secretary of State.

No sixteenth section lands or lands granted in lieu thereof, in whole or in part, situated within the school district holding or owning the same shall ever be sold, except that the board of education may, under the procedures hereinafter provided, sell such lands for industrial d…

Before any sixteenth section school land or land granted in lieu thereof may be sold or leased for industrial development thereon, therein or thereunder under the provisions of this chapter, the board of education controlling such land shall first determine that such sale or leas…

The board of education may employ one (1) or more competent persons to ascertain the true condition of the title and to institute and prosecute, in the chancery court of the county where the land lies, all necessary suits to establish and confirm the title to each parcel of such …

It is hereby made the duty of the board of education, using the services of all appropriate public agencies, to survey and classify all sixteenth section lands in the Choctaw purchase and lands granted in lieu thereof reserved for the support of township schools. Said lands shall…

(a) For the purpose of determining the proper category for such lands and the oil, gas and other minerals in, on and under such lands, the following definitions shall be controlling unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Forest land” shall mean all land at least nine…

The board of education is authorized and empowered to supervise and direct the classification of all sixteenth section lands or lieu lands, according to the definition hereinabove set out. In making the classifications provided by Sections 29-3-31 through 29-3-39, the board of ed…

At any time when any or all portions of such land lying in a county shall have been classified as hereinabove required, a classification report shall be compiled by the board of education and filed with the public lands division of the secretary of state who shall provide forms f…

It shall be the duty of the board of education to survey periodically the classification of all sixteenth section land under its jurisdiction and to reclassify that land as it may deem advisable because of changes of conditions, and when any land is so reclassified, the board of …

The land commissioner is authorized, in his discretion, to make a feasibility study to determine if sixteenth section lands and lieu lands classified as farm residential or residential lands could be exchanged for other lands of equal value located within the same county, without…

After any parcels of sixteenth section lands have been classified as hereinabove provided, all land which has been classified as forest land and which is not now under lease shall hereafter not be leased. The lands classified as forest lands which may be under a lease that has a …

If any sixteenth section land is declared forest land at the end of a lease, the board of education shall make an appraisal and either pay a suitable amount to the lessee for the improvements or allow lessee to remove the same from the section land.

(1) (a) The board of education shall, by order placed upon its minutes, enter into an agreement with the State Forestry Commission for the general supervision and management of all lands classified as forest lands and of all timber or other forest products under the control of th…

For its services the State Forestry Commission shall be entitled to receive its actual expenses incurred in the discharge of the duties herein imposed. In order to provide funds with which to pay for the general supervision and sale of forest products, fifteen percent (15%) of al…

It shall be the duty of the State Forestry Commission, in the manner provided in Section 29-3-45, to enter into agreements for timber improvement purposes with the board of education upon the request of the board. The contract shall provide for the carrying out of a long-term pro…

(1) A complete abstract of title may be made of each parcel of said land, and such abstract shall contain references, by book and page, to the acts of congress, the acts of the legislature, and to all records relating thereto. Every such abstract shall be duly certified and recor…

The chancery courts have jurisdiction to determine, on bill or petition, what lands are or may be subject to lease under provisions of this chapter; but all sixteenth sections, or lands taken in lieu thereof, are presumed to be so subject unless the contrary be shown clearly.

Any lease of sixteenth section lands, or lands granted in lieu thereof, including leases and any renewal, replacement or extension of such leases granted pursuant to Section 29-3-99, executed and recorded in substantial conformity with the applicable provisions of this chapter sh…

Any lease executed pursuant to this chapter shall inure to the benefit of the lessee therein named, his heirs and assigns, and in case the lessee be a corporation, to such lessee and its assigns.

Any leaseholder of sixteenth section land, or land granted in lieu thereof, shall be authorized to post such land against trespassers; provided that such posting shall not prohibit the inspection of said lands by individuals responsible for the management or supervision thereof a…

The superintendent of education shall keep a current docket as to the expiration date of all leases on sixteenth section lands; likewise, he shall keep a correct current docket upon the existing leases or any extensions thereof as to the amounts and time of payment of rentals pro…