(1) A county legislative authority proposing to establish a county rail district, or to modify the boundaries of an existing county rail district, or to dissolve an existing county rail district, shall conduct a hearing at the time and place specified in a notice published at least once, not less than ten days prior to the hearing, in a newspaper of general circulation within the proposed county rail district. This notice shall be in addition to any other notice required by law to be published. Additional notice of the hearing may be given by mail, posting within the proposed county rail district, or in any manner the county legislative authority deems necessary to notify affected persons. All hearings shall be public and the county legislative authority shall hear objections from any person affected by the formation, modification of the boundaries, or dissolution of the county rail district.
(2) Following the hearing held under subsection (1) of this section, the county legislative authority may adopt a resolution providing for the submission of a proposal to establish a county rail district, modify the boundaries of an existing county rail district, or dissolve an existing county rail district, if the county legislative authority finds the proposal to be in the public interest. The resolution shall contain the boundaries of the district if applicable.
A proposition to create a county rail district, modify the boundaries of an existing county rail district, or dissolve an existing rail district shall be submitted to the affected voters at the next general election held sixty or more days after the adoption of the resolution providing for the submittal by the county legislative authority. The resolution shall establish the boundaries of the district and include a finding that the creation of the district is in the public interest and that the area included within the district can reasonably be expected to benefit from its creation. No portion of a city may be included in such a district unless the entire city is included.
The district shall be created upon approval of the proposition by simple majority vote. The ballot proposition submitted to the voters shall be in substantially the following form:
FORMATION OF COUNTY RAIL DISTRICT . . . . . .
Shall a county rail district be established for the area described in a resolution of the legislative authority of . . . . . . county, adopted on the . . . . day of . . . . . ., (year) . . . .?
Yes . . . . . . . .
No . . . . . . . .
[ 2016 c 202 § 30; 1983 c 303 § 9.]
NOTES:
Dissolution of inactive special purpose districts: Chapter 36.96 RCW.