75.020 Annexation or reduction of territory -- Expansion into territory served by fire department -- Assumption by city of debt -- Merger of districts -- Service area boundary maps to be updated and filed. (1) (a) The territorial limits of an established fire protection district, or a volunteer fire department district, as established under KRS 75.010 to 75.080, may be enlarged or diminished in the following way: The trustees of the fire protection district or of the volunteer fire department district shall file a petition in the county clerk's office of the county in which that district and the territory to be annexed or stricken off, or the greater part thereof, is located, describing the territory to be annexed or stricken and setting out the reasons therefor. Notice of the filing of such petition shall be given by publication as provided for in KRS Chapter 424. On the day fixed in the notice, the county judge/executive shall, if the proper notice has been given, and the publication made, and no written objection or remonstrance is interposed enter an order annexing or striking off the territory described in the petition. Fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the freeholders of the territory sought to be annexed or stricken off may, at any time before the date fixed in the notice, remonstrate in writing, filed in the clerk's office, to the action proposed. If such written remonstrance is filed, the clerk shall promptly give notice to the trustees of the fire protection district, or of the volunteer fire department district, and the county judge/executive shall hear and determine the same. If upon such hearing, the county judge/executive finds from the evidence that a failure to annex or strike off such territory will materially retard the functioning of the fire protection district or the volunteer fire department district and materially affect adversely the owners and the inhabitants of the territory sought to be annexed or stricken off, he or she shall enter an order, granting the annexation or striking off the territory. In the latter event, no new petition to annex or strike off all or any part of the same territory shall be entertained for a period of two (2) years. Any aggrieved person may bring an action in Circuit Court to contest the decision of the county judge/executive. (b) In addition to the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection, if the trustees of a fire protection district or a volunteer fire department district, as established under KRS 75.010 to 75.080, are seeking to expand territory into an area served by a fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 and certified under KRS 75.400 to 75.460 or an area that is not contained within the boundaries of the city, but is being served by a city government, then the trustees shall, prior to executing the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subsection, enter into a written agreement with the fire chief and the board of the fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 or with the city government providing fire protection services to the area proposed to be annexed. The agreement shall establish the proposed new boundary as it applies to the fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 or to the area being served by the city fire department. On the day the agreement is finalized, the trustees of the district shall send by certified mail, return receipt requested, or have personally delivered a copy of the agreement to the county (c) judge/executive of the county containing the territory subject to the expansion. The notice required in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall, in lieu of the applicable publication requirements set out in KRS Chapter 424, be published at least once a week, for a minimum of two (2) weeks. The last publication shall occur no less than seven (7) days before the date fixed in the notice. If the trustees approach the fire chief and board of the fire department created under KRS Chapter 273 or the city government in the manner authorized in paragraph (b) of this subsection and are unable to reach an agreement within thirty (30) days, the trustees, or any real property holder of the territory subject to the annexation, may directly seek permission from the real property holders of that territory to continue with the annexation procedure set out in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection by circulating a petition and securing the signatures of at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the real property holders within that territory. The petition shall include the residential address of the signer and the date of the signature. The petition shall be certified by the county clerk if the clerk finds the petition sufficient in form and requisite amount of signatures. (2) The property in any territory annexed to a fire protection district or to a volunteer fire department district shall not be liable to taxation for the purpose of paying any indebtedness incurred by the fire protection district or the volunteer fire department district prior to the date of the annexation of such territory, except such indebtedness as represents the balance owing on the purchase price of firefighting equipment. The property in any territory stricken off from a fire protection district or a volunteer fire department district by the incorporation of or annexation by a city of this Commonwealth shall not be relieved of liability of such taxes as may be necessary to pay its proportionate share of the indebtedness incurred while such territory was a part of that district. Territories stricken by action of the county judge/executive under the provisions of subsection (1) shall be relieved of liability for all indebtedness incurred by the fire protection district or the volunteer fire department district. (3) Any city that maintains a "regular fire department," and has either by incorporation or annexation caused property to be stricken from a fire protection district or a volunteer fire department district, shall comply with KRS 75.022(3). (4) A fire protection district or volunteer fire department district established pursuant to KRS 75.010 to 75.080 shall not expand its service boundaries or annex territory contained in another fire protection district or volunteer fire department district established pursuant to KRS 75.010 to 75.080. However, the territorial limits of two (2) or more fire protection districts, or volunteer fire department districts, as established by KRS 75.010 to 75.080, may be merged into one (1) fire protection district or volunteer fire department district as follows: (a) The trustees of each fire protection district or volunteer fire department district shall file a joint petition in the county clerk's office of the county in which all of the districts and the territory to be merged into one (1) district, or the greater part of the district, is located, describing the territory to be merged into the district and setting out the reasons for the merger; (b) Notice of the filing of the petition shall be given by publication as provided in KRS Chapter 424 for public notices; (c) On the day fixed in the notice, the county judge/executive shall, if proper notice by publication has been given, and no written objection or remonstrance has been made, enter an order merging the fire protection districts or volunteer fire department districts described in the petition; (d) Fifty-one percent (51%) or more of the property owners of the territory sought to be merged into one (1) district may, at any time before the date fixed in the notice, remonstrate by written petition to the county clerk regarding their objection to the merger of the districts. If a petition is filed, the county clerk shall give prompt notice to the trustees of the fire protection districts or the volunteer fire protection districts and the county judge/executive; (e) The county judge/executive shall schedule a hearing regarding the petition and shall give public notice as to the date, time, and place of the hearing. If after the hearing, the county judge/executive finds from the evidence that a failure to merge the territory will materially retard the functioning of the fire protection districts or volunteer fire department districts and materially affect adversely the owners and the inhabitants of the territory sought to be merged, he or she shall enter an order granting the merger of the districts into one (1) fire protection district or volunteer fire department district; and (f) Any aggrieved person may bring an action in Circuit Court to contest the decision of the county judge/executive regarding the merger fire protection districts or volunteer fire department districts. (5) The property in any fire protection district or volunteer fire department district which is merged with another fire protection district or volunteer fire department district shall not be liable to taxation for the purpose of paying any indebtedness incurred by the other fire protection district or volunteer fire department district prior to the date of the merger into one (1) fire protection district, except indebtedness which represents a balance owed on the purchase price of firefighting equipment from the other fire protection district or volunteer fire department district. (6) Fire protection districts or volunteer fire department districts that modify service area boundaries by taking any action authorized under this section shall update their service area boundary maps and file them in the manner required by KRS 75.420. Effective: July 15, 2016 History: Amended 2016 Ky. Acts ch. 117, sec. 2, effective July 15, 2016. -- Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 27, sec. 3, effective June 25, 2013. -- Amended 2008 Ky. Acts ch. 166, sec. 1, effective July 15, 2008. -- Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 19, sec. 1, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 127, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1996. -- Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 100, sec. 8, effective July 13, 1984. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 384, sec. 196, effective June 17, 1978. -- Amended 1976 (1st Extra. Sess.) Ky. Acts ch. 14, sec. 68, effective January 2, 1978. -- Amended 1976 Ky. Acts ch. 62, sec. 78. -- Amended 1966 Ky. Acts ch. 146, sec. 8. -- Amended 1964 Ky. Acts ch. 184, sec. 2. -- Amended 1960 Ky. Acts ch. 104, sec. 4. -- Created 1944 Ky. Acts ch. 133, sec. 2.