§ 189-a. Procedure. 1. The town board of a town or the town boards of
more than one town, and the board of trustees of an incorporated village
or the boards of trustees of more than one incorporated village, as
defined in the village law, located in said town or towns are hereby
authorized to establish in such town or towns and village or villages a
joint fire district for the purposes hereinafter stated and in the
manner hereinafter provided, provided all of the territory in such joint
fire district shall be contiguous.

2. (a) Whenever it shall appear to the participating municipalities to
be in the public interest, the town board of such town and the board of
trustees of such village shall hold a joint meeting at one location
within the proposed joint district for the purpose of jointly proposing
the establishment of a joint fire district.

(b) If at such joint meeting it is determined by a majority vote of
each board to make such proposal, each such board shall, within thirty
days thereafter, hold a joint public hearing at one location within the
proposed joint district upon such proposal and shall cause notice of
such public hearing to be published in a newspaper having general
circulation in such town and village, at least once, and posted in five
public conspicuous places in the town outside such village and in five
public conspicuous places in the village, not less than ten days before
the date of the hearing. In the event that the district maintains a
website, one of the posting requirements may be fulfilled by posting
such information on the website. Notice of such hearing also shall be
served by such clerk upon the members of the town board and the members
of the board of trustees of the village, by mail addressed to such
members at their last known post office addresses, at least ten days
before the date of the hearing. Such notice shall contain a brief
description of the boundaries of the proposed joint fire district and of
the objects and purposes for which it is proposed that a new district be
created, and shall specify the single time when and place where such
town and village boards will jointly meet to consider the proposal and
to hear all persons interested in the establishment of the district. If,
upon the establishment of a joint fire district, the joint fire district
would become the sponsor of a service award program pursuant to section
two hundred sixteen-b of the general municipal law, the notice of
hearing shall so specify and contain a statement of the estimated annual
cost of the service award program to the joint fire district; provided,
however, that if, upon the establishment of a joint fire district, the
joint fire district would become the sponsor of a service award program
pursuant to section two hundred sixteen-b of the general municipal law,
the resolutions establishing the district shall be submitted to
referendum in each such town and village in the manner provided by
article seven of this chapter or article nine of the village law,
respectively.

(c) After such hearing, and upon evidence given thereat, and after
considering the objections, if any, the town board of such town and the
board of trustees of such village shall determine whether it is or is
not in the public interest to establish such joint fire district, and,
if it is determined to be in the public interest, subject to permissive
referendum, such town board and board of trustees shall, by resolution,
duly adopted by a majority of each board, establish such joint fire
district; provided, however, that if, upon the establishment of a joint
fire district, the joint fire district would become the sponsor of a
service award program pursuant to section two hundred sixteen-b of the
general municipal law, the resolutions establishing the district shall
be submitted to referendum in each such town and village in the manner
provided by article seven of this chapter or article nine of the village
law, respectively.

(d) In all respects the provisions of article eleven of this chapter,
not inconsistent herewith, shall apply to the establishment, operation
and management of any joint fire district provided for by this section.

(e) In all respects the provisions of this article, not inconsistent
herewith, shall apply to the operation and management of any joint fire
district heretofore established pursuant to the unconsolidated laws.

3. If, subsequent to the joint meeting for the establishment of a
joint fire district as provided in subdivision two of this section and
before the establishment of such district, it is desired to include in
such proposed district any portion of the territory of an adjoining
town, the procedure shall be as follows:

(a) The town board of the town or towns and the board or boards of
trustees of the villages which held such joint meeting and the town
board of each adjoining town may hold a joint meeting for the purpose of
jointly proposing the inclusion of the territory of such adjoining town
in the proposed joint fire district.

(b) If at such meeting it is determined by a majority vote of each
board to make such proposal, each such board shall, within thirty days
thereafter, hold a joint public hearing upon such proposal and shall
cause notice of such public hearing to be published in a newspaper
having general circulation in each such town and village, at least once,
and posted in five public conspicuous places in each such town outside
each such village and in five public conspicuous places in each such
village, not less than ten days before the date of the hearing. Notice
of such hearing also shall be served by such clerk upon the members of
the town board or boards and the members of the board of trustees of the
village or villages, by mail addressed to such members at their last
known post office addresses, at least ten days before the date of the
hearing. Such notice shall contain a brief description of the boundaries
of the proposed joint fire district and of the objects and purposes for
which it is proposed that a new district be created, and shall specify
the time when and place where such town and village boards will meet to
consider the proposal and to hear all persons interested in the
establishment of the district.

(c) After such hearing, and upon evidence given thereat, and after
considering the objections, if any, the town boards of such town and the
board of trustees of such villages, shall determine whether it is in the
public interest to establish such joint fire district and if it is
determined to be in the public interest, subject to permissive
referendum, such town boards and boards of trustees shall by resolution,
duly adopted by a majority of each board, establish such joint fire
district.

(d) In all respects the provisions of article eleven of this chapter,
not inconsistent herewith, shall apply to the establishment and the
operation and management of any joint fire district provided for by this
section.

4. Any joint fire district formed pursuant to the provisions of this
article may be extended from time to time to include contiguous
territory except contiguous territory in a city. The procedure for
extending the district shall be as follows:

(a) The town board of each town and the board of trustees of each
village in which any portion of the district as proposed to be extended
is located shall hold a joint meeting at one location for the purpose of
jointly proposing the extension of the district.

(b) If at such meeting it is determined by a majority vote of each
board to make such proposal, each such board shall, within thirty days
thereafter, hold a joint public hearing at one location upon such
proposal and shall cause notice of such public hearing to be published
in a newspaper having general circulation in each affected town and
village, at least once, and posted in five public conspicuous places in
each affected town outside any affected village and in five public
conspicuous places in each affected village, not less than ten days
before the date of the hearing. Notice of such hearing also shall be
served by such clerk upon the members of each town board and the members
of each village board of trustees, by mail addressed to such members at
their last known post office addresses, at least ten days before the
date of the hearing. Such notice shall contain a brief description of
the boundaries of the proposed extension of the joint fire district and
of the objects and purposes for which it is proposed that the district
be extended and shall specify the single time when and place where such
town and village boards will jointly meet to consider the proposal and
to hear all persons interested in the extension of the district. If,
upon the extension of a joint fire district, the joint fire district
would become the sponsor of a service award program pursuant to section
two hundred sixteen-b of the general municipal law, the notice of
hearing shall so specify and contain a statement of the estimated annual
cost of the service award program to the joint fire district; provided,
however, that if, upon the extension of a joint fire district, the joint
fire district would become the sponsor of a service award program
pursuant to section two hundred sixteen-b of the general municipal law,
the resolutions establishing the districts shall be submitted in each
such town and village in the manner provided by article seven of this
chapter or article nine of the village law, respectively.

(c) After such hearing, and upon evidence given thereat, and after
considering the objections, if any, the town board of each such affected
town and the board of trustees of each such affected village shall
determine whether it is or is not in the public interest to extend such
joint fire district, and, if it is determined to be in the public
interest, subject to permissive referendum, such town board and board of
trustees shall, by resolution, duly adopted by a majority of each board,
extend such joint fire district; provided, however, that if, upon the
extension of a joint fire district, the joint fire district would become
the sponsor of a service award program pursuant to section two hundred
sixteen-b of the general municipal law, the resolutions establishing the
districts shall be submitted in each such town and village in the manner
provided by article seven of this chapter or article nine of the village
law, respectively.

(d) A signed or certified copy of the determination extending the
district shall be recorded in the office of the county clerk and, when
so recorded, shall be presumptive evidence of the regularity and
validity of the extension of the district and of the acts of the town
board or boards and village board or boards of trustees relating
thereto. A review of such determination may be had in the manner
provided in section one hundred seventy-three of this chapter, except
that the undertaking for costs and expenses shall run to such town or
towns and village or villages and apply to the costs and expenses of
each.

(e) In all respects the provisions of article eleven of this chapter,
not inconsistent herewith, shall apply to the extension, operation and
management of any joint fire district provided for by this section.