(a) The board may call a special meeting of the district when it deems it necessary or prudent to do so and shall call a special meeting of the district when action by the voters is necessary under this chapter. In addition, the board shall call a special meeting upon receipt of a petition signed by at least five percent of the registered voters within the district, or upon request of at least 25 percent of district members evidenced by formal resolutions of the legislative bodies of such members or by petitions signed by at least five percent of the member's registered voters. The board may rescind the call of a special meeting called by it but not a special meeting called as provided in this subsection. The board may schedule the date of such special meetings to coincide with the date of annual municipal meetings, primary elections, general elections, or similar meetings when the electorate within the district members will be voting on other matters.

(b) At any special meeting of the district, voters of each district member shall cast their ballots at such polling places within the municipality of their residence as shall be determined by the board of the district in cooperation with the boards of civil authority of each district member.

(c) Not less than three nor more than 14 days prior to any special meeting, at least one public hearing shall be held by the board at which time the issues under consideration shall be presented and comments received. Notice of such public hearing shall include the publication of a warning in a newspaper of general circulation in the district at least once a week, on the same day of the week, for three consecutive weeks, the last publication not less than five nor more than 10 days before the public hearing. Such notice may be included in the warning called for in subsection (d) of this section.

(d) The board shall warn a special meeting by filing a notice with the clerk of each district member and by posting a notice in at least five public places in each municipality in the district not less than 30 nor more than 40 days before the meeting. In addition, the warning shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the district once a week on the same day of the week for three consecutive weeks before the meeting, the last publication to be not less than five nor more than 10 days before the meeting.

(e) The original warning of any special meeting of the district shall be signed by a majority of the board and shall be filed with the clerk before being posted.

(f) The posted and published warning notification shall include the date, time, place, and nature of the meeting. It shall, by separate articles, specifically indicate the business to be transacted and the questions to be voted upon.

(g) The Australian ballot system shall be used at all special meetings of the district when voting is to take place. Ballots shall be commingled and counted under the supervision of the district clerk.

(h) All legal voters of the district members shall be legal voters of the district. The district members shall post and revise checklists in the same manner as for municipal meetings prior to any district meeting at which there will be voting.

(i) At all special meetings, the provisions of 17 V.S.A. chapter 51 regarding election officials, voting machines, polling places, absentee voting, process of voting, count and return of votes, validation, recounts and contest of elections, reconsideration or rescission of vote, and jurisdiction of courts shall apply except where clearly inapplicable. The clerk shall perform the functions assigned to the Secretary of State under that chapter. The Washington Superior Court shall have jurisdiction over petitions for recounts. Election expenses shall be borne by the district, unless within 30 days of the date of such resolution there is filed with the clerk of the district a request to call a special district meeting under this section to consider a proposition to rescind such resolution. (Added 2015, No. 41, § 20, eff. June 1, 2015.)