31-769. District; detachment of property; resolution; notice; hearing; outstanding indebtedness, effect; isolated property; detachment; filing.

(1) Whenever a majority of the board of trustees or the administrator of any sanitary and improvement district organized under the provisions of Chapter 31, article 7, desires that any property within the district be detached from the district, the trustees or the administrator shall first propose a resolution declaring the advisability of such detachment and setting out verbatim the terms and conditions thereof and also setting out the time and place when the board of trustees or the administrator will meet to consider the adoption of such resolution. Notice of the time and place when such resolution is set for consideration shall be published the same day each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county where the district was organized, which publication shall contain the entire wording of the proposed resolution. If any part of the district lies within the area of the zoning jurisdiction of any municipality, then the trustees or the administrator shall mail a copy of such proposed resolution to such municipality within five days after the date of first publication of such resolution. The last publication shall be not less than five days nor more than two weeks prior to the time set for hearing on objections to the passage of the resolution, at which hearing the owners of property within the district, or any municipality if any part of such district lies within the area of its zoning jurisdiction, may appear and make objections to the proposed resolution. If the owners representing a majority of the area of real estate within the district fail to sign and present to the board of trustees or the administrator, on or prior to the hearing date, a written petition opposing the resolution, then a majority of the board of trustees or the administrator may pass the resolution and thereby adopt the proposed detachment, except that no such resolution shall be adopted if the district is then indebted on any outstanding bonds or warrants of the district unless the holders of such bonds and warrants all sign written consents to the detachment prior to the adoption of the resolution of detachment. If the petition opposing such resolution is signed by property owners representing a majority of the area of real estate within the district and presented to the board of trustees or to the administrator on or prior to the hearing date, then the board of trustees or the administrator shall not adopt such resolution. After the board of trustees or the administrator has adopted such resolution of detachment, the clerk of the district shall prepare and file a certified copy of such resolution of detachment in the office of the county clerk where the original articles of association were filed and in the office of the Secretary of State, and thereupon the area detached shall become excluded and detached from the boundaries of the district.

(2) The owner of a discrete tract of land which is part of a sanitary and improvement district but which is not connected to the main area of the district may petition the board of trustees or the administrator of the district to have the property detached from the district. Following receipt of the petition, the board of trustees or the administrator shall propose a resolution declaring the advisability of such detachment and setting out verbatim the terms and conditions thereof and also setting out the time and place when the board of trustees or the administrator will meet to consider the adoption of such resolution. Notice of the time and place for such consideration shall be published as provided in subsection (1) of this section. If any part of the district lies in whole or in part within the area of the zoning jurisdiction of any municipality, then the board of trustees or the administrator shall mail a copy of such proposed resolution to such municipality within five days after the date of first publication of such resolution. At the hearing for consideration of such resolution, the board of trustees or the administrator shall determine if the tract of land proposed for detachment:

(a) Has an area of twenty-five acres or more;

(b) Is wholly detached from the main area of the sanitary and improvement district and separated from such district by a distance of at least one thousand feet at the nearest points;

(c) Is undeveloped and predominantly devoted to agricultural uses; and

(d) Has no improvements placed upon it by the sanitary and improvement district and receives no current services from the district.

If the administrator or the board of trustees by majority vote determines that the tract in question meets all of the conditions provided in subdivisions (a) through (d) of this subsection, the resolution shall be adopted, except that no such resolution shall be adopted if the district is then indebted on any outstanding bonds or warrants of the district unless the holders of such bonds and warrants all sign written consents to the detachment. After the board of trustees or the administrator has adopted such resolution of detachment, the clerk of the district shall prepare and file a certified copy of such resolution of detachment in the office of the county clerk where the original articles of association were filed and in the office of the Secretary of State, and thereupon the area detached shall become excluded and detached from the boundaries of the district.

Source:Laws 1967, c. 186, § 3, p. 510; Laws 1982, LB 868, § 31; Laws 1992, LB 764, § 3.