Section 189-E. Management of affairs of joint fire districts

Subject to
  the restrictions hereinafter established, the property  and  affairs  of
  joint  fire  districts  shall be under the management and control and in
  charge of a board of not  less  than  three  and  not  more  than  seven
  commissioners,  appointed  by  the  town  board  of the town or the town
  boards of the towns and the board of trustees  of  the  village  or  the
  boards  of  trustees  of  the  villages  in joint session as hereinafter
  provided, or elected as provided in article eleven of this  chapter,  as
  may  be  determined  by  resolution  adopted  at  the  meeting  for  the
  establishment of the district in the same manner as the  resolution  for
  the  establishment  of the district is adopted. In case it is determined
  that the commissioners shall be  selected  in  the  manner  provided  by
  article  eleven  of  this  chapter,  the appointments as provided for in
  subdivision one of section one  hundred  seventy-four  of  this  chapter
  shall  be made by the town board, or, if the district includes territory
  in more than one town, by the town board of all of the towns at a  joint
  session  held  at  one  location  within  the  district  and  thereafter
  elections shall be held as provided in article eleven  of  this  chapter
  except  that  the  terms  of  the  commissioners shall be as hereinafter
  provided. They shall be residents of such district and in case selection
  is made as provided in article eleven of this chapter there shall be  no
  other residential requirement, but otherwise if there are an even number
  of  commissioners  not  more than half at any time shall be residents of
  such village or villages and if there are an odd number, the number that
  are residents of such village or villages shall not  exceed  the  number
  that  are  residents  of  such  town  or  towns  by more than one. First
  appointments hereunder shall be made in the following manner:  If  there
  be  three  commissioners,  the  term  of  one  shall expire one year, of
  another two years and of the  other  three  years  from  the  then  next
  ensuing  thirty-first  day  of  December,  and  thereafter  one shall be
  appointed annually for a term of  three  years  from  the  date  of  the
  expiration   of   the   term  of  his  predecessor.  If  there  be  four
  commissioners, the term of one shall expire one  year,  of  another  two
  years, of another three years, and of the other four years from the then
  next  ensuing  thirty-first day of December, and thereafter one shall be
  appointed annually for a term  of  four  years  from  the  date  of  the
  expiration   of   the   term  of  his  predecessor.  If  there  be  five
  commissioners, the term of one shall expire one  year,  of  another  two
  years,  of  another three years, of another four years, and of the other
  five years from the then next ensuing thirty-first day of December,  and
  thereafter one shall be appointed annually for a term of five years from
  the date of the expiration of a term of his predecessor. If there be six
  commissioners,  the  term  of  one shall expire one year, of another two
  years, of another three  years,  of  another  four  years,  and  of  the
  remaining two, five years from the then next ensuing thirty-first day of
  December,  and  thereafter appointments shall be made for a term of five
  years from the date of the expiration of the term of each  commissioner.
  If  there be seven commissioners, the term of one shall expire one year,
  of another two years, of another three years, and of two of  the  others
  four  years,  and  of  the  remaining two, five years from the then next
  ensuing thirty-first day of December, and thereafter appointments  shall
  be  made for a term of five years from the date of the expiration of the
  term of each  commissioner.  Such  board  of  commissioners  may  employ
  necessary  labor  and  assistants,  at  a  compensation approved by such
  boards  in  joint  session.  Such   commissioners   shall   receive   no
  compensation  for  their services, but they and their employees shall be
  allowed and paid their necessary expenses, payable as  expenses  of  the
  district.

    * NB Effective until March 21, 2010