21-18-310. Annexation of additional counties into district; annexation election.

(a) Established community college districts may be enlarged by annexing additional counties as provided in this section. A county may be annexed under this section to an existing community college district with which it is contiguous or any other community college district approved by the community college commission.

(b) Upon receipt of a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the qualified electors residing within the county sought to be annexed requesting that the county be annexed to the community college district or upon receipt of a resolution calling for annexation by the board of county commissioners of the county sought to be annexed, the community college district board shall within ten (10) days following receipt, approve or deny the petition or resolution. If approved, the district board shall request an election to be held in the county seeking annexation in accordance with the dates and procedures provided by W.S. 22-21-103 through 22-21-110. The number of electors required for a petition shall be determined by the number of votes cast at the last general election.

(c) The community college district board shall pay all costs incident to the election.

(d) The ballot in an election for annexation of any county to an existing community college district shall state the question in substantially the following form:

(i) "Shall .... County, Wyoming be annexed to the established .... Community College District, giving .... Community College District the authority to levy a tax not to exceed four (4) mills on the assessed value of the county and in addition, to impose a levy of .... mills (not to exceed five (5) mills) on the assessed value of the county as previously approved by the district electors and imposed under W.S. 21-18-311(f), all revenues of which shall be used for the operation and maintenance of the Community College located at ...., Wyoming?"

Annexation and mill levy YES 

Annexation and mill levy NO 

(e) Only qualified voters residing within the county to be annexed shall be allowed to vote in the election.

(f) If the annexation is approved by the voters of the county to be annexed:

(i) The county clerk shall immediately notify the county commissioners and the county commissioners shall levy the special mill tax in the manner provided by law;

(ii) The community college district board shall immediately and by resolution partition the enlarged district into election subdistricts to provide for board representation based upon population and shall designate the number of board members to be elected from each subdistrict in accordance with the population of the enlarged district and the respective election subdistricts. In accordance with W.S. 21-18-308(a), the board of the enlarged district shall be comprised of not more than seven (7) members;

(iii) An election of members of the board of trustees of the enlarged community college district shall be held as determined by the board of county commissioners, on a date which is not less than sixty (60) days following the date annexation is approved based upon the apportionment by the board under paragraph (f)(ii) of this section. Nominations to the board of the enlarged district shall be submitted in substantially the same manner as prescribed under W.S. 21-18-312(j) for initial community college district boards and the election shall be otherwise conducted as provided by law. Terms of office of board members filled prior to the date annexation is approved shall expire at 12:00 noon on the first day immediately following the election of board members of the enlarged district. Initial terms of trustees to be elected to the enlarged community college district board shall begin on the first day immediately following the election and shall be for not less than two (2) or not less than four (4) years as determined by the board as necessary to coincide with the terms of office prescribed under W.S. 22-22-102. Not more than four (4) initial members shall be elected for terms of not less than four (4) years and the board shall designate and report to the appropriate county clerk the length of term for each trustee office to be filled in the election. Thereafter, all terms shall be for four (4) years in accordance with W.S. 22-22-102;

(iv) The community college district board may contract to provide educational programs to the annexed county.

(g) Notwithstanding W.S. 21-18-314, a majority of the community college district board of an enlarged district may submit the question of issuing general obligation bonds for purposes enumerated under W.S. 21-18-314(a) to only the electors of the county in which the buildings, facilities or equipment are to be situated or to all electors of the enlarged district. If the bonding question is submitted only to the electors of the county in which the proposed facilities are to be located, the four percent (4%) limitation prescribed under W.S. 21-18-314(a) and the levy for payment of the bonds shall apply only to the assessed value of the voting county. The provisions of W.S. 21-18-314 and 21-18-315 governing general obligation bonds otherwise apply to any bonds issued under this section. A board of an enlarged district shall not use revenues collected under taxes imposed upon any annexed county for purposes of this subsection to pay interest and principal on any bonded indebtedness outstanding on or before the date of annexation.

(h) Annexation approved by the electors in accordance with this section shall remain in effect unless within four (4) years or by the second general election following initial adoption, whichever is later, the proposition is again submitted to and defeated by the electors of the annexed county. The proposition for continuing annexation shall be submitted only at an election held on a date authorized under W.S. 22-21-103 upon petition of the electors in the manner prescribed for an initial petition requesting annexation under subsection (b) of this section, except community college district board approval of the petition is not required prior to submission to the electors. If the proposition is submitted to the electors of the annexed county, the ballot shall state the question in substantially the following form:

(i) "Shall .... County, Wyoming, remain annexed to the established .... Community College District, extending .... Community College District authority to levy a tax not to exceed four (4) mills on the assessed value of the county for the operation and maintenance of the Community College located at ...., Wyoming?"

Continued Annexation and Mill Levy YES 

Continued Annexation and Mill Levy NO 

(j) If a proposition for continuing annexation under subsection (h) of this section is not approved, the county for which continued annexation is not approved shall be eliminated from the established community college district and:

(i) The county clerk shall immediately notify the county commissioners and the special mill levy imposed upon the assessed value of the county for the operation and maintenance of the community college shall terminate effective the end of that calendar year. This paragraph shall not apply to any levy which may be imposed for the payment of general obligation bonds issued by the enlarged district under subsection (g) of this section;

(ii) Any buildings, facilities or equipment of the community college district located within the county eliminated from the district shall remain the property of that district;

(iii) Any contract to which the community college district is a party and entered into prior to the defeat of continued annexation shall remain in force and effect for the period provided within the contract. The county commissioners of any county eliminated from the district shall be subject to any liability of the county under the contract;

(iv) An election of members of the board of trustees of the reduced district shall be held as determined by the board of county commissioners, on a date which is not less than sixty (60) days following the date continued annexation is defeated. The board of the reduced district shall be comprised of not more than seven (7) members and the election shall be held in accordance with law. Terms of office of board members filled prior to the date continued annexation is defeated shall expire at 12:00 noon of the first day immediately following the election of board members of the reduced district. The initial terms of office of trustees to be elected shall begin on the first day immediately following the election and shall be staggered in the manner prescribed under subsection (f) of this section.

(k) An area smaller than a county cannot be removed from a community college district.