Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 19 - COUNTIES AND COUNTY OFFICERS (§§ 19-1-1 — 19-31-51) › Chapter 5 - HEALTH, SAFETY AND PUBLIC WELFARE (§§ 19-5-1 — 19-5-371) › WATER, SEWER, GARBAGE DISPOSAL, AND FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICTS (§§ 19-5-151 — 19-5-207) › Section 19-5-167 - Board of commissioners; appointment; terms; general powers and duties

(1)
Except as otherwise provided in this section, the powers of each district shall be vested in and exercised by a board of commissioners consisting of five (5) members to be appointed by the board of supervisors. Upon their initial appointment, one (1) of the commissioners shall be appointed for a term of one (1) year; one (1) for a term of two (2) years; one (1) for a term of three (3) years; one (1) for a term of four (4) years; and one (1) for a term of five (5) years; thereafter, each commissioner shall be appointed and shall hold office for a term of five (5) years. Any vacancy occurring on a board of commissioners shall be filled by the board of supervisors at any regular meeting of the board of supervisors, and the board of supervisors shall have the authority to fill all unexpired terms of any commissioner or commissioners. Notwithstanding the appointive authority herein granted to the board of supervisors, its legal and actual responsibilities, authority and function, subsequent to the creation of any district, shall be specifically limited to the appointive function and responsibilities outlined in Sections
19-5-179
,
19-5-189
and
19-5-191
, except that with fire protection districts, the board of supervisors shall have authority for dissolving, redefining and reconfiguring of such districts as may be appropriate to ensure the most appropriate and efficient fire protection coverage for the county's citizens. The operation, management, abolition or dissolution of such district, and all other matters in connection therewith, shall be vested solely and only in the board of commissioners to the specific exclusion of the board of supervisors, and the abolition, dissolution or termination of any district shall be accomplished only by unanimous resolution of the board of commissioners, except that with fire protection districts, the board of supervisors shall have authority for the dissolving, redefining and reconfiguring of such districts when determined appropriate. However, if any area within the boundaries of a fire protection district created under Section
19-5-151
et seq., is annexed by a municipality, a reduction of the boundaries of the district to exclude such annexed area may be accomplished by the adoption of a resolution by a majority vote of the board of commissioners of that fire protection district. The county board of supervisors which has a fire protection district created under Section
19-5-151
et seq., may dissolve, redefine and reconfigure such district and, under Section
19-5-215
et seq., may create a fire protection grading district consisting of the same boundaries as the previously existing fire protection district or having amended boundaries as determined appropriate by the board of supervisors. Petition and election requirements of Sections
19-5-217
through
19-5-227
shall not apply where the board of supervisors dissolves a fire protection district and creates a fire protection grading district under this section. Except as otherwise provided herein, such board of supervisors or commissioners shall have no power, jurisdiction or authority to abolish, dissolve or terminate any district while the district has any outstanding indebtedness of any kind or character, unless arrangements are made for the assumption of any outstanding indebtedness by the subsequent district or by the county. If a fire protection district is dissolved in accordance with this subsection, the board of supervisors may continue to levy the same millage as was being levied within the boundaries of the previous fire protection district before its dissolution provided that a fire protection grading district is created, in accordance with Section
19-5-215
et seq.
(2)
The board of supervisors of the incorporating county may consolidate such fire protection districts for administrative purposes. The board of supervisors shall conduct a public hearing to determine the public's interest. Following such a hearing, the board may create a consolidated commission consisting of the participating districts for administrative purposes. Such districts then shall dissolve their respective boards of commissioners, transferring all records to the consolidated board of commissioners. A consolidated board of commissioners consisting of not less than five (5) members shall be appointed with equal representation from each participating district. Any commissioners appointed to a consolidated fire protection district commission must comply with eligibility requirements as authorized in Section
19-5-171
. In the event that a consolidated fire protection district commission consists of an even number of members, the chairman elected as authorized by Section
19-5-169
shall vote only in the event of a tie. General powers and duties of commissioners and commissions and other related matters as defined in Sections
19-5-151
through
19-5-207
shall apply to the entire area contained in the consolidating fire protection districts as described in the resolutions incorporating the fire protection districts as well as to subsequent annexations.
(3)
If the creation of the district is initiated in accordance with Section
19-5-153(3)
, the powers of the district shall be vested in and exercised by a board of commissioners selected in the following manner:
(a)
Upon creation of the district, the board of directors of the former nonprofit, nonshare corporation shall serve as the board of commissioners of the newly created water district for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days. The initial commissioners shall be subject to the requirements of Section
19-5-171
, except the requirement for executing a bond. If an initial commissioner fails to meet a requirement of Section
19-5-171
as provided in this section, the board of supervisors shall appoint a member to fill that vacancy on the board of commissioners.
(b)
In the resolution creating a district initiated in accordance with Section
19-5-153(3)
, the board of supervisors shall direct the existing board of directors of the rural water association to create within the district five (5) posts from which commissioners shall be elected. The board of supervisors shall designate the positions to be elected from each post as Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4 and Post 5. Post 5 shall be an at-large post composed of the entire district. Within sixty (60) days following creation of the district, the board of supervisors shall call an election. Such election shall be held and conducted by the election commissioners in accordance with the general laws governing elections. The election commissioners shall determine which of the qualified electors of the county reside within the district and only those electors shall be entitled to vote in the election. Notice of the election setting forth the time, place or places and the purpose of the election shall be published by the clerk of the board of supervisors in the manner provided in Section
19-5-155
.
The initial elected commissioners shall be elected to a term of office expiring on December 31 of the year in which the next succeeding general election for statewide officials is held. After the initial term of office, commissioners shall be elected to four-year terms. Vacancies shall be filled by the procedure set forth in Section
23-15-839
.
(4)
For any water and sewer district located within the corporate limits of a municipality that was incorporated on or after January 2012, the powers of the district shall be vested in and exercised by a board of commissioners consisting of five (5) members, each to be appointed by the governing authority of such municipality, one (1) member to be appointed from each municipal ward in the city. Each commissioner shall be appointed and shall hold office for a term of five (5) years. Any vacancy occurring on the board of commissioners shall be filled by the governing authority of the municipality at any regular meeting. Appointments to fill vacancies in unexpired terms of office shall be for the remaining unexpired term of office for such position.
Codes, 1942, § 2998.7-22; Laws, 1972, ch. 536, § 2; Laws, 1992, ch. 387, § 15; Laws, 1999, ch. 304, § 4; Laws, 2010, ch. 452, § 2, eff. 7/1/2010.
Amended by Laws, 2017, ch. 342, HB 469, 1, eff. 7/1/2017.
Amended by Laws, 2015, ch. 303, HB 896, 1, eff. 7/1/2015.