35-2-422. Additional area within district; annexation; method.

(a) Whenever a hospital district has been established as provided by law, it may be enlarged by annexation of additional, contiguous territory within the county.

(b) Whenever a petition, signed by twenty-five percent (25%) of the registered electors residing within the area to be annexed in the county which is not part of an established hospital district in the county, is presented to the board of county commissioners of the county, the county commissioners shall within five (5) days request the board of trustees of the established hospital district either to approve or reject the petition.

(c) The board of trustees of the hospital district shall act upon the request within thirty (30) days. If no action is taken within that time, the petition is deemed rejected by the trustees. If the petition is accepted by the trustees, the board of county commissioners shall call an election within the county upon the question of whether the area described by the petition shall be annexed to the existing hospital district. The election shall be called for the next election date authorized under W.S. 22-21-103 which is not less than sixty (60) days after the petition is accepted and be conducted in accordance with the procedure for bond elections as provided by the Political Subdivision Bond Election Law, W.S. 22-21-101 through 22-21-112. The annexation is effective only if the question is approved by a majority of those voting thereon both within the existing hospital district and within the area described by the petition. The board of county commissioners shall by resolution declare the district expanded by the additional area and shall designate a name for the expanded hospital district.

(d) After the resolution declaring the existence of the expanded hospital district, the board of county commissioners shall call an election for the purpose of election of trustees of the hospital district as expanded. The board of trustees of the hospital district shall be qualified electors of the entire district so expanded. The election shall be called for a date determined by the board of county commissioners and shall be held in the manner provided by law for the first election of trustees of the original district. Trustees of the original district shall remain in office until the trustees of the expanded district are elected and qualified.