§159B-46. Reports, liability, and personnel

(a)        Each joint municipal assistance agency shall, following the closing of each fiscal year, submit an annual report of its activities for the preceding year to the governing boards of its members. Each such report shall set forth an operating and financial statement covering the operations of the joint municipal assistance agency during such year. The joint municipal assistance agency shall cause an audit of its books of record and accounts to be made at least once in each year by independent certified public accountants.

(b)        No commissioner, alternate commissioner or director or officer of any joint municipal assistance agency, member of an executive committee created pursuant to G.S. 159B-10, officer of any joint agency or municipality, or person or persons acting in their behalf, while acting within the scope of his authority, shall be subject to any personal liability or accountability by reason of his carrying out any of the powers expressly or impliedly given in this Article.

(c)        Each municipality, joint agency and joint municipal assistance agency shall be severally liable for its own acts or omissions and not jointly or severally liable for the acts, omissions, or obligations of others, including other municipalities.

(d)       In no event shall any municipality or joint agency be liable or responsible for any acts, omissions or obligations of any joint municipal assistance agency or any of its officers, members of an executive committee, employees or agents; provided, however, that contracts between the joint municipal assistance agency and one or more municipalities or one or more joint agencies may expressly provide for the imputation of or indemnification for any liability of one party thereto by the other, or for the assumption of any obligation of one party thereto by the other.

(e)        Personnel employed or appointed by a municipality and performing services for or on behalf of a joint municipal assistance agency shall have the same authority, rights, privileges and immunities (including coverage under the workers' compensation laws) which the officers, agents and employees of the appointing municipality enjoy within the territory of that municipality, whether within or without the territory of the appointing municipality, when they are acting within the scope of their authority or in the course of their employment.

(f)        Personnel employed or appointed by a joint municipal assistance agency shall be qualified for participation in the North Carolina Local Government Employees' Retirement System with the same rights, privileges, obligations and responsibilities as they would have if they were employees of a municipality.

(g)        The offices of commissioner, alternate commissioner, officer, director and member of the executive committee of a joint municipal assistance agency are hereby declared to be offices which may be held by the holder of any office, place of trust or profit in addition to and concurrently with those offices permitted by G.S. 128-1.1 and other offices permitted by other General Statute.

(1983, c. 609, s. 7; 1991, c. 636, s. 3; 1995, c. 412, s. 26.)