Title 21, Municipalities

(a) For the purposes of this section and Section 21-27-253, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed by this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Governing body” means the Mayor and Board of Aldermen or Council, as applicable, of a town.(b) “Sho…

(1) A town, acting through its governing body, is authorized to:(a) Undertake a short-line railroad project, and, in conjunction therewith to acquire a short-line railroad, whether such short-line railroad relates to real property within or without the corporate limits of the tow…

No free service shall be furnished by any such system, or combined system, to any private person, firm, corporation, or association. The municipality may, however, furnish such service, free of charge, to the municipality or any agency or department thereof, to any public school,…

Rates charged for services furnished by any system or combined system purchased, constructed, improved, enlarged, extended or repaired under the provisions of Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69 shall not be subject to supervision or regulation by any state bureau, board, commissi…

The governing authorities of municipalities shall have the power to grant the right for the erection of telegraph, electric light, or telephone poles, posts and wires along and upon any of the streets, alleys, or ways of the municipality, and change, modify, and regulate the same…

Any municipality issuing revenue bonds pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23 shall install and maintain proper books of record and account (separate entirely from other records and accounts of such municipality), in which correct entries shall be made of all deali…

All municipalities of the state are hereby empowered and authorized, if they so desire, to sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of any or all electric, water, gas or other municipally-owned public utility systems or properties on such terms and conditions, and with such safeguards a…

The governing authorities of any municipality which have sold or which may hereafter sell any utility system owned by such municipality, may use the proceeds of the sale of such system, or any part thereof, for the purpose of retiring and paying off any of the public debt of the …

The governing authorities of every municipality shall have power to inspect or cause to be inspected the machinery, appliances and premises of all persons, copartnerships or corporations owning or operating any system within their corporate limits, in order to ascertain whether o…

All municipalities owning or operating any system or systems may supply consumers residing outside of and within five (5) miles of the corporate limits of the municipality. In any county traversed by two (2) or more natural gas transmission lines and having therein two (2) or mor…

(1) Any municipality having its own natural gas transmission system in any county bordering the State of Alabama in which U. S. Highway 78 and State Highway 25 intersect and in which there is a publicly supported junior college and which is authorized by Section 21-27-39, Mississ…

Whenever the governing authorities of any municipality shall determine to issue bonds pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23 to acquire or improve a system, it shall cause an estimate to be made of the cost of such system or improvement, and the fact that such esti…

Except as hereinafter provided, no bonds shall be issued pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23 until and unless a majority of those qualified electors of the municipality, voting on a proposition stating in general terms the maximum amount and purposes of the bond…

Such bonds as may be issued pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23 may be serial or term; redeemable, with or without premium, or nonredeemable; registered or coupon bonds with registration privileges as to either principal and interest, principal only or both. The…

Any municipality having outstanding bonds issued pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23 shall maintain rates for all the services and facilities afforded by any system, the revenues of which are pledged to the payment of such bonds, which rates shall be sufficient …

Whenever any municipality shall issue any bonds or other evidence of indebtedness which are payable solely from revenues to be derived from any system, the governing authorities of such municipality may, by appropriate provision in the ordinance or resolution authorizing the issu…

The governing authorities of municipalities shall have the power to grant to any person, corporation, or association, on such terms and conditions as the governing authorities may prescribe, the use of the streets, alleys and other public grounds for the purpose of laying, constr…

Any municipality which shall have issued bonds pursuant to the authority granted in Section 21-27-23, all or any portion of which shall at any time hereafter remain outstanding and unpaid, is hereby authorized, in connection with the issuance of additional bonds hereunder, to iss…

The holder of any bond or any interest coupon issued pursuant to the authority granted in Sections 21-27-23 and 21-27-51 may, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceedings at law or in equity, enforce and compel performance by the appropriate official or officials of the municip…

The governing authorities of any municipality authorizing revenue bonds pursuant to the authority granted in Sections 21-27-23 and 21-27-51, may make provisions for any of such revenue bonds to be called for payment at any interest payment date before maturity, provided the munic…

In the authorizing order or ordinance, the governing authorities of the municipality shall set aside monthly and shall pledge the revenues of the system or combined system, in separate and special funds as follows: (a) operation and maintenance fund; (b) depreciation fund; (c) bo…

Nothing in Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69 shall be construed to prohibit the municipality from appropriating and using any part of its available income or revenues derived from any source other than from the operation of such system or combined system in paying any immediate …

The governing authorities of any municipality shall devote all monies of the system derived from any source other than the issuance of bonds for purposes authorized by the laws of the State of Mississippi, to or for the payment of all operating expenses, including such items as a…

Nothing in Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69 shall be construed as authorizing any municipality to impair or commit a breach of the obligation of any valid lien or contract created or entered into by it, the intention hereof being to authorize the pledging, setting aside and seg…

If, after the governing authorities of any municipality have issued revenue bonds pursuant to the authority granted in Sections 21-27-23 and 21-27-51, said governing authorities fail or refuse to carry out their duties with reference to setting aside the trust funds, said officer…

Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69, being necessary for and to secure the public health, safety, convenience and welfare of the municipalities of the State of Mississippi, shall be liberally construed to effect the purposes hereof. The powers conferred by Sections 21-27-11 throug…

The repeal heretofore of any law authorizing a municipality to borrow money and issue bonds to acquire or improve any system shall not affect the validity of any bonds issued or contracts entered into under the provisions of any such repealed laws.

(1) (a) The governing authorities of municipalities shall have the power to erect, purchase, maintain and operate waterworks, and to regulate the same, and to prescribe the rates at which water shall be supplied to the users. The rates at which water, wastewater, and sewer servic…

Whenever the governing authorities of any municipality of more than One Hundred Thousand (100,000) population shall determine to issue bonds under the provisions of Sections 21-27-11 through 21-27-69, to acquire or improve a system, it shall cause an estimate to be made of the co…

The governing authority of any municipality that owns and operates a gas distribution system, as defined in Section 21-27-11(b), and the governing authority of any public natural gas district are authorized to contract for the purchase of the supply of natural gas for a term of u…

(1) The governing authorities of a municipality are authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to enter into an interlocal agreement with a rural water association operating within the corporate limits of the municipality that requires the association to terminate the water s…

If, upon complaint of any citizen or citizens interested, the governing authorities of any municipality find that there is reasonable ground for believing that any meter or meters intended to measure or register the quantity of water, electric light or power, or gas supplied or f…

(a) Whenever used in Sections 21-27-91 through 21-27-103:(a) The term “municipality” shall be defined as it is in subdivision (a) of Section 21-27-11;(b) The term “system” shall be defined as including any waterworks system, water supply system, sewage system, sewage disposal sys…

The governing authorities of any municipality which now owns and operates any system or systems, but which has not adopted and set up a public utility commission as provided in Section 21-27-13, and the public utility commission of such municipalities that have adopted and set up…

Any municipality or public utility commission desiring to reproduce by microfilm, photograph, photostat or other process, the records of municipal system or systems under the authority granted in Section 21-27-93 are authorized and vested with the authority to purchase or acquire…

Any reproduction or copy of any original record shall be deemed to be the original record for all purposes and shall be admissible as evidence in all courts or administrative agencies. A facsimile, exemplification or certified copy thereof shall, for all purposes set forth herein…

When any of the records of which reproductions are made are declared by law, or are by their nature confidential and privileged records, then the reproduction thereof shall likewise be deemed to be confidential and privileged to the same extent as the original records.

This article may be cited as the “General Municipal Employees’ Retirement Law.”

The general administration and responsibility for the proper operation of the retirement system and for making effective the provisions of this article are hereby vested in the board, the members of which shall serve without compensation except as otherwise provided by law. The b…

The clerk of said employer shall, within thirty (30) days after the effective date of the ordinance of the municipality to be passed as provided in Section 21-29-5, prepare a statement showing the length of service of employees, prior to effective date of said ordinance, then emp…

(a) The membership of the retirement system shall be composed as follows:(a) All persons who become employees after the date fixed in the ordinance of the governing body for the retirement system to go into effect shall become members of the retirement system on the expiration of…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this article, should a member separate from the service of an employer or should he become a beneficiary or die, he shall thereupon cease to be a member and any prior service and membership service which may be credited to his service account a…

Should any member cease to be an employee before becoming eligible to receive either a service or disability retirement allowance as provided by this article, for reasons other than becoming a beneficiary or his death, he thereafter, at any time while not a member of the system, …

(a) Employees’ saving fund. — All funds provided for herein shall be part of the public funds of the Public Employees’ Retirement System and shall be kept in such way as it is required by law to keep its funds. All allowances or withdrawals from such funds shall be drawn against …

All expenses of the operation of the retirement system shall be paid out of the retirement reserve fund provided by Section 21-29-23. The Public Employees’ Retirement System is hereby authorized to deduct two percent (2%) of all income, exclusive of employee contributions, to be …

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, the governing body of a municipality, after the passage of the ordinance provided for in Section 21-29-5, shall annually levy a tax as certified by the Public Employees’ Retirement System on the taxable property …