Section 106-B. Election of a single town justice for two or more adjacent towns

1. Two or more adjacent towns within the same county,  acting  by  and
  through  their  town boards, are authorized to jointly undertake a study
  relating to the election of a single town justice who shall  preside  in
  the  town  courts  of each such town. Such study shall be commenced upon
  and conducted pursuant to a joint resolution adopted by the  town  board
  of  each  such  adjacent town. Such joint resolution or a certified copy
  thereof shall upon adoption be filed in the office of the town clerk  of
  each  adjacent  town which adopts the resolution. No study authorized by
  this subdivision shall be commenced until the joint resolution providing
  for the study shall have been filed with the town clerks of at least two
  adjacent towns which adopted such joint resolution.
    2. Within thirty days  after  the  conclusion  of  a  study  conducted
  pursuant  to subdivision one of this section, each town which shall have
  adopted the joint resolution providing for the study shall  publish,  in
  its  official  newspaper  or,  if  there  be no official newspaper, in a
  newspaper published in the  county  and  having  a  general  circulation
  within such town, notice that the study has been concluded and the time,
  date and place of the town public hearing on such study. Each town shall
  conduct a public hearing on the study, conducted pursuant to subdivision
  one of this section, not less than twenty days nor more than thirty days
  after publication of the notice of such public hearing.
    3.  The  town  board  of  each town party to the study shall conduct a
  public hearing upon the findings of such study, and shall hear testimony
  and receive evidence and information thereon with regard to the election
  of one town justice to preside over the  town  courts  of  the  adjacent
  towns which are parties to the joint resolution providing for the study.
    4. Within sixty days of the last public hearing upon a study conducted
  pursuant  to  subdivision  one of this section, town boards of each town
  which participated in such study shall determine whether the  town  will
  participate  in a joint plan providing for the election of a single town
  justice to preside in the town courts of two  or  more  adjacent  towns.
  Every  such  joint plan shall only be approved by a town by the adoption
  of a resolution by the town board providing for  the  adoption  of  such
  joint  plan.  In  the  event  two or more adjacent towns fail to adopt a
  joint plan, all proceedings authorized by this section  shall  terminate
  and  the  town  courts  of  such  towns  shall  continue  to  operate in
  accordance with the existing provisions of law.
    5. Upon the adoption of a joint plan by two or  more  adjacent  towns,
  the town boards of the towns adopting such plan shall each adopt a joint
  resolution providing for:
    a.  the  election  of a single town justice at large to preside in the
  town courts of the participating towns;
    b. the abolition of  the  existing  office  of  town  justice  in  the
  participating towns; and
    c.  the  election  of such single town justice shall occur at the next
  general election of town officers and every fourth year thereafter.
    6. Upon the adoption of a joint resolution, such resolution  shall  be
  forwarded  to  the  state  legislature, and shall constitute a municipal
  home rule message pursuant to article nine of the state constitution and
  the municipal home rule law. No such joint resolution shall take  effect
  until  state legislation enacting the joint resolution shall have become
  a law.
    7. Every town justice elected to preside in multiple towns pursuant to
  this section shall  have  jurisdiction  in  each  of  the  participating
  adjacent  towns,  shall  preside in the town courts of such towns, shall
  maintain separate records and dockets for each  town  court,  and  shall

  maintain  a separate bank account for each town court for the deposit of
  moneys received by each town court.
    8.  In  the  event  any  town  court operated pursuant to a joint plan
  enacted into law pursuant to this section is without the services of the
  single town justice because of absence or disability, the provisions  of
  section one hundred six of this article and the town law shall apply.