§11-44B-25. Procedures to reduce or delete areas from police jurisdiction.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any Class 4 municipality that is organized pursuant to this article may from time to time reduce or delete various portions and areas from the territorial limits of its respective police jurisdiction or its planning jurisdiction or both as established by law, including, but not limited to, Sections 11-40-10 and 11-52-30, Act 76-594 and as amended by Act 94-539, the reduction and deletion shall be pursuant to the following procedure:

(1) INITIATION. The governing body of the municipality shall adopt a resolution calling for public hearings to consider the adoption of an ordinance or ordinances for the purpose of deleting a portion or portions of territory from its respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, as the case may be. The resolution shall state the time, date, and place of all public hearings in regard to the ordinance and a reasonably accurate description of the territory proposed to be deleted from the police jurisdiction or the planning jurisdiction, or both, of the municipality, together with a plat or map of the territory attached thereto showing its relationship to the corporate limits of the municipality.

(2) PUBLIC NOTICE. The resolution including the map or plat shall be published at least once a week for four (4) consecutive weeks in a newspaper with a minimum circulation of 20,000 in the county or counties. Provided, however, if there are no newspapers with the stated minimum circulation in the county or counties then the publication may be made in any newspaper published or circulated in the county or counties. The notice shall state that important issues will be discussed at the public hearing, including, but not limited to, fire protection and law enforcement activities within the area depicted on the map or plat proposed to be deleted.

The resolution including the map or plat shall also be posted at fifteen (15) different places in the county or counties, at least ten (10) of which shall be in the territory proposed to be deleted at least twenty (20) days prior to the first public hearing thereon.

At least twenty (20) days prior to the first public hearing a copy of the resolution together with the map or plat shall be filed in the office of the probate judge in the county or counties wherein such territory to be deleted is located and the same shall be open to public inspection.

At least twenty (20) days prior to the first public hearing, copies of the resolution together with the map or plat shall be mailed to the persons, firms, associations, or corporations last assessing property, within the territory proposed to be deleted, for state taxes. The mailing of the resolution to the address on file in the tax assessors' office with postage prepaid thereon by regular mail shall constitute notice as required herein. Provided, however, substantial compliance with the foregoing shall be sufficient and the failure of any person, firm, corporation, or association to be mailed or actually receive the notice shall not invalidate the process of deletion as provided herein.

(3) HEARINGS; ORDINANCE ADOPTION; LIMITATIONS. A minimum of two public hearings shall be conducted and more may be held in the discretion of the city council. At the public hearings, parties in interest and citizens shall have an opportunity to be heard before the city council or a committee of its designated representatives. At each public hearing, city representatives will advise those in attendance of the affect the deletion of the territory would have upon fire and police services within the area. After the public hearings, at any regular council meeting thereafter, the city council may adopt an ordinance electing to delete the territory from its respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, and stating that municipal services, excluding certain utility services, shall be terminated and no longer available within such territory. The ordinance shall not be effective for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of the adoption thereof and until approved by the county commission pursuant to this section.

No territory within the municipality's respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction may be included within the territory to be deleted therefrom, pursuant to this section, if the territory has been designated as an "urbanized area" of the municipality according to the last preceding federal decennial census.

(4) COUNTY COMMISSION APPROVAL. Subsequent to the public hearings and after the enactment by the municipality of an ordinance deleting a portion or portions of territory from the municipality's respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, as provided for in this section, a copy of the ordinance together with the map or plat depicting the territory proposed to be so deleted, shall be mailed to each member of the county commission or commissions and delivered to the clerk of the county commission or commissions in which the territory proposed to be deleted is located, together with a request from the municipality for the county commission's approval of the proposed deletion.

The county commission may by the passage of a resolution either approve or disapprove the proposed deletion of territory at a regular meeting of the commission at any time within thirty (30) days from the date of the receipt by the county clerk of the request. If the county commission subsequently enacts a resolution disapproving the request of the municipality, the municipality may not delete the territory from its respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, as the case may be. The disapproval shall not prevent the municipality from making subsequent requests to the county commission pursuant to this section.

In the event the county commission fails to act upon the request of the municipality by resolution duly adopted within thirty (30) days from the date of the receipt by the county clerk of the request, the failure to act shall have the same effect as a disapproval by the county commission.

The municipality, upon resolution duly adopted by the city council, without further notice, advertisements, or public hearings, may request the county commission to reconsider its disapproval and state its reasons therefor. The resolution shall be certified by the city clerk, filed with the clerk of the county commission, and copies thereof mailed to all members of the county commission.

The county commission shall act upon the request for reconsideration by the municipality by the passage of a resolution approving or disapproving the proposed deletion by the municipality at a regular meeting of the county commission at any time within thirty (30) days from the date of the receipt by the county clerk of the resolution of the city council. If the county commission, upon reconsideration, disapproves the proposed deletion, then it shall set forth the reasons for the disapproval in its resolution. In the event the county commission fails to act, in regard to the request to reconsider either by approval or disapproval in regard to the proposed deletion within thirty (30) days from the date of receipt by the county clerk of the city's resolution, the failure to act shall have the same effect as an approval by the county commission of the deletion of territory as set forth in the ordinance adopted by the city council.

Provided, however, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, at any time subsequent to the submission of the request from the municipality for the county commission's approval of the proposed deletion, but prior to the time the county commission enacts a resolution, either approving or disapproving the proposed deletion of territory, the municipality may modify and/or alter the request by reducing the area proposed to be deleted from its respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction or both, as the case may be, by ordinance duly adopted amending the original ordinance pertaining thereto. Under such circumstances, there shall be no requirement that such amendment be accompanied or preceded by any of the public notices, advertisements, and/or public hearings otherwise associated with the original ordinance.

(5) POLICE JURISDICTION; TERMINATION OF CERTAIN TAXES; TERMINATION OF SERVICES, ETC.

a. Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event the ordinance relates to the elimination or reduction of territory from the police jurisdiction of the municipality, the final adoption and approval of such ordinance shall also terminate the levy and collection by the municipality of license taxes, sales taxes, and use taxes levied and collected by the municipality pursuant to Section 11-51-91 and Section 11-51-206 within the territory. Simultaneously with the effective date and approval of the ordinance and notwithstanding any law to the contrary, municipal services, except as otherwise provided herein, and any duty or obligation to provide municipal services shall be terminated in the territory. The municipal services that are terminated shall include, but not be limited to, police, fire, building inspection and related code services, and any other services financed in whole or in part by such license taxes, sales taxes, or use taxes, imposed and collected by the municipality in the territory, or other services provided by the municipality, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, including, but not limited to, Act 76-594 and as amended by Act 94-539. Provided, however, the adoption and approval of any ordinance pursuant to this section shall not operate to terminate or otherwise limit the municipality's ability or authority to provide water, sewer, or solid waste services within the territory as authorized by law, nor limit in any way the municipality's participation in countywide or intergovernmental joint agencies or organizations as otherwise authorized by law.

b. All license taxes, sales taxes, and use taxes levied and collected by the municipality pursuant to Section 11-51-91 and Section 11-51-206 from within territory eliminated from the municipality's respective police jurisdiction shall be prorated, if necessary, to coincide with the effective date of the ordinance. If excess taxes have been paid, the excess amount shall be refunded no later than sixty (60) days following the effective date of the ordinance deleting the territory.

c. Any municipality that, pursuant to this section, deletes a portion of territory from its police jurisdiction and thereby terminates the levy and collection of the license taxes, sales taxes, and use taxes within the territory and, at the same time, terminates services within the territory, shall be immune from any liability or damages whatsoever arising out of or in any way associated with such deletion or reduction of territory and termination of services. No municipality shall be required or compelled through injunctive, declaratory, or any other form of equitable or mandatory relief by any court of competent jurisdiction of this state to continue to provide services within territory deleted from the municipalities' police or planning jurisdiction, or both, pursuant to this section.

Nothing contained in Act 76-594, Act 94-539 of the Legislature of Alabama, nor Sections 11-51-91 or 11-51-206, or any other law shall be construed to obligate or compel any municipality which has elected to reduce its police jurisdiction pursuant to the provisions hereof through the deletion of certain territory therefrom, to continue to provide any such services within the territory deleted from its respective police jurisdiction, regardless of the period of time that any or all of the services may have been provided or made available.

d. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or limit in any manner any municipality that has terminated taxation and services in the territory in accordance with this section from participating in countywide or intergovernmental joint agencies or organizations as otherwise authorized by law nor from entering into or continuing to honor agreements, for a fee or other consideration, with the applicable public entity or authority for the following activities or services within the territory:

1. Emergency Medical Assistance and/or Rescue.

2. Fire Response Mutual Aid Agreements.

3. Participation in Joint Law Enforcement Activities.

4. Law Enforcement Mutual Aide Agreements.

5. Emergency Management.

(6) POLICE JURISDICTION; PRESERVATION OF OTHER REVENUE SOURCES. The termination by the municipality of the levy and collection of license taxes and sales taxes and use taxes pursuant to Section 11-51-91 and Section 11-51-206, in the territory deleted from its police jurisdiction pursuant to this section shall not alter or affect the right and privilege of the municipality to continue to receive any countywide or statewide tax revenue such as sales taxes and use taxes, gas taxes, or other tax revenues and to fully participate in the receipt of all or any portion of the same from the territory derived by virtue of other legislative enactments or amendments thereto, imposing, levying, and collecting various taxes, assessments, or fees, countywide or statewide, nor shall the same in any manner affect or alter the validity of such legislative enactments or amendments thereto.

(7) PLANNING JURISDICTION. Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event the ordinance relates to deletion of territory from the planning jurisdiction of the municipality, then after the effective date and approval of the ordinance, the territorial jurisdiction of the planning commission of the municipality shall not include any property located in the territory.

(8) RESERVATION OF RIGHTS TO PROVIDE SERVICES. Nothing herein contained shall in any manner limit or restrict a municipality which has terminated services within territory deleted from its police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, as provided for in this section or an instrumentality of the municipality from providing or continuing to provide solid waste, water, and/or sewer services, nor limit in any way the municipality's participation in countywide or intergovernmental joint agencies or organizations as otherwise authorized by law.

(9) SUBSEQUENT ANNEXATIONS, RE-EXTENSIONS OF JURISDICTIONS. Nothing in this section shall prohibit a municipality which has reduced its police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, through the deletion of certain territory pursuant to this section from subsequently annexing all or any portion of said territory in accordance with law.

In the event a municipality, pursuant to the provisions hereof adopts an ordinance(s) relating to the deletion of territory from its respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, any subsequent annexations by the municipality shall not re-extend the respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both of the municipality so as to include any such territory so deleted, nor extend the police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both of the municipality into or over any area adjacent to or beyond any such territory so deleted.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the respective police or planning jurisdiction, or both, of any other municipality in this state shall not at any time subsequently extend into or over any territory or area deleted from the respective police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, of a municipality pursuant to the provisions of this section.

Provided, however, in the event a municipality desires to extend its police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, into or over such an area or territory previously deleted, it shall follow all the procedural requirements as set forth herein for deletion of territory, except that the purpose thereof shall be for the extension of the police jurisdiction or planning jurisdiction, or both, of the municipality into or over all or a portion of the territory or area previously deleted. As provided for herein, the county commission shall have the right and authority to approve and/or disapprove the municipal request for extension of the respective jurisdictions.

(10) CODE ENFORCEMENT SERVICES. The municipality shall terminate the providing of building and related technical code enforcement services in any territory deleted from its police jurisdiction pursuant to this section.

(Acts 1997, No. 97-647, p. 1194, §1.)