Effective 28 Aug 1961

242.696. Acceptance or rejection of petition — notice — objections, hearing, decree — transfer of records and property. — 1. The board of supervisors of the major district shall, within ninety days after the service of a certified copy of petition upon the secretary of the major district at its office, by order of its board either agree to accept the petitioning district or to reject same under the provisions of sections 242.692 to 242.699. In either event, a certified copy of its action shall be filed by its secretary in the office of the clerk of the circuit court in which the petition is pending within twenty days after the board action.

2. In the event the action of the major district shall be to agree and accept the petition to annex minor district to major district, the clerk of the circuit court shall give notice of the filing of the petition and the acceptance thereof by causing publication to be made once a week for four consecutive weeks in some newspaper published in each county in which any lands or property within the boundaries of the minor district shall be situate. Such notice need not contain the names of the owners of the lands and property, or descriptions of the tracts of land owned and property affected in the minor district, but it will be sufficient to describe the owners and lands as being all the owners of the lands and property embraced in the boundaries of the minor district petitioning; the notice shall also state the purpose of the petition by the minor district to the major district is to annex to the major district the minor district and that the petitioning minor district lands and property and owners will become a part of the major district which assumes all liabilities, and that the major district accepts the benefit assessments of the minor district as a basis of assessment of taxes thereafter, and in cases of overlaps of the districts, the combined benefits shall be added on each tract of land or property and the combined assessments of the minor and the major districts shall be the true benefit assessment for tax purposes hereafter; and if the petition is granted, the minor district shall become a part of the major district and the minor district shall cease to be as an organization. That any owner of land or other property against which benefits are assessed lying within the boundaries of the minor district petitioning to be annexed shall have the right to file objections in the office of the said circuit clerk within fifteen days but not after the last publication of notice which said date of filing objection shall be stated in said notice.

3. Objections so filed shall set out why petition should not be granted. Such objections shall be limited to a denial of the statements in the petition and should be heard and determined by the court as early and speedily as possible, at either a regular, adjourned or special term, and the court shall set such motions down for hearing at the earliest possible time, not later than fifteen days after the time for filing same expires, and hear same speedily. If the court finds the statements in the petition and in the agreement and acceptance to be true, after due hearing, the said court shall by its judgment and decree annex the minor district to the major district reciting the facts in its judgment consistent with sections 242.692 to 242.699.

4. Upon rendition of the decree the clerk of the court shall cause a certified copy of the judgment and decree of the court to be served upon the secretary or any other officer of the minor district. The board of supervisors and its officers of the minor district shall thereupon proceed to deliver to the secretary of the board of the major district all of its books, records and supplies it has on hand, and the treasurer of said minor district shall forthwith deliver to the treasurer of the major district all of the moneys and property in his hands and charged up to him, taking the receipt of the secretary of the major district therefor, which shall terminate the existence of the minor district.

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(L. 1961 p. 444 §§ 3 to 6)