(a) The governing body of the City of Citronelle shall designate the volunteer fire department serving the city and a historical society as the official volunteer fire department and the official historical society for the purposes of this section. There is hereby created a board to be composed of three persons, one person appointed by the official volunteer fire department, one person appointed by the official historical society, and one person appointed by the governing body of the city. Appointees shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and vacancies shall be filled by the appointing authority. Appointees shall serve without compensation.
(b) Twenty percent of all tax proceeds of the four percent tax paid to the City of Citronelle pursuant to subdivision (2) of subsection (c) of Section 40-20-8, as last amended, up to a maximum of two thousand dollars ($2,000) each per month for the volunteer fire department and the historical society, shall be paid to the board established by this section for the purposes provided for herein. The tax proceeds shall be placed in a separate interest bearing bank account in the City of Citronelle.
(c)(1) The board, by majority vote, shall allocate the money to the City of Citronelle’s official volunteer fire department and official historical society on a dollar for dollar matching fund basis with all funds acquired by the entities. The board shall submit an annual report to the city governing body detailing the disbursement of all funds.
(2) It is declared that the historical society and the volunteer fire department are public services which operate for the benefit of the citizens of this state and that the organizations are quasi-public entities that are entitled to receive and use public funds or property appropriated, donated, or loaned to them by the state, county, or city governing body. Any funds currently held in escrow by the board on July 1, 2010, which have not been distributed shall be distributed in accordance with this section, as amended.
Last modified: May 3, 2021