130A-353. Nature of district; procedure for forming districts.

(a) A mosquito control district shall be a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision of the State. A mosquito control district may sue and be sued in its corporate name.

(b) If the proposed district lies wholly within a county, ten percent (10%) or more of the resident freeholders within the proposed district may petition the board of commissioners of the county in which the proposed district lies setting forth the boundaries of the district and a suggested name for the district. For the purposes of this Part, the term "freeholders" shall mean persons holding a deed to a tract of land within the district or proposed district, and also shall mean a person who has entered into a contract to purchase a tract of land within the district or proposed district, is making payments pursuant to a contract, and will receive a deed upon completion of the contractual payments. If the county board of commissioners considers the formation of the district to be in the interest of the public health, the board shall forward the petition to the Department. If the Department considers the formation of the district to be in the interest of the public health, the Department shall notify the county board of commissioners. Upon notification, the board shall give notice of a public hearing on the question of the formation of the district by advertising the time, place and purpose of the hearing once a week for four successive weeks prior to the hearing in a newspaper either published in the county or having a general circulation in the county. The public hearing shall be presided over by the chairman of the county board of commissioners and shall be attended by a representative of the Department. The hearing may be continued as may be necessary to hear the proponents and opponents of the formation of the district. If after the hearing, the county board of commissioners deem it advisable that the district be created, the board shall submit the question of whether or not the district shall be created to the voters residing within the proposed district at an election called for that purpose. Upon determining that the district should be created and established, and prior to the submission of the question of the formation of the district to the voters of the proposed district, the county board of commissioners may determine the maximum amount of special tax to be levied for mosquito control purposes should the formation of the district be approved by the voters. In no event shall the maximum authorized levy exceed thirty-five cents (35 ) upon the one hundred dollar ($100.00) assessed valuation. If the county board of commissioners determines that the maximum amount of special tax to be levied for mosquito control purposes is to be less than thirty-five cents (35 ) on the one hundred dollar ($100.00) valuation, the maximum amount must appear on the ballot to be used by the voters on the question of the creation of the district.

(c) Prior to the election, the county board of commissioners may make minor deviations in defining the boundaries of the proposed district if: (1) the board determines that minor deviation from the boundaries described in the petition is in the interest of public health; and (2) ten percent (10%) of the resident freeholders within the revised boundaries have signed the petition proposing the creation of the district or additional resident freeholders within the revised boundaries of the proposed district sign the petition to bring the total number of petitioners within the proposed revised boundaries to not less than ten percent (10%) of the voters therein.

(d) The county board of commissioners shall request the county board of elections to hold the election and shall pay the expense of the election. The election shall be held in accordance with the applicable provisions of Subchapter III of Chapter 163A of the General Statutes. Notice shall be given as provided in G.S. 163A-769(8).

(e) The form of the question to be stated on the ballot shall be in substantially the following words:

" FOR creation of the (here insert name) Mosquito Control District and the levy of a special tax (here insert the words "not to exceed" and the maximum amount of special tax to be levied for mosquito control purposes if the county board of commissioners has determined that the maximum authorized amount is to be less than thirty-five cents (35 ) on the one hundred dollar ($100.00) assessed valuation) for mosquito control purposes.

 AGAINST creation of the (here insert name) Mosquito Control District and the levy of a special tax (here insert the words "not to exceed" and the maximum amount of special tax to be levied for mosquito control purposes if the county board of commissioners has determined that the maximum authorized amount is to be less than thirty-five cents (35 ) on the one hundred dollar ($100.00) assessed valuation) for mosquito control purposes."

(f) If a majority of the voters voting at the election vote in favor of creation of the district and the levy of the special tax, the county board of commissioners shall declare the district created and shall adopt a resolution to that effect.

(g) In the event the proposed mosquito control district shall embrace lands lying in two or more counties, the petition signed by the requisite number of resident freeholders within the proposed district shall be addressed to the Department. If the Department deems the formation of the proposed district to be in the interest of the public health, the Department shall hold public hearings within the proposed district after first giving notice of the time and place of the hearings by publication once a week for four successive weeks in a newspaper published or circulated in the proposed district. A public hearing shall be held in the courthouse of each of the counties in which any part of the proposed district is situated. After the hearing, if the Department deems the formation of the district to be in the interest of the public health, the Department shall order an election to be held upon the question of the formation of the district after first advertising the time of the election in the manner provided in subsection (d). At the request of the Commission, the county commissioners of the counties in which the proposed district lies shall request the county board of elections to hold an election on the question with substantially the same form of ballot set forth in subsection (e). Each county shall bear the expense of the election held in that county. The board of elections shall certify the results to the county commissioners and the Commission. If a majority of the votes cast favor creation of the district and the levy of the special tax, the Commission shall declare the district created and the county commissioners shall enter the certification upon the minutes of the board. Registration shall be in accordance with G.S. 163A-1596.