Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-2871

Purpose — Regional emergency communication districts.

A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Regional

Emergency 9-1-1 Services Act”.

B. It is the purpose of the Regional Emergency 9-1-1 Services

Act to encourage formation of emergency communication districts in

order to provide efficient delivery of emergency 9-1-1 service

throughout the state.

C. The Regional Emergency 9-1-1 Services Act shall not apply to

any 9-1-1 system or public agency participating in a 9-1-1 system

that was established prior to January 1, 2017, and that had adopted

Phase II 9-1-1 service by that date.

D. A new public safety answering point shall not be established

after July 1, 2024, unless the new public safety answering point is

established as a result of:

1. A consolidation with an existing public safety answering

point; or

2. A replacement of an existing public safety answering point.

E. For the purposes of this section:

1. “District” means an emergency communication district;

2. “Emergency communication district” means a district formed

pursuant to the Regional Emergency 9-1-1 Services Act to deliver

emergency 9-1-1 services on a regional basis;

3. “9-1-1 system” means an entity that processes emergency 9-1-

1 calls through a public safety answering point;

4. “Participating public agency” means a public agency that is

included in a district;

5. “Principal municipality” means the municipality with the

largest population in a district; and

6. “Public agency” means any city, town, county, municipal

corporation, public district, public trust, substate planning

district, public authority or tribal authority located within this

state which provides or has authority to provide firefighting, law

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 63. Public Health and Safety Page 1446

enforcement, ambulance, emergency medical or other emergency

services.

F. On or before December 31, 2017, all public agencies in this

state shall form regional emergency communication districts for the

purpose of creating an area-wide emergency 9-1-1 system for their

respective jurisdictions. The territory of the district shall be

coextensive with the territory of the regional substate planning

district unless a different territory is approved by the Oklahoma 9-

1-1 Management Authority. If a public agency is situated in more

than one such territory, it shall become part of the district in

which it is principally located. If, due to the effect of

subsection C of this section, the majority of the participating

public agencies located in the territory of a proposed district

determine that it would be in the best interests of their citizens,

they may request inclusion in an adjacent district.

G. The public agencies to be included in each district may form

the district by entering into local cooperative agreements which

shall establish a governance structure and provide for the joint

implementation, funding, operation, and management of the district.

H. If the public agencies in a region are unable to develop a

local cooperative agreement by December 31, 2017, they shall be

included in an emergency communication district that is governed by

a board of directors consisting of an appointee by each public

agency that was authorized by its voters to fund a 9-1-1 system

prior to the formation of the district, one appointee elected by a

majority of the remaining public agencies in the district, and an

additional appointee by the principal municipality in the district

who shall serve as chair of the board.

I. Unless otherwise provided by agreement, any participating

public agency that had been authorized by its voters to fund a 9-1-1

system prior to the formation of the district shall retain control

of the property, operation, and funding of its system; provided,

however, the district may contract with such participating public

agency to include the agency’s system in the district’s master
rd.

I. Unless otherwise provided by agreement, any participating

public agency that had been authorized by its voters to fund a 9-1-1

system prior to the formation of the district shall retain control

of the property, operation, and funding of its system; provided,

however, the district may contract with such participating public

agency to include the agency’s system in the district’s master

implementation plan. To the extent practicable, the district shall

not duplicate the equipment or answering point services already

provided by a participating public agency. A user of one or more

communication services subject to the payment of fees or taxes for

an emergency 9-1-1 system shall not be charged for more than one

such fee or tax for each service.

J. An emergency communication district shall have power to make

all contracts to carry out the purposes of the Regional Emergency 9-

1-1 Services Act, purchase and convey real property, impose service

fees authorized for public agencies for the provision of 9-1-1

service, appoint a manager of the district, and adopt rules and

policies for the operation of the district.

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K. Within one (1) year after the effective date of the

formation of the district, the board of directors shall submit its

master plan to deliver Phase II emergency 9-1-1 service throughout

its territory to the Oklahoma 9-1-1 Management Authority for

approval. The Authority shall have the power to prescribe the terms

of the plan and to approve or disapprove the master plan.

Additionally, the Authority shall have the power to request the Tax

Commission to escrow the wireless fees attributable to the public

agencies which have not submitted a master plan or which have not

complied with the terms of the master plan.

L. An emergency communication district shall operate on a

fiscal year beginning July 1. It shall adopt an annual budget and

cause to be prepared an independent financial audit annually. As

soon as practicable after the end of the fiscal year, the district

shall deliver to each participating public agency an annual report

showing in detail the operations of the district.