House Bill 284

(COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 19-5-307, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE COMPOSITION OF BOARDS OF COMMISSIONERS OF EMERGENCY 911 DISTRICTS THAT MAY BE APPOINTED; TO ADD A REPEALER ON SUCH SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 19-5-307, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

19-5-307. (1) When any district is created, the board of supervisors of the county creating the district may appoint a board of commissioners composed of at least seven (7) members to govern its affairs, and shall fix the domicile of the board at any point within the district. The members of the board shall be qualified electors of the district, two (2) of whom shall be appointed for terms of two (2) years, three (3) for terms of three (3) years, and two (2) for terms of four (4) years, dating from the date of the adoption of the ordinance creating the district. Thereafter, all appointments of the members shall be for terms of four (4) years.

Any county that intersects Interstate Highway 20 and Interstate Highway 55 shall have one (1) appointment to the 911 Emergency Commission for each municipality located within such county. However, any such county that intersects Interstate Highway 20 and Interstate Highway 55 and has a municipality with a population of more than twenty thousand (20,000) shall have two (2) appointments to the 911 Emergency Commission. Also, any such county that intersects Interstate Highway 20 and Interstate Highway 55 and has a municipality that has a population of more than one hundred twenty-five thousand (125,000) shall have five (5) appointments to the 911 Emergency Commission. All appointments for any county that intersects Interstate Highway 20 and Interstate Highway 55 shall be residents of the municipality and must be appointed by the mayor of that municipality within such county.

(2) The board of commissioners shall have complete and sole authority to appoint a chairman and any other officers it may deem necessary from among the membership of the board of commissioners.

(3) A majority of the board of commissioners membership shall constitute a quorum and all official action of the board of commissioners shall require a quorum.

(4) The board of commissioners shall have authority to employ such employees, experts and consultants as it may deem necessary to assist the board of commissioners in the discharge of its responsibilities to the extent that funds are made available.

(5) In lieu of appointing a board of commissioners, the board of supervisors of the county may serve as the board of commissioners of the district, in which case it shall assume all the powers and duties of the board of commissioners as provided in Section 19-5-301 et seq.

(6) All emergency communications districts shall purchase, lease or lease-purchase equipment used to comply with the FCC Order, as defined in Section 19-5-333, from a products and equipment list maintained by the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services; however, items not available from the list, or items which may be purchased at a lower price, shall be purchased in accordance with the Public Purchasing Law (Section 31-7-13).

(7) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2009.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after October 1, 2007.