Sec. 775.051. EXPANSION OF DISTRICT TERRITORY. (a) Qualified voters who own taxable real property in a defined territory that is not included in a district may file a petition with the secretary of the board requesting the inclusion of the territory in the district. The petition must be signed by at least 50 qualified voters who own taxable real property in the territory or a majority of those voters, whichever is less.

(b) The board by order shall set a time and place to hold a hearing on the petition to include the territory in the district. The hearing may be held not earlier than the 31st day after the date on which the board issues the order.

(c) The secretary of the board shall give notice of the hearing. The notice must contain the time and place for the hearing and a description of the territory proposed to be annexed into the district.

(d) The secretary shall:

(1) post copies of the notice in three public places in the district and one public place in the territory proposed to be annexed into the district for at least 15 days before the date of the hearing; and

(2) not later than the 16th day before the date on which the hearing will be held, publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.

(e) If after the hearing the board finds that annexation of the territory into the district would be feasible and would benefit the district, the board may approve the annexation by a resolution entered in its minutes. The board is not required to include all of the territory described in the petition if the board finds that a change is necessary or desirable.

(f) Annexation of territory is final when approved by a majority of the voters at an election held in the district and by a majority of the voters at a separate election held in the territory to be annexed. If the district has outstanding debts or taxes, the voters in the election to approve the annexation must also determine if the annexed territory will assume its proportion of the debts or taxes if added to the district.

(g) The election ballots shall be printed to provide for voting for or against the following, as applicable:

(1) "Adding (description of territory to be added) to the ____________ Emergency Services District."

(2) "(Description of territory to be added) assuming its proportionate share of the outstanding debts and taxes of the ____________ Emergency Services District, if it is added to the district."

(h) The election notice, the manner and time of giving the notice, and the manner of holding the election are governed by the other provisions of this chapter relating to those matters to the extent that those provisions can be made applicable.

Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 678, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.