13-318. Public safety services; joint financing and operation; public safety commission; members; powers and duties.

(1) Any county and any municipalities and fire protection districts within the county may provide for the joint financing and operation of public safety services pursuant to an agreement under the Interlocal Cooperation Act or Joint Public Agency Act.

(2) Joint public safety services shall be operated by a public safety commission consisting of at least three members who represent the county and the participating municipalities and fire protection districts as provided in the agreement. Only elected officials are eligible to serve on the commission. In counties with more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, the county and participating municipalities and fire protection districts may appoint a separate fire protection and emergency services commission of at least three members to operate or coordinate fire protection or emergency services in the county and participating municipalities and fire protection districts. If the public safety services to be provided include fire protection, at least one representative of each fire protection district shall be a member of the commission. The commission may employ officers and other employees necessary to carry out its duties and responsibilities for public safety services or fire protection or emergency services and may enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of property, and receive funds appropriated to it by the county and any participating municipality or fire protection district, granted or appropriated to it by the state or federal government or an agency thereof, given to it by any individual, or collected from the sales and use tax authorized by section 13-319. If fire protection services or emergency services are to be provided, the commission shall appoint an individual trained in fire protection or emergency services with at least five years of experience in providing such services who shall coordinate fire protection and financing of the services in the county. The individual shall serve at the pleasure of the commission. The commission shall have other powers as are granted to the county and any of the participating municipalities or fire protection districts acting independently except as limited by the agreement.

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