160B-21. Notice of enactment of consolidation; limitation of actions.

(a) Publication of Notice of Enactment. - Following ratification of an act of the General Assembly authorizing consolidation, there shall be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county a notice of said enactment and, if applicable, the fact that in connection with said enactment there is an assumption by the consolidated city-county of the debt secured by a pledge of faith and credit of the consolidating city and, if applicable, assumption of the right to issue authorized but unissued debt secured by a pledge of faith and credit of the consolidating city and that there is also binding on the consolidated city-county the debt secured by a pledge of faith and credit of the county and, if applicable, there is vested in the consolidated city-county the right to issue authorized but unissued debt secured by a pledge of faith and credit of the county with the following statement appended:

"Any action or proceeding challenging the regularity or validity of this enactment must be begun within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice."

The notice shall be published by the governing bodies of the units proposed to be consolidated or, if applicable, the interim governing board of the consolidated city-county by their respective clerks or by such other persons as shall be designated by each applicable governing body or board.

(b) Limitation on Action Contesting Validity of Enactment of Consolidation. - Any action or proceeding in any court to set aside enactment of a city-county consolidation by the General Assembly, or to obtain any other relief, upon the grounds that the enactment is invalid or was irregularly enacted, must be begun within 30 days after the publication of the notice of the enactment. After the expiration of this period of limitation, no right of action or defense based upon the invalidity of the enactment or any irregularity in the enactment shall be asserted, nor shall the validity of the enactment be open to question in any court upon any grounds whatever, except in an action or proceeding begun within the period of limitation prescribed in this section.