(a) The governing board of the Alabama Opportunities Industrialization Center may, by resolution legally adopted to conform to the rules prescribed by the Board of Control of the Teachers' Retirement System, elect to have its executive officers and employees, from whatever source and in whatever manner paid, become eligible to participate in the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama, subject to all rules, regulations and conditions thereof.

(b) The governing body of the Alabama Opportunities Industrialization Center, having made an election through a resolution as provided in subsection (a), its employees and executive officers may participate in and be entitled to all benefits of the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama, provided that where contributions are made from salaries paid by the Alabama Opportunities Industrialization Center, the center shall pay the employer costs calculated as a percentage of the salaries of those employees, to be contributed as employer costs in accordance with subdivisions (3) and (5) of Section 16-25-21. Such amounts shall be paid monthly and at the same time as the members' contributions are made to the Teachers' Retirement System.

(c) The governing body of the Alabama Opportunities Industrialization Center may provide in its resolution to the Teachers' Retirement System's Board of Control that all service rendered, by an eligible employee or executive officer, to said center, previous to the effective date of said center's election to come under the Teachers' Retirement System, shall be creditable service to such employee or executive officer; provided that any such provision shall apply only to those employees and officers who were in the active service of the center on the effective date of said association's election to be covered under the Teachers' Retirement System; and provided further that the said resolution also states that the Alabama Opportunities Industrialization Center, shall assume and pay, as required, all costs necessary to fund the crediting of such previous service, such costs to be determined by the actuary employed by the Teachers' Retirement System's Board of Control.