(a)

(1) After consideration of the needs assessment is completed, municipal solid waste regions shall be established by resolutions of the respective county legislative bodies by December 12, 1992. A municipal solid waste region shall consist of one (1) county or two (2) or more contiguous counties. If the region consists of more than one (1) county, an agreement establishing the region shall be approved by the legislative body of each county that is a party to the agreement.

(2) Once established, municipal solid waste regions shall continue to exist until dissolved, a successor region or regions established and the requirements of this section are met. A municipal solid waste region may be dissolved and a new region or reconfigured region established upon completion of the following procedure:

(A) The approval of the dissolution of the existing region by resolution of the county legislative body of each county in the existing region;

(B) The approval of the proposed new or reconfigured region by resolution of the county legislative body of each county that is to be a part of the new or reconfigured region;

(C) The submittal to the department of environment and conservation of a list of the new board members, their addresses, phone numbers, terms of office and a new or revised plan for any new or reconfigured region that complies with the requirements of this part; and

(D) The approval of the department of environment and conservation of all of the new or revised plans for all of the new or reconfigured regions.

(3) Each county and region shall continue to follow the existing approved plan until new or revised plans are approved by the department of environment and conservation for each new or reconfigured region.

(4) The preferred organization of the regions shall be multi-county. Any county adopting a resolution establishing a single-county region shall state the reasons for acting alone in the resolution.

(b)

(1)

(A) The resolution establishing a region for a county or approving an agreement to establish a region with other counties shall provide for the establishment of a board to administer the activities of the region. This board shall consist of an odd number, not less than five (5) nor more than fifteen (15). Each county that is a member of a region shall be represented by at least one (1) member on the board. Municipalities that provide solid waste collection services or provide solid waste disposal services, directly or by contract, shall be represented on the board. The members of the board shall be appointed by the county mayors and municipal mayors, respectively, of the counties and eligible municipalities within the region. Municipalities entitled to representation on the board may agree to joint or multiple representation by a board member or for a county member to represent one (1) or more municipalities upon agreement of all local governments who share representation by a board member. Any such agreement shall specify the method of making the appointment for a member representing more than one (1) local governmental entity. Members of county and municipal governing bodies, county mayors, municipal mayors, county and municipal officers and department heads may be appointed to the board. Appointments must be approved by the legislative or governing bodies of the respective counties and eligible municipalities within the region. The members of the board shall serve for terms of six (6) years or until their successors are elected and are qualified by taking an oath of office, except that the initial board shall have approximately one third (⅓) of the members with terms of two (2) years, and approximately one third (⅓) of the members with terms of four (4) years, so as to stagger the terms of office.

(B) The county and municipal mayors, and any other authorities, who appoint members to regional boards created under subdivision (b)(1)(A) must strive to ensure that at least two (2) elected officials serve on each regional board.

(2) Any county that has a solid waste authority, not organized pursuant to part 9 of this chapter and in existence on July 1, 1991, may designate such authority as the board to administer the activities of the region, if such county chooses to be a region unto itself. The legislative body of the county and of each municipality that provides solid waste collection services or solid waste disposal services in the region shall approve such designation by the passage of an appropriate resolution.

(3) Appointments made after July 1, 1994, to the board for a municipal solid waste region consisting of counties having a population less than two hundred thousand (200,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census, shall be made so that rural landowners shall have representation on the board, and by December 31, 1998, at least thirty percent (30%) of the membership shall consist of members who own at least a fifty percent (50%) equitable or fee simple interest in land that is eligible for classification as agricultural, forest or open space land under the terms of the Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976, compiled in title 67, chapter 5, part 10.

(c) Each region shall develop a plan for a ten-year disposal capacity, and for achieving compliance with the waste reduction and recycling goal required by § 68-211-861.

(d) The legislative body of any municipality which lies within the boundaries of two (2) or more regions shall select by resolution in which region it shall participate.

(e) Within each municipal solid waste region, the board of the region shall establish a regional municipal solid waste advisory committee whose composition shall be determined by the board.

(f) The department shall maintain materials designed to assist municipal solid waste region board members with administering their regions. The department shall publish the materials on its website and send an electronic copy of the materials to the appropriate appointing authorities by July 1, 2018.