157-39.1. Area of operation of city, county and regional housing authorities.

(a) The boundaries or area of operation of a housing authority created for a city shall include said city and the area within 10 miles from the territorial boundaries of said city, but in no event shall it include the whole or a part of any other city, except as otherwise provided herein. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, a housing authority created for a city may operate and perform any of its lawful functions within any other city that has a common boundary with a city creating an authority when requested to do so by resolution of the governing body of such other city. The area of operation or boundaries of a housing authority created for a county shall include all of the county for which it is created and the area of operation or boundaries of a regional housing authority shall include (except as otherwise provided elsewhere in this Article) all of the counties for which such regional housing authority is created and established: Provided, that a county or regional housing authority shall not undertake any housing project or projects within the boundaries of any city unless a resolution shall have been adopted by the governing body of such city (and also by any housing authority which shall have been theretofore established and authorized to exercise its powers in such city) declaring that there is a need for the county or regional housing authority to exercise its power within such city: Provided, that the jurisdiction of any rural housing authority to which the Secretary of State has heretofore issued a certificate of incorporation shall extend to within a distance of one mile of the town or city limits of any town or city having a population in excess of 500, located in any county now or hereafter constituting a part of the territory of such rural housing authority: Provided, further, that this provision shall not affect the jurisdiction of any city housing authority to which the Secretary of State has heretofore issued a certificate of incorporation. A housing authority created for a county may operate and perform any of its lawful functions anywhere within the municipal boundaries of any city located in whole or in part within the county for which it is created, when requested to do so by resolution of the governing body of such city.

(b) In any county in which a city housing authority has been established, but where there are portions of the county in which the city is located which are more than 10 miles from the territorial boundaries of the city, the city housing authority is authorized to operate in areas of the county beyond such limit, which are not within another city, upon the adoption of a joint resolution by the city council and the board of county commissioners. Such joint resolution must find that in such additional area, that insanitary or unsafe inhabited dwelling accommodations exist in such area or there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in such county available to persons of low income at rentals they can afford. A public hearing on such resolution need be held only by the board of county commissioners.

(c) A joint resolution adopted under subsection (b) of this section may, in lieu of the appointment provisions of G.S. 157-5, provide that the board of commissioners of the housing authority shall be composed of nine members, with a number (not less than five) to be appointed by the mayor, and the remainder to be appointed by the board of county commissioners. Such housing authority commissioners shall be subject to removal by the appointing person or board under the procedural requirements of G.S. 157-8.