The board, or the board of the regional transportation district established under article 9 of title 32, C.R.S., in the case of any authority whose territory is located in whole or in part within the boundaries of the district, may establish local improvement districts within the boundaries of the authority to facilitate the financing, construction, operation, or maintenance of regional transportation systems. The board may establish local improvement districts whenever any area within the boundaries of the authority, in the opinion of the board, will be especially benefited by the financing, construction, operation, or maintenance of a regional transportation system. The board shall not establish a local improvement district unless the board receives a petition signed by the owners of the property that will bear a majority of the proposed assessments and a petition signed by the lesser of a majority of the registered electorate in the proposed district or one thousand registered electors in the proposed district. The method of creating local improvement districts, making the improvements, and assessing the costs thereof shall be as provided in part 6 of article 20 of title 30, C.R.S.; except that the board shall perform the duties of the board of county commissioners thereunder and the improvements shall be regional transportation systems as defined by section 43-4-602 (16).