When the council of a municipality adopts a resolution as provided in this chapter, the council shall appoint not less than five nor more than seven persons as commissioners of the authority created for the municipality. At least one of the commissioners appointed shall be a person who is directly assisted by the public housing authority. However, there shall be no requirement to appoint such a person if the authority (1) operates less than three hundred public housing units, (2) provides reasonable notice to the resident advisory board, if applicable, of the opportunity for at least one person who is directly assisted by the authority to serve as a commissioner, and (3) within a reasonable time after receipt of the notice by the resident advisory board, has not been notified of the intention of any such person to serve. The mayor shall appoint the person directly assisted by the authority unless the authority's rules require that the person be elected by other persons who are directly assisted by the authority.

The commissioners, other than the commissioner who is directly assisted by the authority, shall serve for terms of one, two, three, four, and five years, respectively, from the date of their appointment, but thereafter commissioners, other than the commissioner who is directly assisted by the authority, shall be appointed as aforesaid for a term of office of five years except that all vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term. The commissioner who is directly assisted by the authority must remain as an assisted resident in order to continue service on the board of commissioners.

No commissioner who is also a person directly assisted by the public housing authority shall be qualified to vote on matters affecting his official conduct or matters affecting his own individual tenancy, as distinguished from matters affecting tenants in general. No more than one-third of the members of any housing authority commission shall be tenants of the authority or recipients of housing assistance through any program operated by the authority. No commissioner of an authority may be an officer or employee of the municipality for which the authority is created. A commissioner shall hold office until his successor has been appointed and has qualified. A certificate of the appointment or reappointment of any commissioner must be filed in the office of the clerk of the circuit court of the county in which the municipality is located, in the office of the Secretary of State, and in the office of the Secretary of Commerce, and the certificate is conclusive evidence of the due and proper appointment of the commissioner.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 36-114; 1952 Code Section 36-114; 1942 Code Section 5271-34; 1934 (38) 1368; 1937 (40) 431; 1938 (40) 1909; 1993 Act No. 181, Section 504; 1994 Act No. 360, Section 1; 1994 Act No. 361, Section 8; 1999 Act No. 50, Section 1.