(1) Except as specified in section 37-46-114.5, before any
subdistrict is established under this article, a petition shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court of the county in which the territory to be included in the subdistrict, or the greater part of the territory is located, signed by the board of directors of the district or by a majority of the owners of land located within the limits of the territory proposed to be organized into a subdistrict.
(2) The petition shall set forth:
The proposed name of said subdistrict, whether it shall be designated "Water Users'Association No. .... in the Colorado River Water Conservation District", or "Special Improvement District No. .... in the Colorado River Water Conservation District";
That property within the proposed subdistrict will be benefited by the proposed reservoirs, ditches, canals, works, or other improvements and shall set forth in a general way the nature and estimated cost thereof, together with a general statement of the nature of the anticipated benefits to be derived therefrom;
A full description of the territory to be included in the proposed subdistrict. Thedescription need not be given by metes and bounds or by legal subdivision, but it shall be sufficient to enable a property owner to ascertain whether his property is within the territory proposed to be organized in a subdistrict. Such territory need not be contiguous, if it is so situated that the organization as a single subdistrict of the territory described is such as to promote one or more of the objectives of this article as to all parts of the area proposed to be included.
A general description of the methods proposed to finance the proposed works orother improvements, whether by revenue warrants pledging the income from the proposed works, special improvement bonds to be paid by special assessments on the property benefited in an amount on each tract of land not in excess of the appraised benefits, contracts of water users or water users' associations creating liens or mortgages on lands within the subdistrict, or general obligation bonds constituting a lien against the real property embraced in such subdistrict, and which indebtedness shall never be an obligation of the district itself. If general obligations are proposed, the petition shall allege and show that all lands in the subdistrict will be benefited in an amount not less than the total amount of general obligation bonds to be issued exclusive of interest.
If such a petition is filed by the board of directors of the district, it shall contain astatement to the effect that a majority of the landowners of the territory in the proposed subdistrict petitioned the board of directors to organize said subdistrict, and a copy of the petition of said landowners shall be attached as an exhibit to the petition for organization of the subdistrict.
The petition shall pray for the organization of a subdistrict by the name proposed.
To determine whether a majority of landowners in said district have signed the petition, in the event the petition is signed by landowners, or have petitioned the board of directors of the district, in the event the petition is filed by the board of directors, the court may require the county treasurer of each county in which territory proposed to be included in said subdistrict is situated to furnish a certified list of names of landowners within said area, and the court shall be governed by the names as they appear upon said copy of the tax roll, and the same shall be prima facie evidence of ownership, and, if said tax roll shows a majority of the landowners have signed the main petition or petitioned the district for said organization, the same shall be considered as prima facie evidence that a majority of said landowners are in favor of the organization of said proposed subdistrict.
Source: L. 37: p. 1009, § 9. CSA: C. 138, § 199(9). CRS 53: § 149-8-9. C.R.S. 1963: § 150-7-9. L. 2016: (1) amended, (SB 16-145), ch. 281, p. 1152, § 3, effective August 10.