The online versions of legislation provided on this website are not official. Enrolled bills are the final version passed by the Ohio General Assembly and presented to the Governor for signature. The official version of acts signed by the Governor are available from the Secretary of State's Office in the Continental Plaza, 180 East Broad St., Columbus.
|
H. B. No. 494 As IntroducedAs Introduced
127th General Assembly | Regular Session | 2007-2008 |
| |
Cosponsors:
Representatives Brady, Luckie, Williams, B., Otterman, J., Yuko
A BILL
To amend sections 6115.04, 6115.05, 6115.06, 6115.08,
6115.16, 6115.46, and 6115.69 and
to enact
sections 6115.051, 6115.081, 6115.082, 6115.091,
6115.092,
6115.093, 6115.094, 6115.095, 6115.096,
and 6115.321 of the
Revised
Code to revise the
law governing sanitary
districts that are
organized wholly for the
reduction of populations
of biting arthropods.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 6115.04, 6115.05, 6115.06, 6115.08,
6115.16, 6115.46, and 6115.69 be
amended and sections 6115.051,
6115.081, 6115.082, 6115.091, 6115.092, 6115.093, 6115.094,
6115.095, 6115.096, and
6115.321 of
the Revised Code be enacted
to
read as follows:
Sec. 6115.04. The court of common pleas of any county in
this state, when the conditions stated in section 6115.05 or
6115.051 of the
Revised Code, as applicable, are found to exist,
may establish sanitary districts
within the county in which the
court is located. Districts
partly
within and partly without such
county may also be
established by a
court comprised of one judge
of the court of
common pleas from
each county having area within
the district, as
provided in
section 6115.08 or 6115.081 of the
Revised Code, as applicable.
If there are but two judges who sit as a court under this
section, and the judges are unable to agree as to the
establishment of such district or upon any other question left
for
their decision, then a third judge from a disinterested
county
shall be appointed by the chief justice of the supreme
court,
which judge shall sit with the other two judges, and the
decisions
of a majority of the judges shall be final.
Compensation for such
judge shall be fixed by the chief justice.
Sanitary districts may be established for any of the
following purposes:
(A) To prevent and correct the pollution of streams;
(B) To clean and improve stream channels for sanitary
purposes;
(C) To regulate the flow of streams for sanitary purposes;
(D) To provide for the collection and disposal of sewage
and
other liquid wastes produced within the district;
(E) To provide a water supply for domestic, municipal, and
public use within the district, and incident to those purposes
and
to enable their accomplishment to construct reservoirs, trunk
sewers, intercepting sewers, siphons, pumping stations, wells,
intakes, pipe lines, purification works, and treatment and
disposal
works, to maintain, operate, and repair the same, to
acquire
additional water supplies by purchase, and to do all other
things
necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes of sections
6115.01
to 6115.79 of the Revised Code;
(F) To reduce populations of biting arthropods and abate
their breeding places, and incident to those purposes to purchase
supplies, materials, and equipment, to employ technicians and
laborers, to build, construct, maintain, and repair such
structures, devices, and improvements, to conduct studies and
surveys of the populations of biting arthropods and of the
incidence or spread within or among human or animal populations
of
diseases transmitted by biting arthropods, and to do such
other
things as are necessary or desirable to accomplish those
purposes;
(G) To collect and dispose of garbage;
(H) To collect and dispose of any other refuse that may
become a menace to health.
Sec. 6115.05. Before any court establishes a sanitary
district
as outlined in section 6115.04 of the Revised Code, a
petition
shall be filed in the office of the clerk of said the
court, signed
by five hundred freeholders, or by a majority of the
freeholders, or by the owners of more than half of the property,
in either acreage or value, within the limits of the territory
proposed to be organized into a district. Such a petition may
be
signed by the governing body of any public corporation lying
wholly or partly within the proposed district, in such manner as
it prescribes, and when so signed by such governing body such a
petition on the part of said the governing body shall fill all the
requirements of representation upon such petition of the
freeholders
of such public corporation, as they appear upon the
tax
duplicate; and thereafter it is not necessary for individuals
within said the public corporation to sign such a petition. Such a
petition may also be signed by railroads and other corporations
owning lands.
Such petition may be filed by any city interested in some
degree
in the improvement, upon proper action by its governing
body.
Property in each political subdivision wholly or partly
included
in the proposed district shall be represented by the
signers of
the petition provided for by this section.
The petition for the establishment of a district to provide a
water supply for domestic, municipal, and public use shall be
signed by the governing body of each municipal corporation, or
part thereof included in the proposed district, or by a majority
of the freeholders of political subdivisions or parts thereof
included in the proposed district and lying outside municipal
corporations, and shall also be signed by the public service
corporation which that may be supplying water to the inhabitants
of
such political subdivisions under franchise granted by the
governing bodies thereof.
The petition shall set forth the proposed name of said the
district,
the necessity for the proposed work and that it will be
conducive to the public health, safety, comfort, convenience,
or
welfare, and a general description of the purpose of the
contemplated improvement, and of the territory to be included in
the proposed district. Said The description need not be given by
metes and bounds or by legal subdivisions, but it is sufficient
if
a generally accurate description is given of the territory to
be
organized as a district. Said The territory shall include two or
more political subdivisions or portions thereof, and, except as
a
subdistrict provided for by section 6115.69 of the Revised
Code,
shall not be included wholly within the limits of a single
municipal corporation. Said The territory need not be contiguous,
provided that it is so situated that the public health, safety,
comfort, convenience, or welfare will be promoted by the
organization as a single district of the territory described.
Said The petition shall pray for the organization of the district
by
the name proposed.
No petition with the requisite signatures shall be declared
void
because of alleged defects, but the court may at any time
permit
the petition to be amended in form and substance to conform
to
the facts by correcting any errors in the description of the
territory, or in any other particular. Several similar
petitions
or duplicate copies of the same petition for the
organization of
the same district may be filed and shall
together be regarded as
one petition. All such petitions filed
prior to the hearing on
said the petition shall be considered by the
court as though they
had been filed with the first petition
placed on file.
In determining when a majority of landowners has signed the
petition, the court shall be governed by the names as they
appear
upon the tax duplicate, which shall be prima-facie
evidence of
such ownership.
This section does not apply to a sanitary district that is
proposed to be organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods. Instead, section 6115.051 of the Revised
Code applies to such a sanitary district.
Sec. 6115.051. (A) Before a court establishes a sanitary
district that is to be organized wholly for the reduction of
populations of biting arthropods as outlined in section 6115.04 of
the Revised Code, a petition shall be filed in the office of the
clerk of the court, signed by the lesser of five hundred
registered voters or ten per cent of the electors who voted for
the office of governor within the political subdivision in the
most recent gubernatorial election in each political subdivision
in which any portion of the sanitary district is proposed to be
located.
(B)(1) The petition shall set forth the proposed name of the
sanitary district, the purpose for the creation of the sanitary
district, and a general description of the territory to be
included in the proposed sanitary district. The description need
not be given by metes and bounds or by legal subdivisions, but it
is sufficient if a generally accurate description is given of the
territory to be organized as a sanitary district. The territory
shall include two or more political subdivisions or portions
thereof and shall not be included wholly within the limits of a
single municipal corporation. The territory need not be
contiguous, provided that it is so situated that the public
health, safety, comfort, convenience, or welfare will be promoted
by the organization as a single sanitary district of the territory
described.
(2) The petition shall request the organization of the
sanitary district by the name proposed.
(C) No petition with the requisite signatures shall be
declared void because of alleged defects, but the court at any
time may permit the petition to be amended in form and substance
to conform to the facts by correcting any errors in the
description of the territory or in any other particular. Several
similar petitions or duplicate copies of the same petition for the
organization of the same sanitary district may be filed and shall
together be regarded as one petition. All such petitions that are
filed prior to the election on the petition shall be considered by
the court as though they had been filed with the first petition
placed on file.
(D) After receiving the petition with the requisite number of
signatures, the court shall submit the names and signatures of the
petitioners to the appropriate boards of elections of the counties
in which the petitioners reside for verification of the petition
signatures. The boards of elections shall notify the court of the
sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition. If the petition
contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, the court shall
follow the procedures established in section 6115.081 of the
Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.06. At the time of filing the petition provided
for
in section 6115.05 of the Revised Code, or at any time
subsequent thereto and prior to the time of the hearing on said
the
petition, a bond shall be filed, with security approved by the
court, sufficient to pay all the expenses connected with the
proceedings in case the court refuses to organize the sanitary
district. If at any time during the proceeding the court is
satisfied that the bond first executed is insufficient in
amount,
it may require the execution of an additional bond
within a time
to be fixed, which shall be not less than ten days
distant, and
upon failure of the petitioners to execute such
additional bond
the petition shall be dismissed.
This section does not apply to a sanitary district that is
proposed to be organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods. Instead, section 6115.082 of the Revised
Code applies to such a sanitary district.
Sec. 6115.08. Any owner of real property in a proposed
sanitary
district who individually has not signed a petition under
section 6115.05 of the Revised Code, and who wishes to object to
the organization and incorporation of said the district shall, on
or
before the date set for the cause to be heard, file his the
owner's
objections to the organization and incorporation of such
district. Such objections shall be limited to a denial of the
statements in the petition, and shall be heard by the court as
an
advanced case without unnecessary delay.
Upon the hearing, if it appears that the purposes of sections
6115.01 to 6115.79, inclusive, of the Revised Code, would be
subserved served by the creation of a district, the court, after
disposing of all objections as justice and equity require, shall
by its findings, duly entered of record, adjudicate all
questions
of jurisdiction, declare the district organized, and
give it a
corporate name by which in all proceedings it shall
thereafter be
known. A district so organized shall be a
political subdivision of
the state and a body corporate with all
the powers of a
corporation, and shall have perpetual existence,
with power to sue
and be sued, to incur debts, liabilities, and
obligations, to
exercise the right of eminent domain and of
taxation and
assessment as provided in such sections, to issue
bonds, and to do
all acts necessary and proper for the carrying
out of the purposes
for which the district was created and for
executing the powers
with which it is invested.
In such decree, the court shall designate the place where the
office or principal place of business of the district shall be
located, which shall be within the corporate limits of the
district if practicable, and which may be changed by order of
court. The regular meetings of the board of directors of the
district shall be held at such office or place of business, but
for cause may be adjourned to any other convenient place. The
official records and files of the district shall be kept at the
office so established.
If the court finds that the property set out in said the
petition
should not be incorporated into a district, it shall
dismiss
said the proceedings, and adjudge the costs against the
signers of
the petition in the proportion of the interest
represented by
them.
After an order is entered establishing the district, such
order
is final and binding upon the real property within the
district
and finally and conclusively establishes the regular
organization of such district against all persons except the
state
upon suit commenced by the attorney general. Any such
suit must
shall be commenced within three months after said the decree
declaring such district organized. The organization of said the
district shall not be directly or collaterally questioned in any
suit, action, or proceeding except as expressly authorized in
sections 6115.01 to 6115.79, inclusive, of the Revised Code.
In the case of a district lying in more than one county, one
judge of the court of common pleas of each of the counties
having
land in the district shall sit as a court in the
courthouse where
the original petition was filed to make the
findings required by
this section and by section 6115.16 of the
Revised Code. A
majority of said the judges shall be necessary to
render a
decision.
This section does not apply to a sanitary district that is
proposed to be organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods unless the board of health of a health
district having jurisdiction within the territory in which the
sanitary district is proposed to be located issues an order under
section 3709.20 or 3709.21 of the Revised Code, as applicable,
declaring a health emergency that requires the reduction of
populations of biting arthropods.
Sec. 6115.081. (A) If it appears that the purposes of this
chapter would be served by the creation of a sanitary district
that is to be organized wholly for the reduction of populations of
biting arthropods, the court shall submit the question of whether
such a sanitary district shall be created to the electors residing
within the territory in which the sanitary district is proposed to
be located.
(B) The court shall certify a copy of the court order
proposing to create the sanitary district to the board of
elections of each county in which any territory of the proposed
sanitary district is located. The board of elections of each such
county shall make the necessary arrangements for the submission of
the question to the electors of the proposed sanitary district on
the day specified in the order and occurring not less than
seventy-five days after the order is certified to the board of
elections. The election shall be held, canvassed, and certified in
the same manner as regular elections for the election of county
officers.
(C) Notice of the election shall be published in one or more
newspapers that, in the aggregate, are of general circulation in
the territory of the proposed sanitary district. The notice of the
election shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks
prior to the election. If an applicable board of elections
operates and maintains a web site, notice of the election also
shall be posted on that web site for thirty days prior to the
election. The notice shall state the purpose for the creation of
the sanitary district and the time and place of the election.
(D) The form of the ballot cast at the election shall be as
follows:
"Shall a sanitary district organized wholly for the reduction
of populations of biting arthropods be created encompassing
property located within the ........ (name of political
subdivisions)?
|
|
For the creation |
|
|
|
Against the creation |
" |
(E)(1) If a majority of the electors voting on the question
of creating the sanitary district vote in favor of the creation,
the court shall declare the sanitary district organized and give
it a corporate name by which it shall thereafter be known in all
proceedings. A sanitary district so organized is a political
subdivision of the state and a body corporate with all the powers
of a corporation and shall have perpetual existence, with power to
sue and be sued, to incur debts, liabilities, and obligations, to
exercise the right of eminent domain and of taxation and
assessment as provided in this chapter, to issue bonds, and to
perform all acts that are necessary and proper for carrying out
the purposes for which the sanitary district was created and for
executing the powers with which it is invested.
(2) In its decree, the court shall designate the place where
the office or principal place of business of the sanitary district
shall be located, which shall be within the corporate limits of
the sanitary district if practicable and which may be changed by
order of the court. The regular meetings of the board of directors
of the sanitary district shall be held at that office or place of
business, but for cause may be adjourned to any other convenient
place. The official records and files of the sanitary district
shall be kept at the office so established.
(3) After an order is entered establishing the sanitary
district, the order is final and binding on the real property
within the sanitary district. The organization of the sanitary
district shall not be directly or collaterally questioned in any
suit, action, or proceeding except as expressly authorized in this
chapter.
(4) In the case of a sanitary district lying in more than one
county, one judge of the court of common pleas of each of the
counties having land in the sanitary district shall sit as a court
in the courthouse where the original petition was filed for the
purposes of this section and to make the findings required by
section 6115.16 of the Revised Code. A majority of the judges
shall be necessary to render a decision.
(F)(1) If the creation of a sanitary district is approved in
an election that is held under this section, the court may charge
the sanitary district for any applicable election costs that the
court incurs under section 3501.17 of the Revised Code.
(2) If the creation of a sanitary district is not approved in
an election that is held under this section, the court may seek
reimbursement from the signers of the petition to create the
sanitary district in the proportion of the interest represented by
them for any applicable election costs that the court incurs under
section 3501.17 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.082. At the time of filing the petition provided
for in section 6115.051 of the Revised Code, or at any time
subsequent to the filing and prior to the election on the
petition, a bond shall be filed, with security approved by the
court, sufficient to pay all of the expenses connected with the
proceedings in case the electors voting on the question of
creating a sanitary district in accordance with section 6115.081
of the Revised Code vote against the creation of the sanitary
district. If at any time during the proceeding the court is
satisfied that the bond first executed is insufficient in amount,
it may require the execution of an additional bond within a time
to be fixed, which shall be not less than ten days distant, and
upon failure of the petitioners to execute the additional bond,
the petition shall be dismissed.
Sec. 6115.091. (A) If the board of directors of a sanitary
district that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods wishes to expand the sanitary district beyond
its existing territory, the board shall file a petition in the
office of the clerk of the court, signed by the lesser of five
hundred registered voters or ten per cent of the electors who
voted for the office of governor within the political subdivision
in the most recent gubernatorial election in each political
subdivision in which any portion of the sanitary district is
located and in each political subdivision in which any territory
is located that is proposed to be included in the sanitary
district by expansion.
(B)(1) The petition shall set forth the reason for the
expansion of the sanitary district and a general description of
the territory that is proposed to be included in the sanitary
district. The description need not be given by metes and bounds or
by legal subdivisions, but it is sufficient if a generally
accurate description is given of the territory that is proposed to
be included in the sanitary district. The territory in the
proposed expansion need not be contiguous to the territory that is
located in the sanitary district, provided that the expanded
territory is so situated that the public health, safety, comfort,
convenience, or welfare will be promoted by the inclusion of the
territory described.
(2) The petition shall request that the sanitary district be
expanded to include the territory described in the petition.
(C) No petition with the requisite signatures shall be
declared void because of alleged defects, but the court at any
time may permit the petition to be amended in form and substance
to conform to the facts by correcting any errors in the
description of the territory or in any other particular. Several
similar petitions or duplicate copies of the same petition for the
expansion of the sanitary district may be filed and shall together
be regarded as one petition. All such petitions that are filed
prior to the election on the petition shall be considered by the
court as though they had been filed with the first petition placed
on file.
(D) After receiving the petition with the requisite number of
signatures, the court shall submit the names and signatures of the
petitioners to the appropriate boards of elections of the counties
in which the petitioners reside for verification of the petition
signatures. The boards of elections shall notify the court of the
sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition. If the petition
contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, the court shall
follow the procedures established in section 6115.092 of the
Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.092. (A) If it appears that the purposes of this
chapter would be served by the expansion of a sanitary district
that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations of
biting arthropods, the court shall submit the question of whether
such a sanitary district shall be expanded to the electors
residing in the sanitary district and in the territory that is
proposed to be included in the sanitary district by expansion.
(B) The court shall certify a copy of the court order
proposing to expand the sanitary district to the board of
elections of each county in which any territory that is included
in the sanitary district or that is proposed to be included in the
sanitary district is located. The board of elections of each such
county shall make the necessary arrangements for the submission of
the question to the electors of the sanitary district or of the
proposed expansion of the sanitary district, as applicable, on the
day specified in the order and occurring not less than
seventy-five days after the order is certified to the board of
elections. The election shall be held, canvassed, and certified in
the same manner as regular elections for the election of county
officers.
(C) Notice of the election shall be published in one or more
newspapers that, in the aggregate, are of general circulation in
the sanitary district and in the territory that is proposed to be
included in the sanitary district. The notice of the election
shall be published once a week for two consecutive
weeks prior to
the election. If an applicable board of elections
operates and
maintains a web site, notice of the election also
shall be posted
on that web site for thirty days prior to the
election. The
notice shall state the purpose for the expansion of
the sanitary
district and the time and place of the election.
(D) The form of the ballot cast at the election shall be as
follows:
"Shall the .......... (name of sanitary district) be expanded
to include property located within the .......... (name of
political subdivisions)?
|
|
For the expansion |
|
|
|
Against the expansion |
" |
(E) If a majority of the electors voting on the question of
expanding the sanitary district vote in favor of the expansion,
the court shall declare that the territory that is proposed to be
included in the expansion is part of the sanitary district. The
court may give the sanitary district a new corporate name that
includes the expanded territory by which it shall thereafter be
known in all proceedings.
(F) Whether the expansion of a sanitary district is approved
or not approved in an election that is held under this section,
the court may charge the sanitary district for any applicable
election costs that the court incurs under section 3501.17 of the
Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.093. (A) If the board of directors of a sanitary
district that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods receives a petition for the withdrawal of a
political subdivision from the sanitary district, signed by the
lesser of five hundred registered voters or ten per cent of the
electors who voted for the office of governor within the political
subdivision in the most recent gubernatorial election in the
political subdivision, the board shall file the petition in the
office of the clerk of the court.
(B) The petition shall set forth the reason for the
withdrawal of the political subdivision from the sanitary district
and shall request the withdrawal of the political subdivision from
the sanitary district.
(C) No petition with the requisite signatures shall be
declared void because of alleged defects, but the court at any
time may permit the petition to be amended in form and substance
to conform to the facts by correcting any errors in the
description of the territory or in any other particular. Several
similar petitions or duplicate copies of the same petition for the
withdrawal of a political subdivision from the sanitary district
may be filed and shall together be regarded as one petition. All
such petitions that are filed prior to the election on the
petition shall be considered by the court as though they had been
filed with the first petition placed on file.
(D) After receiving the petition with the requisite number of
signatures, the court shall submit the names and signatures of the
petitioners to the appropriate boards of elections of the counties
in which the petitioners reside for verification of the petition
signatures. The boards of elections shall notify the court of the
sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition. If the petition
contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, the court shall
follow the procedures established in section 6115.094 of the
Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.094. (A) If the applicable boards of elections
notify the court that a petition to withdraw a political
subdivision from a sanitary district that is organized wholly for
the reduction of populations of biting arthropods contains a
sufficient number of valid signatures as provided in section
6115.093 of the Revised Code, the court shall submit the question
of whether the political subdivision shall withdraw from the
sanitary district to the electors residing in the political
subdivision.
(B) The court shall certify a copy of the court order
proposing the withdrawal of the political subdivision from the
sanitary district to the board of elections of each county in
which any territory of the political subdivision is located. The
board of elections of each such county shall make the necessary
arrangements for the submission of the question to the electors of
the proposed withdrawal of the political subdivision from the
sanitary district on the day specified in the order and occurring
not less than seventy-five days after the order is certified to
the board of elections. The election shall be held, canvassed, and
certified in the same manner as regular elections for the election
of county officers.
(C) Notice of the election shall be published in one or more
newspapers that, in the aggregate, are of general circulation in
the political subdivision that is proposed to be withdrawn from
the sanitary district. The notice of the election shall be
published once a week for two consecutive weeks prior to the
election. If an applicable board of elections operates and
maintains a web site, notice of the election also shall be posted
on that web site for thirty days prior to the election. The notice
shall state the reason for the withdrawal of the political
subdivision from the sanitary district and the time and place of
the election.
(D) The form of the ballot cast at the election shall be as
follows:
"Shall the .......... (name of the political subdivision) be
withdrawn from the .......... (name of sanitary district)?
|
|
For the withdrawal |
|
|
|
Against the withdrawal |
" |
(E) If a majority of the electors voting on the question of
withdrawing the political subdivision from the sanitary district
vote in favor of the withdrawal, the court shall declare the
political subdivision withdrawn from the sanitary district. The
withdrawal shall take effect one year after the electors vote in
favor of the withdrawal. The court shall conclude the affairs of
the political subdivision with regard to the sanitary district.
For that purpose, all the claims, demands, or interests of
creditors or claimants shall be determined as of the day on which
the court declares the political subdivision withdrawn from the
sanitary district.
(F) Whether the withdrawal of a political subdivision from a
sanitary district is approved or not approved in an election that
is held under this section, the court may charge the political
subdivision for any applicable election costs that the court
incurs under section 3501.17 of the Revised Code.
(G) If a political subdivision withdraws from a sanitary
district that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods under this section and the sanitary district
then consists of only one political subdivision, the requirement
in section 6115.051 of the Revised Code that the territory in such
a sanitary district include two or more political subdivisions or
portions thereof does not apply to that sanitary district.
Sec. 6115.095. (A) If the board of directors of a sanitary
district that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods receives a petition for the dissolution of
the sanitary district, signed by the lesser of five hundred
registered voters or ten per cent of the electors who voted for
the office of governor within the political subdivision in the
most recent gubernatorial election in each political subdivision
that has territory that is included in the sanitary district, the
board shall file the petition in the office of the clerk of the
court.
(B) The petition shall set forth the reason for the
dissolution of the sanitary district and shall request the
dissolution of the sanitary district.
(C) No petition with the requisite signatures shall be
declared void because of alleged defects, but the court at any
time may permit the petition to be amended in form and substance
to conform to the facts by correcting any errors in the
description of the territory or in any other particular. Several
similar petitions or duplicate copies of the same petition for the
dissolution of the sanitary district may be filed and shall
together be regarded as one petition. All such petitions that are
filed prior to the election on the petition shall be considered by
the court as though they had been filed with the first petition
placed on file.
(D) After receiving the petition with the requisite number of
signatures, the court shall submit the names and signatures of the
petitioners to the appropriate boards of elections of the counties
in which the petitioners reside for verification of the petition
signatures. The boards of elections shall notify the court of the
sufficiency or insufficiency of the petition. If the petition
contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, the court shall
follow the procedures established in section 6115.096 of the
Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.096. (A) If the applicable boards of elections
notify the court that a petition to dissolve a sanitary district
that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations of
biting arthropods contains a sufficient number of valid signatures
as provided in section 6115.095 of the Revised Code, the court
shall submit the question of whether such a sanitary district
shall be dissolved to the electors residing in the sanitary
district.
(B) The court shall certify a copy of the court order
proposing to dissolve the sanitary district to the board of
elections of each county in which any territory of the sanitary
district is located. The board of elections of each such county
shall make the necessary arrangements for the submission of the
question to the electors of the proposed dissolution of the
sanitary district on the day specified in the order and occurring
not less than seventy-five days after the order is certified to
the board of elections. The election shall be held, canvassed, and
certified in the same manner as regular elections for the election
of county officers.
(C) Notice of the election shall be published in one or more
newspapers that, in the aggregate, are of general circulation in
the sanitary district. The notice of the election shall be
published once a week for two consecutive weeks prior to the
election. If an applicable board of elections operates and
maintains a web site, notice of the election also shall be posted
on that web site for thirty days prior to the election. The notice
shall state the reason for the dissolution of the sanitary
district and the time and place of the election.
(D) The form of the ballot cast at the election shall be as
follows:
"Shall the .......... (name of sanitary district) be
dissolved?
|
|
For the dissolution |
|
|
|
Against the dissolution |
" |
(E) If a majority of the electors voting on the question of
dissolving the sanitary district vote in favor of the dissolution,
the court shall declare the sanitary district dissolved. The
dissolution shall take effect one year after the electors vote in
favor of the dissolution. The court shall conclude the affairs of
the sanitary district. For that purpose, all the claims, demands,
or interests of creditors or claimants shall be determined as of
the day on which the court declares the sanitary district
dissolved.
(F) Whether the dissolution of a sanitary district is
approved or not approved in an election that is held under this
section, the court may charge the sanitary district for any
applicable election costs that the court incurs under section
3501.17 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.16. Upon its qualification, the board of
directors
of a sanitary district shall prepare a plan for the
improvement
for which the district was created. The plan shall
include such
maps, profiles, plans, and other data and
descriptions as are
necessary to set forth properly the location
and character of the
work, and of the property benefited or taken
or damaged, with
estimates of cost. In the case of a district
organized wholly or
partly for the reduction of populations of
biting arthropods, the
plan is sufficient if it includes a
description, in general terms,
of the methods of reducing such
populations to be utilized, and it
shall not be necessary to
indicate in the plan the particular
parcels of land in the
district where the physical structures,
devices, or improvements
incident to the reduction of such
populations are to be
constructed or where the labor incident to
the reduction of
biting arthropod populations will be employed.
In the preparation of the plan, the board may recognize the
necessity of future extensions and enlargements that may result
from enlargements of the area of the district, in order that the
district improvements may be designed to meet properly the
increased demands. The plan for a water supply for domestic,
municipal, and public use shall be prepared with recognition of
an
equitable apportionment of the available supply to each
political
subdivision within the district. If the purposes for
which the
district was established include both improved
sanitation and
improved water supply, a plan shall be prepared for
each purpose.
If the board finds that any former survey made by any other
district or in any other manner is useful for the purposes of the
district, the board may take over the data secured by such
survey,
or such other proceedings as is are useful to it, and may pay
therefor an amount equal to the value of such data to the
district.
Upon the completion of the plan, the board shall submit it
to
the environmental protection agency for approval. In deciding
whether to approve or reject the plan, the agency shall consider,
among other factors, the protection of the public health, and
compliance with air and water quality standards and regulations
and solid waste disposal requirements. If the agency rejects the
plan, the board shall proceed as in the first instance under this
section to prepare another plan. If the agency refers the plan
to
the board for amendment, the board shall prepare and submit an
amended plan to the agency. If the agency approves the plan, a
copy of the action of the agency shall be filed with the
secretary
of the district and by him the secretary incorporated
into the
records of the district.
Upon the approval of the plan by the agency, the board
shall
cause notice by publication to be given in each county of
the
district of the completion of the plan, and shall permit the
inspection of the plan at its office by all persons interested.
The notice shall fix the time and place for the hearing of all
objections to the plan, which shall be not less than twenty nor
more than thirty days after the last publication of the notice.
All objections to the plan shall be in writing and filed with the
secretary at his the secretary's office not more than ten days
after the last
publication of the notice. After the hearing before
the board,
the board shall adopt the plan as the official plan of
the
district. If any persons object to the official plan, so
adopted, then those persons may, within ten days from the
adoption
of the official plan, file their objections in writing,
specifying
the features of the plan to which they object, in the
original
case establishing the district in the office of the
clerk of the
court, who shall fix a day for the hearing of the
objections
before the court, which shall be not less than twenty
nor more
than thirty days after the time fixed for filing
objections, at
which time the judges, sitting as a court as
provided in section
6115.08 or 6115.081 of the Revised Code, as applicable, for the
organization of the district, shall meet at the courthouse of the
county where the original case is pending and hear the objections
and adopt, reject, or refer back the plan to the board. A
majority
of the judges shall control. If the court rejects the
plan, the
board shall proceed as in the first instance under this
section to
prepare another plan. If the court refers the plan to
the board
for amendment, then the court shall continue the
hearing to a day
certain without publication of notice. If the
court approves the
plan as the official plan of the district, a
certified copy of the
journal of the court shall be filed with
the secretary, and by him
the secretary incorporated into the
records of the
district.
The official plan may be altered in detail until the
assessment roll is filed, and of all the alterations the board of
appraisers of the sanitary district shall take notice. After the
assessment roll has been filed in court, no alterations of the
official plan shall be made except as provided in section 6115.40
of the Revised Code.
The board of directors of a sanitary district shall have
full
power and authority to devise, prepare for, execute,
maintain, and
operate all works or improvements necessary or
desirable to
complete, maintain, operate, and protect the
official plan. It may
secure and use men personnel and
equipment under the
supervision
of the chief engineer or other agents, or it may let
contracts for
such works, either as a whole or in parts.
Sec. 6115.321. Sections 6115.31 and 6115.32 of the Revised
Code do not apply to the proposed inclusion of land in a sanitary
district that is organized wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods. Instead, such an inclusion is governed by
sections 6115.091 and 6115.092 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 6115.46. After the filing of a petition for the
organization of a sanitary district, and before the district is
organized, the costs of publication and other official costs of
the proceedings, other than the costs for an election that is held
under section 6115.081, 6115.092, 6115.094, or 6115.096 of the
Revised Code,
shall be paid out of the general funds of the
county in which the
petition is pending. Such payment shall be
made on the warrant of
the county auditor on the order of the
court. If the district is
organized, such cost shall be repaid
to
the county out of the
first funds received by the district
through levying of taxes or
assessments or selling of bonds, or
the borrowing of money. If the
district is not organized, the
cost shall be collected from the
petitioners or their bondsmen
bondspersons.
Upon the organization
of the district, the court
shall make an
order indicating a
preliminary division of the
preliminary
expenses between the
counties included in the
district in
approximately the proportions
of interest of the
various counties
as estimated by the court. The
court shall issue
an order to the
auditor of each county to issue
his a warrant
upon the county
treasurer of his the auditor's
county to
reimburse the county
having paid the
total cost.
Expenses incurred after the organization of the district
and
prior to the receipt of money by the district from taxes or
assessments, bond sales, or otherwise, shall be paid from the
general funds of the counties upon the order of the court and
upon
certification of the clerk of the court of such order
specifying
the amount and purpose of the levy to the auditor of
each county,
who shall thereupon at once issue his a warrant to
the
treasurer
of his the auditor's county, said the payments to be made
in
proportion
to the order outlined by the court. Upon receipt of
funds by the
district from the sale of bonds or by taxation or
assessment, the
funds so advanced by the counties shall be repaid.
As soon as any district has been organized, and a board of
directors of the sanitary district has been appointed and
qualified, such board may levy upon the property of the district
not to exceed three-tenths of a mill on the assessed valuation
thereof as a level rate to be used for the purpose of paying
expenses of organization, for surveys and plans, and for other
incidental expenses which that may be necessary up to the time
money
is received from the sale of bonds or otherwise. This tax
shall
be certified to the auditors of the various counties and by
them
to the respective treasurers of their counties. If such items
of
expense have already been paid in whole or in part from other
sources, they may be repaid although the work proposed may have
been found impracticable or for other reasons is abandoned. The
collection of such tax levy and the procedure relating to the
nonpayment of taxes shall conform in all matters to the
collection
of taxes and assessments for the district. The board
may borrow
money in any manner provided for in sections 6115.47
and 6115.50
of the Revised Code, and may pledge the receipts from
such taxes
or, in the case of a sanitary district organized for
the purpose
of providing a water supply, the proceeds of the sale
of water
pursuant to section 6115.62 of the Revised Code for its
repayment,
the information collected by the necessary surveys,
the appraisal
of benefits and damages, and other information and
data being of
real value and constituting benefits for which the
tax may be
levied. In case a district is disbanded for any cause
before the
work is constructed, the data, plans, and estimates
which that
have been secured shall be filed with the clerk of the
court
before which the district was organized and shall be
matters of
public record available to any person interested.
The procedures and requirements established in this
section
apply to the expansion of a sanitary
district that is organized
wholly for the reduction of populations
of biting arthropods.
Sec. 6115.69. Whenever it is desired to construct
improvements
wholly within or partly within and partly without any
sanitary district, which
improvements will affect only a part of
said the district, for the
purpose of accomplishing such work,
subdistricts may be
organized upon petition of the owners of real
property within or
partly within and partly without the district.
Such petition
shall fulfill the same requirements concerning the
subdistricts
as the petition outlined in section 6115.05 of the
Revised Code
is required to fulfill concerning the organization of
the main
district, shall be filed with the clerk of the same court
of
common pleas, and shall be accompanied by a bond as provided
for
in section 6115.06 of the Revised Code. All proceedings
relating to the organization of such subdistricts shall conform
in
all things to sections 6115.01 to 6115.79, inclusive, of the
Revised Code, relating to the organization of districts.
Whenever
the court by its order entered of record decrees such
subdistricts
to be organized, the clerk of said the court shall
thereupon give
notice of such order to the board of directors of
the sanitary
district, which shall thereupon act also as the
board of directors
of the subdistrict. Thereafter, the
proceedings in reference to
the subdistrict shall in all matters
conform to such sections;,
except that in appraisal of benefits
and damages for the purposes
of such subdistricts, in the
issuance of bonds, in the levying of
assessments or taxes, and
in all other matters affecting only the
subdistrict, such
sections shall apply to this subdistrict as
though it were an
independent district, and it shall not, in these
things, be
amalgamated with the main district.
The board of directors, board of appraisers, chief engineer,
attorney, secretary of the sanitary district, and other
officers,
agents, and employees of the district shall, so far as
it is
necessary, serve in the same capacity for such
subdistricts, and
contracts and agreements between the main
district and the
subdistrict may be made in the same manner as
contracts and
agreements between two districts. The
distribution of
administrative expense between the main district
and subdistrict
shall be in proportion to the interests involved
and the amount of
service rendered. Such division shall be made
by the board of
directors with an appeal to the court
establishing the district.
This section does not prevent the
organization of independent
districts for local improvements
under other laws within the
limits of a district organized under
sections 6115.01 to 6115.79,
inclusive, of the Revised Code, as
provided in sections 6115.66
and 6115.67 of the Revised Code.
This section does not apply to a sanitary district that is
organized wholly for the reduction of populations of biting
arthropods.
Section 2. That existing sections 6115.04, 6115.05, 6115.06,
6115.08, 6115.16, 6115.46, and 6115.69 of the Revised Code are
hereby repealed.
|
|