(a) The proceeds from the tax hereby authorized, less the actual cost of collection not to exceed five per centum, shall be paid by the State Department of Revenue to the Coffee County Commission, on a monthly basis. Five percent of the revenue shall be paid into the county general fund. The remaining funds shall be placed by the Coffee County Commission into a special account to be used exclusively for county fire protection purposes. The county commission shall be authorized to enter into a service contract with the Coffee County firefighters association which represents more than one fire department to provide fire protection to a part or all of the county. The county commission shall be authorized to develop criteria which shall be met by the association with which it enters into contract. The compensation for the contract shall be paid from funds in the special account. The association may be composed of volunteer fire departments or both volunteer fire departments and municipally supported fire departments which are located in Coffee County. Compensation paid to the association pursuant to the service contract shall be distributed by the association to the volunteer fire departments and municipally supported fire departments in the manner the association's governing body deems appropriate. The association may establish standards and criteria which shall be met by all its member fire departments. Any member fire department which fails to meet the standards and criteria shall be denied its share of the funds. The association shall give noncomplying member fire departments proper notice of all deficiencies and a reasonable time period to correct deficiencies before any funds shall be denied.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the contractual agreements shall be considered as a contract between the county and an independent contractor. It is the further intent of the Legislature that the volunteer fire departments and municipally supported fire departments shall not be considered as employees, servants, or agents of the county and the members of the county commission and the employees of the county shall not be liable in either their official capacity or in a private capacity for the actions of the fire departments.