Personnel employed or appointed by a municipality to work on a joint project or for a joint agency shall have the same authority, rights, privileges and immunities which the officers, agents and employees of the appointing municipality enjoy within the territory of that municipality, whether within or without the territory of the appointing municipality, when they are acting within the scope of their authority or in the course of their employment.
Personnel employed or appointed directly by a joint agency or by a participating municipality or by a nonprofit operating agency of the participating municipalities or of the joint agency, shall be eligible for participation in the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System with the same rights, privileges, obligations and responsibilities as they would have if they were employees of a municipality.