(a) The legislative body of any county which enacts zoning regulations under the authority of this part shall create a county board of zoning appeals of three (3), five (5), seven (7), or nine (9) members. In any county which has adopted a charter form of government as provided in the Constitution of Tennessee, article VII, § 1, and by § 5-1-201, and which has a population of less than six hundred thousand (600,000), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, the legislative body of any such county which enacts zoning regulations under the authority of this part shall create a county board of zoning appeals of five (5), seven (7) or nine (9) members. The county legislative body shall be the appointing power of the members of such board of appeals and may fix their compensation and their terms, which terms shall be of such length and so arranged that the term of one (1) member will expire each year. In any county which has adopted a charter form of government as provided in the Constitution of Tennessee, article VII, § 1, and by § 5-1-201, and which has a population of less than six hundred thousand (600,000), according to the 1980 federal census or any subsequent federal census, the county legislative body shall arrange their terms in any fashion so long as no member's term exceeds five (5) years in length. The county legislative body may remove any member for cause upon written charges and after a public hearing. Vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms in the same manner as in the case of original appointments. The county legislative body may appoint associate members of the board, and, in the event that any regular member be temporarily unable to act owing to absence from the county, illness, interest in a case before the board, or other cause, such associate member's place may be taken during such temporary disability by an associate member designated for the purpose by the county legislative body. The county legislative bodies of two (2) or more counties may, by ordinances enacted by both or all of them, arrange and provide for a joint or common board of zoning appeals.

(b)

(1) Each board of zoning appeals member shall, within one (1) year of initial appointment and each calendar year thereafter, attend a minimum of four (4) hours of training and continuing education in one (1) or more of the subjects listed in subdivision (b)(5).

(2) Each full-time or contract building commissioner or professional planner or other administrative official whose duties include advising the board of zoning appeals shall, each calendar year, attend a minimum of eight (8) hours of training and continuing education in one (1) or more of the subjects listed in subdivision (b)(5). A professional planner who is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) shall be exempt from this requirement.

(3) Each of the individuals listed in subdivisions (b)(1) and (2) shall certify by December 31 of each calendar year such individual's attendance by a written statement filed with the secretary of such individual's respective board of zoning appeals. Each statement shall identify the date of each program attended, its subject matter, location, sponsors, and the time spent in each program.

(4) The legislative body of the county shall be responsible for paying the training and continuing education course registration and travel expenses for each board of zoning appeals member and full-time building commissioner or other administrative official whose duties include advising the board of zoning appeals.

(5) The subjects for the training and continuing education required by subdivisions (b)(1) and (2) shall include, but not be limited to, the following: land use planning; zoning; flood plain management; transportation; community facilities; ethics; public utilities; wireless telecommunications facilities; parliamentary procedure; public hearing procedure; land use law; natural resources and agricultural land conservation; economic development; housing; public buildings; land subdivision; and powers and duties of the board of zoning appeals. Other topics reasonably related to the duties of the board of zoning appeals and the building commissioner or other administrative official whose duties include advising the board of zoning appeals may be approved by majority vote of the board of zoning appeals prior to December 31 of the year for which credit is sought.

(6) Each local board of zoning appeals shall keep in its official public record originals of all statements and the written documentation of attendance required to comply with these provisions for three (3) years after the calendar year in which each statement and appurtenant written documentation is filed.

(7) Each board of zoning appeals member and each building commissioner or other administrative official whose duties include advising the board of zoning appeals shall be responsible for obtaining written documentation signed by a representative of the sponsor of any training and continuing education course for which credit is claimed, acknowledging the fact that the individual attended the program for which credit is claimed.

(8) If a board of zoning appeals member fails to complete the requisite number of hours of training and continuing education within the time allotted by this subsection (b) or fails to file the statement required by this subsection (b), then this shall constitute a cause for the removal of the board of zoning appeals member from the board of zoning appeals.

(9) The legislative body of the county may, at any time, opt out of this subsection (b) by passage of a resolution. Further any such legislative body that has opted out may, at a later date, opt in by passage of a resolution.