Effective 02 Jan 1979, see footnote

242.140. Drainage district may be dissolved, when. — 1. The incorporation of every drainage district, heretofore or hereafter incorporated under and by virtue of the provisions of sections 242.010 to 242.690, shall be dissolved if, at any time before bonds are issued and negotiated to construct the works and improvements as provided by the plan of reclamation adopted by its board of supervisors, the owners of a majority of the acres of land within said drainage district petition the circuit court, wherein said drainage district was incorporated, for a dissolution thereof; provided, that upon the filing of any such petition, said circuit court shall, before dissolving said corporation ascertain and determine the amount of money in the treasury of, or owing to, said corporation, and the amount of all warrants issued and unpaid by it and the amount of the debts and other obligations owing by it; and, if said amount of money in the treasury and owing to said corporation, is in excess of the amount of said warrants, debts and other obligations, said circuit court shall order said warrants, debts and other obligations to be forthwith paid and discharged, and said excess divided among all the owners of land in said drainage district who paid the same thereto, in the proportions in which they paid the same; but, if said amount of money, in the treasury and owing to said corporation, is not sufficient to pay and discharge said warrants, debts and other obligations then said circuit court shall order said board of supervisors to levy and collect a uniform tax upon each and every acre of land within said drainage district, sufficient in amount to pay said deficiency, and to thereupon pay the same.

2. At any time during the corporate life of such drainage district, when all outstanding bonds shall have been paid and when all other indebtedness of said district shall have been paid or when there is sufficient money on hand to pay any and all outstanding indebtedness, and when there is sufficient money on hand to pay the costs and expenses of the dissolution of said corporation as herein provided, the board of supervisors may, and, on a petition of one-tenth of the landowners, owning one-tenth of the lands in said district, shall, call a meeting of the landowners in said district for the purpose of determining whether or not said district shall be dissolved and its corporate life terminated, first giving three weeks' notice of the object, purpose and place of such meeting by notices printed for three weeks successively in some newspaper or newspapers printed and published in the county or counties in which said drainage district lies; provided, however, that not more than one such meeting for purposes of dissolution shall be held each year.

3. If a majority of the landowners voting at said meeting and owning a majority of the acres of land in said district voting at said meeting vote in favor of the dissolution of the incorporation of said drainage district, the board of supervisors shall cause to be filed in the circuit court wherein said drainage district was incorporated, a petition setting out the facts: that there are no outstanding bonds of said district; that there is no other outstanding indebtedness of said district, or that there is sufficient money on hand to pay any outstanding indebtedness, as the case may be, and that there is sufficient money on hand to pay the cost and expenses of such dissolution; that due notice has been given or the clerk thereof in vacation shall cause notice to be given by publication in some newspaper printed and published in said county for four successive weeks, the last publication being not less than fifteen days before the day to which said petition is made returnable, directed to the creditors, landowners and all persons interested, of the filing of said petition, its object and purpose, and ordering them to show cause, if any there be, on said first day, why said corporation should not be dissolved.

4. If, upon a hearing of said petition, the court find the facts aforesaid and find that there are no outstanding debts and that there is sufficient money to pay the expenses of dissolution, it shall enter its order dissolving said corporation. If it find there is sufficient money on hand to pay all outstanding debts it shall order said debts paid and thereafter, on proper showing of their payment, enter its order of dissolution. Any excess of money on hand shall be distributed as herein provided; provided, the foregoing provision of dissolution shall not be effective until the bridges across the drainage ditches in such district are sufficient and in a reasonable state of repair.

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(RSMo 1939 § 12361, A.L. 1978 H.B. 1634)

Prior revision: 1929 § 10780

Effective 1-2-79

(1980) Statute governing the cost of organization of a drainage district does not limit right and duty of the court to order assessment of additional levies to pay district's debts or part of proceedings of final dissolution. Matter of Little Chariton Drainage Dist. (A.), 602 S.W.2d 916.