(a) The sheriffs of the various counties of this state are authorized to contract with the governing body of any municipal corporation located within their respective counties, with the written consent of the governing authority of the county, for the purpose of providing law enforcement services to the municipal corporation. Such contracts may include undertakings by the sheriff to perform any police function, to exercise any police power, or to render any police service on behalf of the contracting municipal corporation. Upon the execution of any such contract and within the limitations contained in the contract, the sheriff and his deputies may exercise the same powers as possessed by the contracting municipal corporation with respect to police services and all powers necessary or incidental thereto.

(b) Any contract authorized by this Code section shall not affect, impair, or limit the authority or powers of the municipal corporation or of the sheriff except as otherwise specified in the contract. Sheriffs shall have the same duties, powers, and arrest authority within municipalities which such officers have in unincorporated areas of counties. The duties, powers, and arrest authority of sheriffs shall not be limited, impaired, or affected in any way upon a sheriff and a municipality entering into a contract for the sheriff to provide additional duties or services to a municipality. Nothing in this Code section shall be construed so as to limit, affect, diminish, or impair the rights, powers, or duties of any county or municipal police department as set forth in Code Section 36-8-5 or any law creating or authorizing the creation of a municipal police department.

(c) Such contracts shall provide for the reimbursement of the county for the costs incurred by the sheriff in providing contract services, including, but not limited to, the compensation of deputy sheriffs and other personnel, the costs of funding retirement benefits, insurance, workers' compensation and other fringe benefits for deputies and personnel, the costs of training deputies and other personnel, and the costs of equipment, materials, supplies, and utilities to the extent that such equipment, materials, supplies, and utilities are not furnished by the contracting municipal corporation. Each contract shall provide for the ascertainment of the cost of providing contract services and shall be of such duration as may be agreed upon, unless in conflict with any other general law or the Constitution of this state.

(d) All payments made by a municipal corporation under the terms of any contract authorized by this Code section shall be made to the general fund of the county. Any funds paid into the general fund of the county pursuant to such a contract shall be used for the purposes provided for in this Code section and in the contract and shall be paid by the governing authority of the county.

(e) Any other law to the contrary notwithstanding, the sheriff is authorized to employ such additional deputies and personnel as may be provided for in any contract authorized by this Code section and to purchase such automobiles, equipment, materials, supplies, and utilities as may be provided for in any such contract, the compensation, benefits, expenses, and costs of which shall be paid or funded by the governing authority of the county in an amount or amounts not exceeding the contract payments made by the municipal corporation into the general fund of the county.

(f) This Code section shall not apply to any county of 600,000 population or more according to the United States decennial census of 1970 or any future such census.