2021 Tennessee Code
Part 1 - General Emergency Provisions
§ 58-2-110. Emergency Management Powers of Political Subdivisions

Safeguarding the life and property of its citizens is an innate responsibility of the governing body of each political subdivision of the state.
Declare a local state of emergency in order that certain commercial vehicles engaged in the distribution of electric power, the supply of fuel, or telecommunications services to residences and businesses may be considered to be participating in an emergency relief effort for the purpose of the federal hours-of-service regulations promulgated by the federal motor carrier safety administration. The CLEO may declare a local state of emergency prospectively in anticipation of an emergency.
Upon the request of two (2) or more adjoining counties, or if the governor finds that two (2) or more adjoining counties would be better served by an interjurisdictional arrangement than by maintaining separate emergency management agencies and service, the governor may delineate by executive order or rule an interjurisdictional area adequate to plan for, prevent, mitigate, or respond to emergencies in such area and may direct steps to be taken as necessary, including the creation of an interjurisdictional relationship, a joint emergency plan, a provision for mutual aid, or an area organization for emergency planning and services. A finding of the governor pursuant to this subdivision (3)(B) shall be based on one (1) or more factors related to the difficulty of maintaining an efficient and effective emergency prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery system on a nonjurisdictional basis, such as:
Limitations on public financial resources severe enough to make maintenance of a separate emergency management agency and services unreasonably burdensome;
Unusual vulnerability to emergencies as evidenced by a past history of emergencies, topographical features, drainage characteristics, emergency potential, and presence of emergency-prone facilities or operations;
The interrelated character of the counties in a multicounty area; and
Other relevant conditions or circumstances.
Local emergency planning committees.
Each local emergency planning committee (LEPC) is authorized to assess and collect an annual fee of one hundred dollars ($100) from member facilities and industries within its emergency planning district required to submit tier II reports in accordance with federal law, 42 U.S.C. § 11001 et seq. Such fee shall be assessed and collected in the manner authorized by each such LEPC.
The revenue derived from such fee shall be used solely by the LEPC for conducting annual event exercises, educating the public, and printing the Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan.
This subdivision (4) applies to LEPCs in any county having a population of not less than seventy-one thousand, three hundred (71,300) nor more than seventy-one thousand, four hundred (71,400), according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, upon the adoption of a resolution by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the county legislative body of such county.

Structure 2021 Tennessee Code