(a) It is the intent of the state to assist financially with the development of regional plans for economic development and for coordination of activities thereunder. The board for the Memphis area association of governments, composed of the Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby, and Tipton counties and the municipalities located within those counties, has been created as provided in this chapter and when the local governments have indicated a willingness to contribute financially by adopting a budget requiring a certain per capita assessment, the state shall be authorized to match the local contributions according to subdivision (c)(3).

(b) The local contributions to the Memphis area association of governments shall be based upon, in the case of counties, an amount not to exceed twenty-one cents (21¢) per capita based on the latest decennial census, one half (½) of which may be contributed by local incorporated cities or by other private, public or semipublic bodies; provided, that no county shall be required to contribute more than twelve thousand five hundred dollars ($12,500) annually. The aggregate of such funds may also be used for purposes of matching various federal programs of assistance for planning and development. Counties and municipalities may participate independently of each other in financing the activities of the board. Cities and counties are specifically authorized to appropriate and expend funds for carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

(c)

(1) It is the intent of the state to assist financially with the development of regional plans for economic development and other regional plans, activities, and programs authorized by this chapter and other statutes and for coordination of activities thereunder. The regional plans, activities and programs shall be for the benefit of and for the local governments of this state and, as appropriate, the state government and the citizens of Tennessee. The boards of the eight (8) other development districts established as the First Tennessee development district, the East Tennessee development district, the Southeast Tennessee development district, the Upper Cumberland development district, the South Central Tennessee development district, the Southwest Tennessee development district, the Greater Nashville regional council and the Northwest Tennessee development district have been created as provided in this chapter and title 64, chapter 7.

(2) When the local governments have indicated a willingness to contribute financially to the development districts by adopting a budget establishing a certain per capita assessment, the state shall include in its budget under the department of economic and community development, or its state functional equivalent, a separate line item for the funding of the activities of the development districts. Any appropriations of state funds made to the development districts by the general assembly shall not be reduced, except in conjunction with an across the board percentage reduction applicable to multiple state government departments and agencies.

(3) The amount of state funding to each development district shall be based upon the per capita assessment established by the individual development district boards. The per capita assessment and corresponding state funding levels for the nine (9) development districts are as follows:

individual development district board

(d) For calculating the per capita assessments of the development districts in subsection (c), the board of a development district may utilize either the population counts from the latest yearly population estimates or from the decennial census figures of each city, town, metropolitan government, and county that is located in and is a member government of the development district, as reported by the United States department of commerce, bureau of the census or its federal functional equivalent. The aggregate of the funds generated by the per capita assessment may be used for the purposes of matching various federal and state programs, grants and contracts for planning, programs and activities undertaken by the development districts. The aggregate of state funds appropriated to the development districts may be used for the purpose of matching various federal programs, grants and contracts for planning, programs and activities undertaken by the development districts. Any funds generated by either the per capita assessment or the state appropriation may be utilized by the development districts to pay the operating and administrative costs of the district. Cities, towns, metropolitan governments, and counties may participate in the per capita assessment funding of the development districts in which they are located independently of each other. In order to promote regional cooperation and planning, counties may pay the per capita assessment of any of the cities or towns within the county's political boundary. Cities, towns, metropolitan governments and counties are specifically authorized to appropriate and expend funds for carrying out the purposes of this chapter.